Category: Parliament

Shaun Bailey – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Shaun Bailey, the Conservative MP for West Bromwich West, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

In forming my comments today, I thought it would be nigh on impossible to articulate what Her late Majesty the Queen meant to me and my constituents and to right hon. and hon. Members across the House, but as I have sat here today, it has been clear to me that her legacy has inspired us to be able to articulate exactly what she meant. For my constituents in the Black Country she was that continuity.

Her late Majesty visited the three towns I represent at various times. She visited Oldbury in 1957 as part of the Black Country tour that my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley South (Mike Wood) referred to; she visited Wednesbury in 1962—there is the incredible image of Her late Majesty waving to the crowds from Wednesbury town hall as they came to greet her—and she visited Tipton in 1994 as part of her final tour of the Black Country, which included sights such as Dudley castle.

For my constituents, Her late Majesty embodied continuity at a time of massive change. During that period, we saw slum clearances and we saw industries disappear, but new people were also welcomed into our community, and we saw our communities change for the better. We welcomed the diversity that the Black Country is so known for today, and we saw communities live side by side with one another. They embodied the example that she set, particularly with her work in the Commonwealth, in encouraging communities and peoples to come together to share the things that bind and unite us, and to live by that message.

That was embodied nowhere more than in the platinum jubilee celebrations, when I had the pleasure of joining so many different communities and street parties, particularly in Tipton, where people may have seen their Member of Parliament engaged in some sort of dodgy dancing. I cannot remember exactly how it went, but none the less it embodied the passion of those communities—my communities—for what Her late Majesty meant.

As we move forward out of this Elizabethan age into a new Carolean age, we need to ensure that the principles that Her late Majesty lived by are embodied further. As we look towards the reign of His Majesty the King, we look at the legacy that he, too, has—one of progress, protecting our environment, looking forward, focusing on technology, and bringing in new ways of working and new ways of viewing the world.

I mourn the loss of the Elizabethan age, but within that sadness there is hope as we look forward. I know that my communities—the great communities of the Black Country, who looked towards Her late Majesty with that sense of continuity and pride—will embrace His Majesty. Thank you, Ma’am, for everything that you did for the communities that you were so admired by. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Jacob Young – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Jacob Young, the Conservative MP for Redcar, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

I rise with sadness to send my condolences and those of my constituents to His Majesty the King and the entire royal family. It is an honour to pay tribute to Her late Majesty the Queen today for all that she did for my community and the country.

Over the last few days, I have read many memories from the people of Teesside about the times they met her on her visits, like at Tees dock in 1997 or Pallister Park in 1993; the charities that she championed, such as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the Scouts and the Girl Guides; and the horses that she raced at Redcar racecourse, where she twice won the Zetland Gold Cup. I never had the honour of meeting Her late Majesty, but I have a wonderful portrait of her in my office that was given to me by my mam, from when she visited Middlesbrough on her first visit to Teesside as Queen. It is a photograph of her in a car driving towards the ICI Wilton site on a warm summer day in June 1956, where she was met by chemists and industrialists who were at the forefront of British innovation in chemical processing. At 3 pm that day, the royal standard flew over the Wilton site as Her late Majesty was shown a range of products, from moulding powders and synthetic fibres to Perspex glasses. More than 60 years later, on that very same site, I remember gathering around a TV at 3 pm on Christmas day as my shift paused work briefly to watch her Christmas message. Much had changed in those decades on Wilton—indeed, much had changed in Britain—but there was one constant: a sovereign who, over seven decades, demonstrated the values of duty and public service. She was a remarkable woman who was an amazing mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and, as we have heard from others, a trusted counsellor, guide and friend.

The Queen’s Christianity formed the guiding principles of her life and the example that she set. In St Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he describes the “fruit of the Spirit” as

“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”.

These are the words by which we knew our Queen. She was a monarch like no other, who gave everything for our country. As she said in her Christmas message in 1957:

“I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or administer justice but I can do something else, I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.”

That she did. She truly was Elizabeth the Great. God bless our late Queen. May she rest in peace. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Kevin Hollinrake – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Kevin Hollinrake, the Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

It is a great privilege, on behalf of myself, my family—my mum, as an adoring fan of the Queen and the royal family, would have been particularly proud—and my constituents, to pay tribute to Her Majesty the Queen and pay my respects to her family.

Sadly, we never truly appreciate what we have until it is gone and there is no finer illustration of that than the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. She has been such a constant presence that, throughout the inevitable peaks and valleys of life, it seemed she would always be there—a golden thread woven through each of our lives. She has, though, always been there for us, as strong and steadfast as her beloved highlands: seemingly faultless—I am sure she would argue with that—and infallible, but accepting, understanding and forgiving of fallibility.

The Queen was truly the best of us. She had an exceptional sense of public service, duty, responsibility and selflessness, combined with good humour, hope and optimism. She made us proud to be British, yet she was always humble, unassuming and deeply interested in everything and everyone around her. It was never about her. The finest tribute and greatest legacy that we could ever give is to follow her lead to be better versions of ourselves—more selfless, more charitable, more optimistic, more forgiving and less judgmental—in her memory. Perhaps it is understandable that we did not fully appreciate what we had, so now let us appreciate what we have. God bless her and God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Mike Wood – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Mike Wood, the Conservative MP for Dudley South, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

It is a privilege to pay tribute, on behalf of people in Dudley South, to our much-loved late monarch, Queen Elizabeth, and to offer our condolences to His Majesty the King, and to the royal family.

There is a poem popular at funerals that begins,

“Do not weep that I have gone,

but rejoice that I have been.”

It seems appropriate, for while we grieve for the loss of a beloved sovereign, we rejoice at all that she has given to us, our country, and the Commonwealth. Whether through providence or good fortune, we are blessed to have been granted such selfless service from one of the world’s great leaders for so very long, but it is not just because of her longevity that she will surely be remembered, long after we are gone, as Elizabeth the Great, to use the words of my right hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson).

Her late Majesty has guided our country since its rebuilding after the ravages of war, and since rationing was still in place, and saw it become a modern, 21st-century society. She took a disintegrating empire and created a strong Commonwealth family of nations. She was integral to our national identities, and embodied so much of what we like to think of as particularly British values and qualities. She united communities and helped to heal divisions between countries and Governments. Queen Elizabeth will be remembered for her contribution to every part of our national life, for she not only reigned over us but was there alongside us. She celebrated with us during times of national jubilation, and she provided comfort and constancy at times of great challenge. She met more people than possibly anybody else in history, and for all who met her, it was an experience that they never forgot.

Her late Majesty visited Brierley Hill, which is now part of my constituency, in 1957, not long after the start of her long reign. It was the first of three visits to Dudley borough and, 65 years later, people still have vivid memories of the day that the Queen came to town. More recently, as a student barrister, I was privileged to meet her during a training weekend at the Westminster estates, and I can only hope that the Prime Minister and other Ministers were more coherent when they were sworn into the Privy Council than I suspect I was on that day.

The Queen has been such a central part of our national life for so long that, even now, it is difficult to truly accept that she is gone. May she rest in peace and rise in glory. Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, His Majesty the King and the royal family will always remain in our thoughts, in our prayers and in our hearts. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Ben Everitt – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Ben Everitt, the Conservative MP for Milton Keynes North, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Laura Trott), who gave a warm and glowing tribute—we have heard many over the past 48 hours. There have been many anecdotes and many recurring themes. I am aware, Mr Speaker, of your guidance, and the guidance of Mr Deputy Speaker, on timing and repetition. It is on the latter that I fear I may have an issue, because I am speaking after my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes South (Iain Stewart), who essentially gave the speech that I wanted to give, but better. I am grateful to him for remaining in his place, possibly to see what I come up with.

With the House’s indulgence, I will just share a personal reflection. It is a huge honour and genuine privilege to serve Her late Majesty the Queen in this place as a Member of Parliament, and as MP for Milton Keynes North, and an honour to pay tribute to our late Queen on behalf of its people. This summer, in her jubilee year, she bestowed city status on Milton Keynes, and that means so much to its people. People from outside Milton Keynes often say, “Well, what exactly does it mean to the people of Milton Keynes?” Indeed it is quite baffling and hard to explain. We got a letter, sent on Her late Majesty’s behalf, that does not quite explain what it means, but says at some length what it does not mean. In lieu of giving the speech I prepared, I thought I might read some of it:

“I am delighted to inform you that I was able to make a favourable recommendation for Milton Keynes to receive city status and that this has been approved by Her Majesty The Queen.

As you will know, this honour does not confer any additional functions, funding or powers nor does it confer upon the Mayor or Provost, the title of Lord Mayor or Lord Provost, the grant of this privilege being an entirely separate matter.

However, this is a rare honour granted by HM The Queen, and given the standard and number of applications was very high you should be very proud.”

We are so proud. Thank you, Your Majesty. It is an honour that goes well beyond any of the others listed in the letter. It is in our souls. I am proud to have served the Queen, and am proud to serve our new King. Long live the King.

September 11, 2022
Laura Trott – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Laura Trott, the Conservative MP for Sevenoaks, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

It is a privilege to hear the incredible tributes we have heard today.

Her Majesty touched the lives and hearts of everyone in Sevenoaks and Swanley. When I went to sign the book of condolence yesterday, it was full of incredible stories and tributes, but I thought I would reflect today on Her Majesty’s relationship with one of my more famous former constituents, and her first Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. Describing Her Majesty on the day of her coronation, Sir Winston said she was

“a Lady whom we respect because she is our Queen and whom we love because she is herself.”

I think that sentiment is shared across the House today.

Chartwell, Churchill’s country home for more than 40 years, is filled with his most cherished possessions. One photo stood out on my most recent trip there and it has been on my mind since Thursday evening, when we heard the statement from Buckingham Palace that we all dreaded. In Churchill’s bedroom, among many pictures of horses, is a framed photograph of Sir Winston on Buckingham Palace’s balcony on VE Day. He is standing next to the then King and Queen, and Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. The photograph is signed by all four members of the royal family and celebrates one of the most important moments of Churchill’s life and career, as well as in the history of Britain. For Churchill to hang this picture on his bedroom wall, in his inner sanctum, shows just how important it was to him. The photo symbolises not only victory against tyranny but the vital role the royal family played in his wartime leadership and the strength of the relationship between Parliament and the Crown, a relationship that has never been more evident than in the past few days.

On behalf of everyone in Sevenoaks and Swanley, I say, “Thank you, ma’am, for everything. We owe you so much.” May she rest in peace. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Richard Bacon – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Richard Bacon, the Conservative MP for South Norfolk, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

It is an honour to offer my tribute to Her late Majesty, both on behalf of the constituents of South Norfolk and personally. I will not resile from anything our Scottish friends have said about Her Majesty’s great love of Scotland, and it might not be a coincidence—it may have been by choice—that Her Majesty chose to spend her last days in the place she loved the most, but she also loved Norfolk. My hon. Friend the Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild) spoke of Sandringham yesterday.

Soon after Her late Majesty’s accession in 1952, she became patron of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, which hosts the Royal Norfolk show, one of England’s premier agricultural events, in South Norfolk. The Queen attended the show in person in 1981 and again in 1986. His Majesty the King, as the Prince of Wales, has twice attended the Royal Norfolk show in the last two decades, and I was privileged as the local Member of Parliament to meet him on both occasions. Indeed, all the children of Her late Majesty have visited the Royal Norfolk show, as have other members of the royal family. We were delighted to welcome the Princess Royal just over two months ago.

Farmers and food producers across the county of Norfolk deeply appreciate the commitment of Her late Majesty and the wider royal family to food and farming over many decades, long before the words “food security” were even thought of. The Queen visited South Norfolk in February 2002 to open the headquarters of Norfolk constabulary in Wymondham, and again in February 2004 to open the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

I particularly remember the Queen’s visit to the new police headquarters, when I was honoured to meet her. I was standing next to the chief constable in the receiving line. The then lord lieutenant, Sir Timothy Colman, introduced the Queen to the chief constable with the words, “Your chief constable, ma’am.” I suddenly reflected that he was, indeed, her chief constable, just as it was her Royal Navy, her courts and her civil service, and just as this Parliament sat under her authority with our Mace as its symbol. The system of constitutional monarchy that we have evolved is a pearl of great price precisely because it allows us to change. At the same time it offers constancy, as perfectly embodied in Her late Majesty.

On behalf of my constituents in South Norfolk, I thank Her late Majesty for all her extraordinary service. I offer my deepest condolences to the royal family and look forward with confidence and optimism to the new era before us. May the Queen rest in peace. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Kieran Mullan – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Kieran Mullan, the Conservative MP for Crewe and Nantwich, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

It is a privilege for me to pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II today on behalf of the people of Crewe and Nantwich and surrounding villages. I did not have the honour of meeting the Queen, but in a testament to her decades of service and the diligent attention she paid to every corner of her realm, Her Majesty visited the area numerous times. In 1972, she opened Leighton Hospital. In 1987, she opened Crewe Heritage Centre and visited Crewe Works. In 1995, she was greeted by 200 south-west Cheshire scouts at Crewe train station, and in 2010, she visited Reaseheath College in Nantwich.

As others have said, a visit by the Queen—the handshakes, the conversations, even just distant glimpses—stay in people’s memories. Leighton Hospital’s longest-serving member of staff, Phil Malam, now aged 69, talked about the visit as part of the hospital’s recent 50th anniversary celebrations. The visit took place just a few days after the then 19-year-old began working as a hospital porter. He wrote:

“It was a very special day…I remember we lined the corridor and the Queen spoke to quite a few of us as she walked past. She was really interested in what we did and thanked us—a lovely lady.”

That is absolutely typical of how people describe interactions with the Queen: “She was really interested in what we did and thanked us.” Over 70 years, I cannot even begin to imagine the number of conversations, handshakes, school and hospital openings, state occasions, visits by dignitaries and tours abroad—70 years of unwavering service to this country and her people, always interested, always smiling, always polite. In the age of celebrity, where to be famous is to be of interest to others, the most famous woman in the world was more interested in others. What drove her was a sense of duty and, as others have said, her wish to keep that promise that she made at just 21: to devote her life to our service. It was a promise solemnly made, and solemnly kept.

Why does that stir such strong sentiment in us? I think it is because we know our failings as humans are often rooted in self-interest of one kind or another: our desire to be important or admired, to achieve things, to be celebrated, to think mostly of ourselves and our family and friends. When someone extends the bonds of service to an entire nation, as the Queen did, to people she would never meet or know—when we see someone embodying the best of what it means to be human, the opposite of self-interest—that inspires us. It gives us a glimpse of what we are all capable of. That is why I admired the Queen.

But, as she embodied us, the millions who undertake acts of community and voluntary service embody her as well. The scout leader, the children’s Sunday league football coach, the parkrun or marathon steward, the parish councillor, the Samaritans helpline volunteer, and the litter-pick group member all follow her example. Now I look at that final picture of her taken this week, and in retrospect, I think there was a deeper meaning to that final act of service than I realised at the time. Right at the end of her life, when perhaps for the rest of us our own comfort would come first, Her Majesty was once again absolutely determined to put her promise to us first—one last desire to help her people and her Prime Minister, entering another period of difficulty and uncertainty, to take that first step towards it with her yet again at our side. Now, rest in peace, Your Majesty. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Richard Holden – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Richard Holden, the Conservative MP for North West Durham, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

I rise today to pay tribute myself and on behalf of my constituents. There have already been some very moving reflections from many Members, and I have felt it a privilege to be in the Chamber in the last couple of days, especially for the contributions from my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) and the right hon. and learned Member for Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman), whose charming personal anecdotes about the Queen exemplified the private charm of someone who lived their life in the full public view. Those stories captured the affection and personal touches of a graceful sovereign who humour and kind heart transcended generations, languages and continents like no one else.

Yesterday, my right hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), in his traditional style, rightly noted that the Queen’s exemplary commitment to public service means that she will enter the annals of our history, and that of the world, as Elizabeth the Great. As the Prime Minister rightly remarked yesterday, the late Queen’s spirit of public service will serve as a shining example to empower and inspire future generations, including her son as he takes on his immense new task as His Majesty King Charles III.

Her late Majesty did not just live by the principles and values of public service: the length, depth and breadth of her dutiful commitment, not only to the United Kingdom but to our realms across the seas, the Commonwealth and the world, made her into essentially a human embodiment of selfless public service.

Over the past few days, one quote from Ecclesiastes has returned to me again and again:

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven”.

Throughout her life, as she grew with us, the Queen fulfilled many purposes as a constitutional monarch to passing generations: a friend, a mother, a grandmother and, in recent years, perhaps even a great-grandmother. Maybe we can find some purpose in her passing, too. Her late Majesty the Queen epitomised duty and public service, so much so that when we hear those words today, we see her and her example. She will be sorely missed, but she will never be forgotten. May she rest in peace and rise in glory. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
James Daly – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by James Daly, the Conservative MP for Bury North, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

The 22nd of October 1954 was a rainy, cold day in Bury, but thousands of people lined the streets, waiting for hours in the pouring rain to see the young Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh on their post-coronation trip to the north-west of England, to see the great towns and cities of the north. There is a wonderful Pathé film of the occasion and one can feel down the ages the happiness, excitement, passion and pride of everyone from all the different towns in knowing that for one moment they might see their Queen, who meant so much to them.

Bury has changed greatly since 1954 in all sorts of ways, including socially. The buildings now look very different to the Pathé film, but the excitement, pride, love and devotion of the people of Bury for their sovereign has never changed. The young Princess Elizabeth first came to Bury in 1938—she was very young then. She came back with her father in 1945: Bury was one of the great towns of the north, producing armaments. She came again in 1954, and in 1968 she visited Radcliffe, another great industrial town just outside my constituency. In 1992, she came back again to visit Bury town hall, which she had opened on that rainy day in 1954.

To me, the Queen represents something that is unique and personal. She is linked to every household, every person, every village, every town and every street in this country. She means different things to us all, but she is a constant, and an example of a set of principles that she lived her life by, for which we all loved and admired her. She said to this nation many decades ago that she would give her life in the service of the people of this country and Commonwealth, and she did exactly that.

The Queen stands for something more than we are. She touched the lives of every single person in Bury, Ramsbottom and Tottington. We have all lived in the Elizabethan age, whether we are six months or 70 years old. We all share the same values, and we have been honoured to live through a time that has linked our towns, our heritage, our histories and our families in the same feelings of love, joy and pride in a unique, wonderful woman. May she rest in peace. God save the King.

September 11, 2022