Category: Parliament

Nick Fletcher – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Nick Fletcher, the Conservative MP for Don Valley, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

I am deeply saddened, as I know the entire country is, at the passing of our Queen. I never actually had the honour of meeting her. Like most people, I saw her on TV and the occasional glimpse through her car window. Finally, I thought I had my chance when I became an MP and I could attend the opening of Parliament. I was first to put in a prayer card and first to the Chamber, and I was sitting in my place eagerly waiting for the proceedings to begin, only to realise as they took place that first in the Chamber means last out. There I was watching those on the Front Bench file out while I was trapped behind several annoying Members of Parliament who would not get out of the way. In fairness, it is not because they would not, but because they could not, and they had probably made the same error as me. Sadly, I never did get that glimpse. However, something I did get was a memory that came flooding back to me from my younger days. It was a message that said:

“He who is first will be last, and he who is last will be first.”

Like our Queen, I am a Christian, so while I have this moment, I want to let the House know of a recent sermon I heard—it is very short. The pastor spoke of being able to tune a piano from another piano, and then another piano, and so on. It can be done many times, but each time the next piano becomes a little more out of tune than the previous one. What should happen is that each piano should be tuned to the same tuning fork. That way they will all be perfectly in tune. His analogy was that we should all use Christ as our tuning fork, not the world. That way, each of us could try to live like Christ. I believe that our Queen, through her faith, did just that and, by doing so, showed the rest of the world what a life in Christ looked like—a life of faith, hope and, most importantly, love.

Since I became an MP, I have spoken much of the importance of good role models. I cannot think of a finer example than our late Queen. If we all seek to serve as our Queen did, putting God, duty and others first, then this world we all share will be a much better place for it, remembering always that he who puts himself first will be last, but he who puts himself last will be first. Our Queen always put herself last and others first.

I finish by thanking our Queen on behalf of us all in Don Valley for her 70 years of incredible service. On behalf of my constituents again, I would like to pass on our sincere condolences to the entire royal family. God save the King; long may you reign.

September 11, 2022
Stephanie Peacock – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Stephanie Peacock, the Labour MP for Barnsley East, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

It is an honour to rise today to pay tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The whole country, the people of Barnsley, and millions across the Commonwealth and around the world are all mourning the loss of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. I express my sadness, and I give my condolences and those of the people of Barnsley East to our new King and to our royal family. Anyone who knows me knows I am a strong supporter of our constitutional monarchy—I am a proud royalist—but I have been struck by how both those who share my view and those who hold the opposite one are unified in admiration for our late Queen’s service, commitment and duty. Across the country, there is a profound sense of loss.

Queen Elizabeth II was part of that incredible generation of women—the most prominent of them my grandmother’s generation—who lived through, served in and survived the second world war, at a time when attitudes to women were very different. She perfectly understood the role of a constitutional monarch, public service and duty. She knew it was not her job to solve the problems of the day—that falls to us in this place—but she often spoke to our nation at times of peril, danger and division, delivering a message of comfort and unity. For me, most notably, in the wake of the horrific 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, she said:

“Grief is the price we pay for love.”

We draw on that sentiment today at a time of profound national sadness and mourning.

Members across the House have rightly spoken of how our Queen Elizabeth has been a constant in our lives in an ever-changing world—in difficult times and in happier ones. In 1977, she had been on the throne for a quarter of a century when she visited Barnsley as part of her silver jubilee celebrations. Our town was built on coal, and when she visited in 1954 she was given a commemorative piece to mark the occasion. I know the people of Barnsley celebrated then as they mourn today.

The late Queen had a unique ability to unite us all, and today we are united in our grief. As the poet laureate, Yorkshireman Simon Armitage, wrote in his collection “Queenhood” to mark the platinum jubilee:

“For generations we will not know such majesty.”

As our Elizabethan age closes, those words ring true. As we mourn her loss, as we celebrate her life and as we thank her for her service, we say rest in peace, and we say God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Craig Whittaker – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Craig Whittaker, the Conservative MP for Calder Valley, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

I rise on behalf of my constituents of the Calder Valley to thank Her Majesty the Queen for her lifetime of service to us, her peoples, and to her country, the Commonwealth and the territories for all the very many reasons that have been mentioned here by colleagues over the past two days. I will not repeat them but will instead reflect on my own wonderful experiences of meeting Her Majesty.

I am what I would call a true working-class lad. We emigrated to Australia when I was five. I am the son of a boilermaker and a seamstress. We were £10 Poms who emigrated to the once great steel and shipbuilding towns and cities of Australia.

My first experience of seeing the Queen in real life was back in the late 1970s. I was just 15—Madam Deputy Speaker, I can see that you are aghast at that. I remember watching in awe as the Royal Yacht Britannia brought Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip to meet the then Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser. The amount of people who turned out to greet them was a magnificent sight. Never once then did I ever imagine that I would one day be Her Majesty’s Vice-Chamberlain and be having one-to-one audiences with her at Buckingham Palace.

Let me briefly return to my working-class roots. When I left school, my mum was absolutely horrified that I went to work in an office. Such was the harshness of my background that she often asked why I did not get a proper job like my dad and my brother, who also had a trade—although, I would not change it for anything. This badgering from my mum has gone on my whole life. Even when I became an MP, in devilment she would say to me, “Just remind me what exactly is it that you do?”

A few years ago, when my mum was in her late 70s, she came back to the UK from Australia for a holiday. It was around the same time as the State Opening of Parliament. Not telling her a thing, I brought her here to London for a visit. I got her a seat in the House of Lords Gallery, overlooking the Queen—straight in front of the Queen.

Then, for good measure, I got her a seat in the Special Gallery on the Floor of the House, courtesy of Mr Speaker’s predecessor. No one has ever seen my mother speechless in her life, but I can tell you, Madam Deputy Speaker, that she was. I can also tell you that she has never once since said to me, “So tell me, what is it you actually do?”

That was the power of the respect Her Majesty gained from every generation of Britons, my good old mum included. I will take to my dying day the ease I felt with and the compassion and the love I had for my Queen—our Queen—as her Vice-Chamberlain. Her interest in and knowledge of the Calder Valley or any subject we discussed was flawless. May you rest in peace, Your Majesty. You have more than deserved and earned your peace. God save the Queen, and God save the King.

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

The tribute made by Richard Thomson, the SNP MP for Gordon, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to convey and share the sadness of my Gordon constituents at the passing of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and to express our gratitude for her lifetime of service as our monarch and Head of State.

It has been an incredible privilege to listen to so many generous tributes in this place yesterday and today, and to hear so many personal stories about how Her Majesty’s life and reign touched so many people. Many have already spoken, in this place and elsewhere, of the sense of permanence that Her Majesty brought to us. She was ever-present—a constant presence—in our public life. So many of us perhaps never realised the importance that she played in that backdrop of our lives and the presence that she had until that presence was no longer there.

It was a role that she carried out with diligence, grace and decorum, and with a deep sense of duty and obligation, for which we are all incredibly grateful. She was quite an extraordinary person, called to serve us in quite extraordinary times in quite an extraordinary role, serving as our monarch through a tumultuous period of technological, social and political advance.

She was the Head of State of many different countries and territories, and, as the winds of change blew throughout the past century, she saw many of them achieving self-government in their own right and saw many changes internally within the UK, with devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But throughout she demonstrated a surefootedness; a steadiness. She was a unifying presence, whatever change was happening around her, symbolising all that remained in common.

As has been said, she had a particular affinity with Scotland, particularly with Aberdeenshire in the north-east of Scotland, and especially with her beloved home, Balmoral castle. It was an area of Scotland where she was greatly loved and which she loved very much in return.

The loss of Her Majesty will be felt deeply. Even those who might be ambivalent to the institution of monarchy will nevertheless realise the enormity of the passing of someone who has served in that role so steadfastly, so diligently and with such commitment to her people.

As His Majesty King Charles has said:

“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”

In that, he speaks for each of us. May she rest in peace. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Jackie Doyle-Price – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Jackie Doyle-Price, the Conservative MP for Thurrock, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

It is a great honour to speak on behalf of the people of Thurrock in my tribute to our already much-missed Queen Elizabeth II.

It has been moving and comforting to listen to the tributes here in Westminster and in the media. This is an amazing nation, and Queen Elizabeth epitomised the best of it. In what we have heard in the Chamber over the past two days, we have been reminded of just how important a position the monarchy has in our system of government, and how intricately involved she was in all our affairs of state. She applied herself to that work with such dedication. Her weekly audiences with the Prime Minister were not just a formality; they were an important part of how Prime Ministers are held to account on behalf of her subjects, and of course an opportunity for them to access her great wisdom. I very much enjoyed hearing the accounts of former Prime Ministers yesterday.

I had the good fortune of meeting the Queen when she visited Parliament 10 years ago. Unsurprisingly, I never tire of talking about Tilbury, as many Members know, and I am afraid that Queen Elizabeth also had that enjoyment. The one thing that everyone knows about Tilbury is that Queen Elizabeth I made her famous speech there. Well, Queen Elizabeth II also has an association with Tilbury.

In 1953 there was a massive tidal event in the North sea that led to many thousands of deaths in north Europe, including 300 in this country, and Tilbury town had to be evacuated. The Queen visited Tilbury and, again, it was one of those occasions when she did so well. At times of national tragedy she showed leadership, giving comfort and reassurance to those affected, and we will miss that. Over the years she has given such comfort to thousands upon thousands of people. In that respect, we have lost our anchor—the anchor that steadied the ship in rough seas—and the focus of great celebration.

We have already seen in the tone taken by King Charles III in his address to the nation that that leadership is passing into safe hands. We send King Charles our good wishes, our respect and our admiration as we mourn the loss of our much-loved Queen Elizabeth. May she rest in peace. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Lilian Greenwood – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Lilian Greenwood, the Labour MP for Nottingham South, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

It is with great sadness that I stand to pay tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Over the past 48 hours, we have all reflected on her unparalleled role in our national life and have witnessed the tremendous affection and admiration in which she is held both at home and around the world. Yesterday evening we heard the words of our new King as he paid tribute to a dearly loved mother. On behalf of my constituents in Nottingham South, I extend my deepest sympathies to King Charles and all the royal family as they experience this very personal loss.

As so many colleagues have said, having reigned for a remarkable 70 years, the Queen has been a constant throughout our lives, and the milestones of her reign have left their mark in our own stories. I still have my silver jubilee envelope, but sadly not the coin, that we received in primary school. A photo of my youngest daughter as a toddler dressed up in gold crown and red velvet cloak for the golden jubilee hangs on the wall at home. Of course, I will never forget meeting the Queen on her diamond jubilee visit to Nottingham. Having waved to the crowd from the council house balcony, she confided that their cheers were even louder than outside Buckingham Palace.

The Queen has provided that much-needed point of stillness through some of the most turbulent times in our country’s history, offering leadership, comfort and hope in the darkest hours, but she has also been a vital part of collective celebrations, including in our city of Nottingham. Her first official visit to Nottingham in 1949 as Princess Elizabeth was the highlight of the city’s quincentenary celebrations. Half the city will have joyous memories of her presenting the FA cup to Nottingham Forest captain Jack Burkitt at Wembley in 1959, but everyone will have cheered when she came to congratulate ice dancing gold medallists Torvill and Dean, following their triumph in the 1984 winter Olympics.

The Queen witnessed huge change in our city. On a visit in 1968 she toured the immense Raleigh factory in Radford. Thirty-one years later, she was back at that same spot. Bicycle production was all but over, and the Triumph Road site was being transformed into the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus, now attracting students from around the globe and researching cutting-edge technologies for the new century. Perhaps the city’s most familiar manifestation of Her Majesty is the Queen’s Medical Centre, which was the biggest purpose-built hospital in Europe when it was officially opened by the Queen in 1977. It was also over budget, controversial and delayed—features of infrastructure projects that I suspect were not unfamiliar to the Queen then and certainly not later.

The loss of our Queen has moved people around the world. On my behalf and that of the people of Nottingham South, and Nottinghamians everywhere, I say thank you for a life of exceptional public service, dignity, kindness and good humour. May she rest in peace. Long live the King.

September 11, 2022
Paul Howell – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Paul Howell, the Conservative MP for Sedgefield, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

It is a privilege to rise on behalf of my Sedgefield constituents, on an occasion that we never wanted to occur. I begin by giving my condolences to the Queen’s family, for whom this is a personal event as much as it is one of state. Although no one can deny that living to 96 constitutes a long life, the demise of the Crown has still come as a shock to us all and will be most deeply felt by her family.

The Queen’s sudden absence reminds us again of what a steady presence she was for the nation, and the love we have for her was fully demonstrated through the platinum jubilee celebrations. It did not matter which of my 40-odd towns and villages I went to, there was a street party going on. Hers was not the sort of presence one necessarily thought about on a daily basis, but since most of us cannot remember a time without it, it just seemed like a fact of life. Her reliable consistency was all the more impressive given that it was not a role she chose, and it must have been a daunting prospect at the start.

The values held and lived out by the Queen provide an example to everyone. She embodied virtues, such as respect, endurance and restraint, in as comprehensive a way as we have ever seen from anyone, anywhere. Nevertheless, no one is eternal, and we know that as a Christian she believed there was something more to look forward to.

In trying to work out what to say today, I found inspiration from one of my constituents. Yesterday, Stephen Atkinson, a local resident of Wingate, shared a poem that he wrote in a community group, and he has kindly given me permission to read it to the House. It is called “Our Lily”.

“Our lily of the valley

Has shed her petals free

To drift upon the winds of time

In her own sweet Galilee

The Mother of our nation

So long its beating heart

Offers her earthly shell to rest

For her soul must now depart

So free it roams, through gilded vale

And bonny lochs & moors

Past stag & hare, & fragrant fayre

To dusk’s misty allures

Where lies a smile, she knows so well

Her waiting strength & stay

Together, two souls reunite

And dance the night away

And here we are

Elizabethans, is all we’ve ever been

For 70 years you tried your best

To live up to being Queen

You’ll always be our true foundation

The soil of our scepter’d Isle

A constant in our thoughts & hearts

Great Britain’s brightest smile

I hope you sit upon Burmese

With your Father by your side

And in his long lost face you’ll see

Only love & endless pride”

On behalf of all my Sedgefield constituents, I thank our amazing Queen Elizabeth for her service and wish King Charles III the fortitude to deliver as his mother did. She is an amazing act to follow, but I have every confidence that he will deliver. May she rest in peace, and God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Sarah Olney – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Sarah Olney, the Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to make this tribute on behalf of the people of Richmond Park. It was in our constituency that the first Queen Elizabeth passed away in 1603 at Richmond Palace. It is a great privilege to speak on behalf of my constituents at the conclusion of the equally great and historic reign of the second Queen Elizabeth.

I will offer a personal reflection on the Queen. When I heard the sad news of her death on Thursday, my mind went back to April 2020. As everyone will remember, we had just gone into an unprecedented lockdown in response to a terrifying pandemic. I was a newly elected MP, suddenly receiving hundreds of emails from constituents who had complex questions and requests, and who were sharing stories of great sacrifice and suffering. I did not know how best to support them. As a parent, I saw my young children sitting at home, staring out of the window and wondering when their lives would restart. I was beset by uncertainty about what would happen next and it felt almost overwhelming.

Then came the Queen’s message, with that gentle but firm insistence that, “We will meet again.” That message that the road ahead might not be visible, but that we would get to the other side, meant so much to me. It resonated partly because, as many hon. Members have said, the Queen was someone I had always known and respected, so I intrinsically trusted her. It was also the knowledge that her great age gave her the perspective that however dark the current day, better days would come. But I think it was also that she was our nation’s link to the past and all our previous ages. She reflected all the troubles and triumphs of our nation’s past that have brought us to this point. Her message at that point was tremendously reassuring to me and, I know, to thousands of others.

Of course, the Queen was right. It was wonderful to come together for her platinum jubilee this summer. We had fantastic celebrations across Richmond Park and it was a particular pleasure to join the very joyful jubilee party at The Queen’s School, Kew, which is named after Her late Majesty. There could not have been a better opportunity for all of us to have a national celebration than in honour of the woman who has always united and elevated us. I am so glad that we had the opportunity to celebrate her life while there was still time.

As we whistled, stamped, sang and waved our flags to say “Thank you”, however, I think we knew in our private hearts that we were also saying “Goodbye.” So on behalf of the people of Richmond Park, I extend my condolences to the royal family on their sad loss. May Her Majesty rest in peace and in the hearts and memories of her grateful nation, and may God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Henry Smith – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Henry Smith, the Conservative MP for Crawley, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for allowing me this opportunity to express respect, sorrow and thanks to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of my constituents in Crawley, myself and my family. Since we heard the news that we all feared on Thursday with her passing away, much has been said about how she had been a constant presence in our lives personally and nationally. Few people alive today had known any monarch but Her late Majesty.

On the Queen passing away, my thoughts went to the first time I ever saw her. I was born and spent my early formative years in the Epsom area of Surrey and, when I was a young child, my late mum took my brother and I up to the Derby at Epsom. Much has been said about Her late Majesty’s great love of horse-racing; she attended the Derby virtually every year of her reign. We positioned ourselves about half a mile down the road, where we knew her official car would be leaving after the race. I remember waving my Union Jack—I have had a passion for flags ever since as a vexillologist—and, as her car passed, she was wearing those vivid, bright colours that she always did so that people at public events could see her. I was amazed when she waved back.

More than three decades later, I had the distinct honour and privilege of officially greeting Her late Majesty the Queen when she visited Crawley. At the time, I was the leader of West Sussex County Council, and one of her duties that day was to open Thomas Bennett Community College: a school that had been rebuilt. With great nervousness and excitement, I met our monarch and, as she did for all functions and occasions, she carried out her duties in a way that put people at ease and allowed our whole community to celebrate.

Her late Majesty had visited my Crawley constituency on five previous occasions in an official capacity. First, in 1950, when she was the Princess Elizabeth, she came to open what is now one of the largest industrial estates in the country. Apparently, she had looked over the old tithe maps of where it was to be located and named it Manor Royal.

In 1958, as our sovereign, Her late Majesty came back to my constituency to officially open Gatwick airport: the world’s busiest single-runway airport and a great driver of the local economy. Her next visit was in 1969—the year I was born—when she came to officially open Holy Trinity school, which is soon to be rebuilt. Her next visit was in 1982, to lay the foundation stone of St Catherine’s Hospice. In 1988, she went back to Gatwick airport to open the north terminal.

We all feel that we have lost somebody to whom we have a personal connection, even though she was a mother not only to this United Kingdom, but to the Commonwealth, and was recognised and respected throughout the world. That was typified on 11 September 2001, when she spoke about grief being the price we pay for love after the attacks in the United States. That is so true.

With great respect and interest, I watched His Majesty’s address last night from Buckingham Palace. I am grateful for the message that the service that we had from the Queen will be continued in the reign of Charles III. We in this country are fortunate to have a constitutional monarchy, and long may that continue. May God rest the soul of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. May God give wisdom to His Majesty King Charles III. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Bill Esterson – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Bill Esterson, the Labour MP for Sefton Central, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

Like so many people, I have only known a world in which Queen Elizabeth II was our Queen. The wonderful tributes we have heard often include reference to the amazing longevity of her reign, and I was reminded of this when I looked at the dates of her many visits to Sefton. When the Queen first visited Bootle, Crosby and Southport in the early 1950s, they were all in the county of Lancashire. They became part of the borough of Sefton only some 20 years later with local government reorganisation, which is a story familiar to many people across the country.

The Queen also visited Bootle in 1962 and as part of her silver jubilee tour in 1977. She went to the Altcar training camp in my constituency in 1985, and she went to Southport again on the same visit. Aintree racecourse is in my Sefton Central constituency and is, of course, home to the world’s most famous horserace. Given the Queen’s love of horses, it is perhaps no surprise that she first attended the grand national in 1956, and it is fitting that Red Rum saved his record third win in the grand national for 1977 and the Queen’s silver jubilee.

People across Sefton have fond memories of the Queen’s visits, and none more so than in 1993 when she joined the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the battle of the Atlantic at Bootle town hall. The links to the armed forces and to the merchant navy, which she recognised through her visits to Sefton, have provided service personnel and civilians with fond memories and demonstrated her gratitude for their service to our nation.

The messages of condolence from my constituents have displayed warmth and gratitude to the Queen. Memories of her will be treasured for years to come. Queen Elizabeth II did her duty for my constituents and deserves our heartfelt thanks for her service to our nation. May she rest in peace. Long live the King.

September 11, 2022