Category: Parliament

Luke Pollard – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Luke Pollard, the Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

I rise to speak on behalf of people in Plymouth to express our condolences to the royal family on the death of the Queen. I have dated a lot of queens in my time, but I have only ever met the Queen once, shortly after being elected in 2018. It was a wet day at Plymouth train station, and I was doubly excited. First, as a train nerd, I was going to get a sight of the royal train. We do not get regal rolling stock in Devon very often, so I was excited about that. Secondly, it was a chance to see a true icon of our age, a leader like no other—the Queen. She toddled off the train, meeting the dignitaries and looking resplendent in a pink outfit and a pink hat. I looked down at my tie, which was bright pink as well, and thought to myself, “Queens really do wear pink.” When she got to me, she said, “Why aren’t you in Parliament?” I thought, “Oh dear, I’d better get this right.” I said. “Well, the Whips let me off.” She said, “I would hope they did, too.” She gave me a little smile, and I thought, “That was all okay.” That was the spirit of the Queen—meeting so many people and putting them at ease.

The Queen was in Plymouth that day to decommission HMS Ocean before it sailed to Brazil. As the head of our armed forces, she visited Plymouth and Devonport dockyard on number of occasions. She was very much part of our military command structure, our Royal Navy and our Royal Marines. She first visited in 1942, at the age of just 16, visiting the dockyards with her father, King George VI. Four years later, she visited again as a sea ranger to see the battleship HMS Duke of York.

The Queen’s visits to our city parallel our recovery, from the ashes of the Plymouth Blitz to the renewal and evolution of our military tactics with the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines, the rebuilding of Plymouth city centre and the opening of the civic centre in 1962. In 1988, as we marked the 400th anniversary of the Spanish armada, she opened the sundial in Plymouth city centre, giving our teenagers somewhere to meet their mates in town in the almost 40 years since.

The Queen leaves an incredible legacy. As a daughter, wife and mother to Royal Navy officers, her links to the Royal Navy, and to Devonport in particular, are plentiful. They include not just when she presents the Navy with new colours, as she did in 2003, but her many visits to express sorrow for the members of our armed forces family we lost in action. Often those were visits without fanfare, and conversations with real heart.

For my generation, the Queen was the grandma to the nation, a towering figure of female leadership. For a lifetime of devotion, selfless public service and duty, we say thank you. Long live the King.

September 11, 2022
David Morris – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by David Morris, the Conservative MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

On behalf of my constituency and my whole community, I cannot convey how heartbroken we are to lose Her Majesty the Queen. I had the honour of meeting Her Majesty in October 2013. She asked me about my constituency and community, and about how we were all getting on. She was very warm and down to earth.

Her Majesty the Queen was no stranger to Morecambe and my surrounding district. She visited Morecambe not long after her coronation, in April 1955, signing a royal portrait. In August 1989, she visited Heysham port en route to her beloved Balmoral. My whole community welcomed her in Morecambe in July 1999, when she unveiled the Eric Morecambe statue. The Queen told David Miles, president of the Eric Morecambe fan club, that both Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh were big fans of Morecambe and Wise, and of Eric Bartholomew—or Eric Morecambe, as everybody else knows him.

We also have royal patronage in our area. The shifting course of the River Kent, and the fast-moving tides in the area, make leading a safe crossing across Morecambe bay a very perilous task. In 1985, the Queen’s Guide to the Sands, Cedric Robinson, guided Prince Philip across the sands on a horse-drawn carriage.

Today I remember Her Majesty’s reign in my life with fondness, and the past few days with very deep and great sadness. Only a few weeks ago, I welcomed King Charles to the Winter Gardens to see what my community has done with a marvellous old building, and to visit the Eden North site. May Her Majesty rest in peace. My thoughts are with all the royal family. God save the King.

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

The tribute made by Sarah Owen, the Labour MP for Luton North, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

I rise to pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of my constituents in Luton North.

Our country has lost its Queen, and a family have lost their cherished mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. My thoughts are with the royal family during this immense time of loss and with the people mourning the death of the Sovereign who played such a pivotal role in their lives for so many years. Many will have sadly experienced the painful hole left after the death of the head of a family—a matriarch—and they will know the emptiness that echoes through the generations because a loved one is no longer there, but they will also know the fullness of a lifetime of lessons and devotion—those things never leave us.

Since news of her death, there have been displays of affection for the Queen across Luton North, but especially from younger generations. Yesterday morning, students at Lea Manor High School lined up outside school to pay their respects, Luton Sixth Form College fell silent in remembrance, there was time for reflective prayer at Cardinal Newman Catholic School and the headteacher at Chalk Hill Academy addressed students and staff about the need to mourn, but also to honour and celebrate the Queen’s life.

What better place to honour significant occasions than in Luton. Indeed, Her late Majesty chose Luton to mark a very significant life event, celebrating her honeymoon with Prince Philip in Luton Hoo.

They say that some things cannot be fixed but can only be carried, and the Queen was the master of carrying on. Whether it was during the second world war, at times of national crisis or, most recently, during the pandemic, the Queen was the epitome of the British phrase, “Keep calm and carry on”—easy to say, but often harder to do, especially during times of grief. I understand that her Christian faith was a driver in that, because she was never shy about her beliefs and how they motivated her service. I know that churches, mosques and temples in my diverse constituency will be keeping the royal family and the country in their prayers during this period of mourning. Sundon Park Baptist Church has opened a book of condolence, and I know that many others will be doing the same.

The Queen came to power when the nation was recovering from the aftermath of war. The King comes to power at a time when the world is also recovering and facing many challenges. In 2002, during her Christmas broadcast, the Queen spoke words that are just as relevant today, nearly 20 years on:

“Our modern world places such heavy demands on our time and attention that the need to remember our responsibilities to others is greater than ever.”

Wise, wise words. We do not have to be staunch royalists to appreciate that, in every sense, this is truly the end of an era and the beginning of another. Rest in peace, Your Majesty.

September 11, 2022
Bob Blackman – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Bob Blackman, the Conservative MP for Harrow East, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to speak about the long and dedicated life of Her Majesty the Queen on behalf of my constituents in Harrow East, my friends and family, and myself.

Harrow has a unique royal link, being the first borough created when Her Majesty the Queen came to the throne. We have had many royal visits, over many years, and we have celebrated every jubilee. Earlier this year, we celebrated the platinum jubilee with civic functions but, more importantly, with the street parties that many hon. Members have spoken about.

I want to mention two of those visits, which contrast the way that Harrow, and indeed the country, changed during the Queen’s reign. The first was some 50 years ago, when she visited Harrow School on the 400th anniversary of its creation—it is far better than that school just down the road from Windsor castle. The second visit demonstrates that within our borough Harrow now has people from literally every country on the planet, every religion and every language spoken on earth. That visit was during her diamond jubilee in 2012, when we celebrated her coming to Krishna Avanti Primary School, the first state-sponsored Hindu primary school in the country, where children from across the borough came together to meet her.

On my personal memories, I remember parading at Windsor castle as a Queen’s Scout and meeting the Queen at her garden parties as a councillor, a member of the London Assembly and an MP. My favourite memory was as a newly elected MP being allowed to drive through the gates of Buckingham Palace and park in the centre of the palace, before climbing the stairs and being greeted by Her Majesty the Queen directly.

I am an avowed royalist and monarchist, and we pass on our grief to the royal family for the loss of Her Majesty the Queen. It is fair to say that King Charles III has had the longest apprenticeship in history and he has already demonstrated the wisdom of having the hereditary system to those who do not believe in it. To Her Majesty the Queen we say, “God bless. Thank you for your dedicated service, ma’am. Om Shanti. Rest in peace.” And to King Charles III we say, “May you live a long life. Long live the King.”

September 11, 2022
Rupa Huq – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Rupa Huq, the Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

I never met Her late Majesty the Queen but I have been in her garden. She was a unifying presence for all of us, and her loss after a remarkable, iconic 96-year life leaves a huge hole. Recent years have seen her starring with Paddington Bear and James Bond, demonstrating her sense of fun alongside her sense of duty.

For me, memories of that remarkable reign start with the silver jubilee in 1977. I remember my five-year-old mind being blown by the fact that I was sitting eating cake in the middle of Pitshanger Lane, a busy thoroughfare in Ealing. It was transformed for my first-ever street party; I went to dozens more as MP for the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

The Queen was a constant comforting presence, from her early days, as Princess Elizabeth, telling evacuated wartime kids not to worry, right up—by that time, she had mastered Zoom—to her covid reassurance, giving the same message to a worried nation. Her remarkable reign spanned 15 Prime Ministers, from Churchill when she was just 25 years old to her 15th this week, when she was obviously the older and wiser one, with the current PM half her age. She was Head of State to 15 other nations. She oversaw the transition from empire to Commonwealth.

However, for locals my age, it will always be 1985 that we remember, when the Queen opened Ealing Broadway shopping centre. It felt that half the school had bunked off for it—except square old me. Many classmates who pulled a sickie got rumbled when the teacher saw them on the evening news, but she could not get too cross. This year, I actually requested that my sixth-former son be let off lessons for the Queen’s garden party. The teacher allowed it, making his absence part of their lesson on constitutional monarchy—which, of course, the Queen personified superlatively. Her seemingly limitless work ethic and workload continued until two days before her death—but the signs were there, with her non-attendance at the last garden party and at the Queen’s Speech, both delegated to the now King.

Even sceptics who came into her orbit became converts. Kieron Gavan, mayor of Ealing in 2002, when the Queen came to Gunnersbury Park for the golden jubilee, said:

“I asked if she was ever tempted to take the head off while knighting with her sword someone she didn’t like. She replied that it’d be totally inappropriate. But she might nick the neck a tiny bit if they’re particularly irritating.”

He told me that she was charming, witty, smiley and utterly delightful company. Kieron said:

“I’m a republican but became a huge fan, if she had stood for election I’d have voted for her.”

We will never see her like again. She trained as a mechanic in the war, had children from the 40s to 60s who kept the line going, presided over United Nations and Commonwealth summits and was genuinely beloved. The words “end of the era” cannot sum up 70 years, but as the Elizabethan era ends, another begins. It will take some time to get used to, and there will be new stamps and coins in time. May she rest in eternal peace. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Andrew Jones – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

It is a privilege to pay tribute personally and on behalf of the people of Harrogate and Knaresborough to Her late Majesty, one of the greatest figures in our national story. We send our deepest condolences to His Royal Highness the King and all members of the royal family.

Her late Majesty was a regular visitor to our part of Yorkshire. So many people have met her and beautiful stories have been shared. She was held very dear. The outpourings of love and grief at her passing have come from right across the community. The depth and breadth of emotion felt across the UK and the world shows her astonishing connections with us, her people.

Our relationship with Her late Majesty was profound and based on love, respect and inspiration over so long. A lady in my constituency told me that, when she was a young girl, during the war, she looked up to the young princesses and their role in our national effort. That was over 80 years ago.

I never met Her late Majesty; I never knew her, but I felt like she knew me. In her broadcasts, she spoke to our hearts. She has been a part of our lives—almost a part of our families. The depth of the grief that we are now all individually and collectively feeling shows that we are starting to understand just what she has given us: how she helped us through tough times and how she helped to make our country, and so many others, better places—immeasurably so.

The tributes in this Chamber, across our communities and across the world have highlighted the magic that Her late Majesty brought to all that she did. Her remarkable life leaves a powerful legacy. She has defined the standard for service: wisdom and compassion; dignity and humility; speaking less but saying more; and, above all, duty. There is a deep sense of loss for a beloved figure. From the people of Harrogate and Knaresborough, I say: thank you. May Her late Majesty rest in peace. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Mark Hendrick – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Sir Mark Hendrick, the Labour MP for Preston, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

It is with great sadness that I rise to pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and send my condolences to the royal family on behalf of the people of Preston. The Queen has been with most of us for all our lives, through many times of difficulty and crisis, including wars. Her reign began as the Korean war was just coming to an end, and ended six months into a war closer to home in Ukraine, which is having a huge economic and security effect on all our lives. She reigned through Suez, the Falklands, the Gulf war, Bosnia, Kosovo and Libya, to name just a few, and through pandemics such as covid and foot and mouth. She saw mass unemployment in the 1980s and our present cost of living crisis, the like of which this country has not seen in 40 years.

Throughout all those extremely difficult times, the nation could always look to the Queen for a sign that, whatever happened, life for most of us would continue and we would come out of the crisis at hand. She offered reassurance. She provided a sense of security, and a feeling that, because of the length of her reign and the fact that she was around at the time of the second world war, life would go on in this country and most people would get through whatever difficulties we faced. Continuity was her hallmark.

We all have our own memories of our meetings with the Queen, but my fondest memories of her are of when Preston was selected to receive city status in 2002, the year of her golden jubilee. She came to Preston, and I had the pleasure of accompanying her, and chatting with her and Prince Philip, as she walked around the newly anointed city. She was charming, polite, witty, kind, and interested in taking the time to speak to people in the crowds of thousands who turned out to greet her. She will be an impossible act to follow, but I am confident that King Charles III will step up and make his own unique mark on our public life in this country. The right hon. Member for Reading West (Alok Sharma) commented on his views on climate change and I remember the work he was doing on conservation in eastern Europe. I am sure that he will make his mark and have his own influence on whichever Prime Minister serves in the future.

Rest in peace, Queen Elizabeth, and God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Alok Sharma – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Alok Sharma, the Conservative MP for Reading West, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

I rise to pay tribute on behalf of my constituents and myself to our late, great Queen Elizabeth. The Queen was a comforting constant through our lifetimes. She was indeed a unique beacon of wisdom, grace, kindness and courage at the head of our country and the Commonwealth for seven decades. She was the rock we turned to as a nation, in times of uncertainty and sadness, and when we celebrated occasions of national joy. Now our great Queen has gone, leaving a void in all our lives. As we mourn, our hearts go out to her family, as they grieve in their profound loss.

The Queen’s was, by any measure, the most extraordinary of lives. She touched the lives of countless other people across the world. The first time I saw the Queen in person was as an excited 10-year-old, lined-up with others along the Bath Road in Reading during the silver jubilee celebrations, all of us clutching and waving our miniature Union flags as her car sped past. We only got a fleeting glimpse of Her Majesty, but we talked excitedly about the occasion for days afterwards. Such was the reaction she inspired, in world leaders and school children alike.

The first time I got to meet the Queen properly was in 2014, when she came to open formally the magnificently rebuilt Reading train station. I can tell you, Madam Deputy Speaker, I felt the same schoolboy excitement of 37 years earlier at the prospect of meeting Her Majesty. And this time I got to shake her hand. I will always cherish that moment, and a photograph of that occasion—of the Queen smiling that famous radiant smile—is nestled among photographs of my family in our home.

Other Members have already described the trepidation that is felt during the ceremony in which a Member joins the Privy Council and collects the seal of office as a Secretary of State—the worry about kneeling on those pesky footstools! But her Majesty would always be a kind, calming influence, and she had a unique ability to make one feel at ease.

We all know that the Queen and the royal family have championed many causes, and one of those is protecting our environment and planet. The Queen was sadly not able to attend COP26 in person as she had intended, but she was kind enough to share a message with world leaders, acknowledging her pride in the leading role played by Prince Philip, Prince Charles—now our King—and Prince William in encouraging people to protect our precious planet. Ending her remarks, she said:

“I, for one, hope that this conference will be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship.

It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit—written in the history books yet to be printed—will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity; and that you answered the call of those future generations.”

That history is still to be written, and I hope and pray that the leaders of today, here in our own country and across the world, will heed the Queen’s wise words.

Now, of course, we have a new monarch, King Charles III, a long-standing leader in the fight against climate change. Through my work over the past few years on the COP26 agenda, I have had the privilege of supporting the work of King Charles’s sustainable markets initiative. He is a great man, and he will be a great monarch, with the same instinctive understanding of his people and what matters to them as his mother. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Chris Stephens – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Chris Stephens, the SNP MP for Glasgow South West, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

We are not required to be a slavish royalist or, indeed, a fanatical follower of the institution to recognise seven decades of extraordinary public service and duty, not just to the nations and regions of these islands but to the Commonwealth and as an influence in the wider world. Therefore, on behalf of my constituents, I extend my condolences and theirs to the royal family, who are remembering a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother.

In Glasgow South West, Her Majesty opened the Govan walkway during the silver jubilee years. The walkway has panoramic views of many of Glasgow city’s landmarks, including the shipyards that do so much for the Royal Navy. The Riverside Museum on the north side of the city is just across from the walkway, and many of the landmarks heading into Glasgow city centre can be seen. Govan also hosts a state-of-the-art medical facility, the largest hospital in these islands perhaps, the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, which provides so much medical treatment and care to thousands of people in Scotland.

I have heard many personal stories, and I am going to share one, which concerns my grandparents, Charlie and Isabel Alcorn, who on 3 July 2004 just one day before their diamond wedding anniversary received a letter and a card from Her Majesty. The sheer joy and delight that that gave my grandparents and the wider family, that 60 years of marriage was being recognised, I think is something that is shared not just by my grandparents but by many people across these islands. How many cards will His new Majesty give to people who celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary? I suggest not very many. It was of course a traditional marriage: my grandmother always graciously allowed my grandpa to think that he was head of the house—but we knew different.

As so many Members of the House have mentioned, it was about those small acts of Her late Majesty, those little acts of kindness. Those little acts are something that we should think about when we discuss our deliberations in this House. On behalf of my constituents, may she rest in peace.

September 11, 2022
Caroline Dinenage – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Dame Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative MP for Gosport, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

The overwhelming theme of the past two days has been our late Queen’s unparalleled service, duty and dedication. Those are qualities that are particularly understood and valued in my Gosport constituency, set as it is on the shores of Portsmouth harbour and firmly in the heart of our Royal Navy community. It is home to a vast number of service personnel and veterans, people who show enormous duty, dedication and service in every aspect of their professional lives. Not solely as their commander-in-chief, Her Majesty had very strong personal links to our armed forces. Her father was in the Royal Navy, she herself served in the second world war, and of course the enduring love of her life was that very handsome naval officer. The longest serving head of any military unit, she led by example, with an entire life and reign of service and duty.

One of my greatest memories was the Queen’s visit, just a short hop away across Portsmouth harbour, for the commissioning ceremony of her namesake, the flagship Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, in December 2017. It took place in a mammoth hangar inside that colossal ship, packed full of members of the ship’s company, their families, dignitaries and many more who served in her name. I watched that tiny figure, surrounded by enormous crowds and giant objects in that vast space: she was dressed in beautiful purple and commanded the respect, dedication, love and service of all those who gathered. She exuded warmth, putting them all at their ease.

It was quite a sight—an incredible woman, a female leader in the days decades before that was fashionable. She was in a job she had not applied for, with a responsibility she had not sought and a role that she was not even born to do. On her 21st birthday, as we have heard, she said:

“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service”.

If ever in history there was a promise or commitment that was kept, my goodness it was that one.

I have found great comfort in the past couple of days in seeing precious video clips of Her Majesty in her downtime, enjoying herself, cheering on her horses at Royal Ascot or petting her beloved corgis. It is clear, as many others have said, that she had a zest for life and a sense of mischief. She had the most incredible ability to surprise and delight us, and many have spoken of her mission with 007 and her love of marmalade sandwiches with Paddington Bear. Her Majesty once said:

“Grief is the price we pay for love.”

The sadness that is felt by my constituents across Gosport, Lee-on-the-Solent, Stubbington and Hill Head surely shows how much we all loved her. In the words of Paddington Bear:

“Thank you Ma’am, for everything.”

God save the King.

September 11, 2022