Category: Parliament

Heather Wheeler – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Heather Wheeler, the Conservative MP for South Derbyshire, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

Thank you very much for calling me, Madam Deputy Speaker.

I, along with most people in South Derbyshire, am so sad that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth has left us. I, on behalf of the constituents of South Derbyshire, send our heartfelt condolences to the royal family. We have been so lucky for most of our lifetimes to have a Queen who has been totally dedicated to public service and duty. Queen Elizabeth showed us public servants how it should be done, and she remains an inspiration to me, as she has been for so many other people.

I was lucky enough to have the honour of meeting her twice, once in Derby and once in Buckingham Palace. Both moments I will cherish for the rest of my days. At Buckingham Palace I was with my dear departed husband and spent a wonderful evening chatting with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. All around us were buckets catching raindrops from a dodgy roof, which gave me the opportunity to share our mutual grief over leaking roofs and the different ways to try to fix them—probably not a conversation that many others have had with the Queen. She was amazingly knowledgeable on this subject, as on so much else.

To close, our constitutional monarchy and its ability to adapt and change with the times is the envy of the world. None of us politicians is more important than our monarch. Ministers come and go, while the continuity of our monarchy provides us with an important balance of power, of which I am proud. May our beloved Queen Elizabeth II rest in peace, and long live King Charles III.

September 11, 2022
Christian Matheson – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Christian Matheson, the Labour MP for the City of Chester, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

I rise on behalf of my constituents in the City of Chester. What is so telling to me as I listen to hon. and right hon. Members across the House is that, among the grief and the sadness, there is laughter and smiles. The Queen had that ability to make us smile and laugh, which is so important to remember today. For me, two factors stand out on the death of Her late Majesty. The first is the fidelity that she gave to that pledge she made in Cape Town on her 21st birthday to dedicate her life to service. Never in history can a promise have been kept so faithfully for so long. She embodied dignity, service and dedication.

Secondly, I must think of the royal family and the personal loss that they have felt. The fortitude that they are showing, especially our King, at a time of bleak bereavement is a clear sign of the fine man he is and the fine king he will be. I noticed how quickly he connected with people yesterday when he returned to Buckingham Palace. May he and his family take comfort from the shared grief that the whole nation and the Commonwealth are feeling.

Her Majesty, as many have said, was the rock of certainty and reliability around which the maelstrom of an ever-changing world would circle like a hurricane. She was a beacon of hopes, a fulcrum of dependability. From the post-war austerity, through the swinging sixties, the permissive society, the space age, globalisation, the age of the internet and the worldwide web, and the coronavirus pandemic, she saw it all and moved with the times, but she also acted as an anchor of stability and security in the storm of the changes that the world saw.

She came to Chester in June 2018 to open Storyhouse, our new theatre and arts centre. The whole city was bouncing and buzzing. She, the lord mayor and a couple of others crammed into a small lift to go to the upper floors of our new theatre. “Doors are closing,” said the automatic voice of the lift. “Yes,” said Her Majesty, “I think we can all see that.” Again, it was one of those examples of her using a little humour to put everyone at their ease, particularly in the tight space of the lift.

I am so grateful that in Chester and across the realm we were able to celebrate the platinum jubilee earlier this year, so that she could see the love and gratitude of all of us for that life of service. May she rest in peace, and God save the King.

September 11, 2022
John Glen – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by John Glen, the Conservative MP for Salisbury, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

I rise to speak today on behalf of my Salisbury constituents. I wish to start by acknowledging the unique contribution that Her Majesty has made to our nation, the Commonwealth and the world. We will never see a monarch reign through so many decades. The overwhelming grief, sadness and disorientation that our nation is now experiencing is in proportion to and a direct consequence of the enormous role that Her Majesty played in our lives. As King Charles said in his moving address last evening, thank you, Queen Elizabeth. Thank you for your gracious presence in our lives.

Many of her subjects will never have met the Queen, but everyone felt that they knew her and that she cared for them. I have sat in this Chamber these past two days and heard so many wonderful speeches from colleagues on both sides of the House. I was moved by the sheer breadth and depth of the impact that Her Majesty has had in every corner of her United Kingdom and beyond.

Much has been said about her devotion to her family, her love of the countryside, horses and her beloved corgis, her humour, her kindness and the enduring impact of that remarkable smile that warmed the hearts and left an indelible impression seared into the soul of anyone she encountered. I cannot offer anecdotes from time spent at Balmoral, Sandringham or encounters at the Palace, but I feel no less privileged for that. None the less, I did meet Her Majesty when she visited Salisbury in 2012 in her diamond jubilee year. She visited the Rifles Regimental Museum in Salisbury Cathedral Close, our cathedral and an exhibition of our country’s history and communities on the cathedral lawn.

The abiding memory I will have is one of a sublime peacefulness, an aura of sincerity as she engaged so generously in so many conversations with my constituents. Each morning in my constituency home overlooking the great cathedral—I am so fortunate—I reflect on the day ahead. Looking out of my window, I have two pictures on the window ledge: one of my beloved parents and one of me shaking the hand of Her Majesty a few metres away. I met her once, but I think she will always be with me in my service in Salisbury.

Her Majesty led a life that was animated and fuelled by a deep Christian faith that sustained her through life’s highs and lows. I think that this will be the strongest legacy that she will leave me with. Her life was driven by duty, but sustained in full submission to the Gospel of Christ and his teachings. I thank God for what he showed us about his character through Her Majesty’s wonderful life. God save the King.

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

The tribute made by Cat Smith, the Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

I rise on behalf of myself and my constituents to pay tribute to our longest serving monarch. Underpinned by her Christian faith, she gave a life of service, built on that firm foundation, and for that we give thanks and celebrate, in the words of the King, “a life well lived.”

The Queen owned the Duchy of Lancaster, so she always had a strong tie to my constituency. To us in Lancaster, she was known as the Duke of Lancaster, which can catch visitors out; if anyone is ever invited to sing our national anthem in Lancaster, they will find that the words are slightly different, as we sing, “God save the Duke” instead of the more traditional words. Because of that strong tie, the Queen visited many times. She visited Lancaster Priory in 1999 to mark the 600th anniversary of this important link between the Crown and the Duchy of Lancaster. She also personally approved the grant of a charter that constituted the University of Lancaster back in 1964. She made many visits to Lancaster castle. She visited it three times: in 1969, before I was born; in 1977, before I was born; and in May 2015, days after I was elected as the Member of Parliament. When the declaration was made and I was handed an envelope as a newly elected Member, I got an additional envelope saying, “In a few days’ time, you will be meeting the Queen. Do you have a hat?” I do not think they meant the Barrow A.F.C bobble hat. Utterly terrified, and before I had made my maiden speech, I found myself stood by platform 3 at Lancaster station as the royal train rolled in. Unusually for Lancaster, which is normally gloriously sunny all the time, the heavens opened and it poured with rain. At that point, I realised that hundreds and hundreds of my constituents were stood out in this pouring rain lining the streets to welcome Her Majesty, in the hope of perhaps catching a glimpse of her. That brought home to me the power that the Queen had to bring people from all walks of life and from all generations together. As a newly elected MP, that was an important lesson for me to realise.

The Queen also visited other parts of my constituency, from the rural farms to the renowned Rossall School in Fleetwood, which she visited in 1994 to mark its 150th anniversary. Following correspondence that I have received in the past 48 hours, it is clear that my constituents who had the good fortune of meeting her now have memories that will last a lifetime. So as the sun sets on this second Elizabethan age, we give thanks that our nation has had the good fortune to have the Queen serve us for 70 years. May she rest in peace and rise in glory. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Iain Stewart – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Iain Stewart, the Conservative MP for Milton Keynes South, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity to pay tribute to Her late Majesty.

In an interview yesterday, the mayor of Milton Keynes, Amanda Marlow, was asked what Her late Majesty meant to the people of Milton Keynes, and she replied simply that she was “everything”. That is partly due to the fact that Milton Keynes as we know it today was founded, was built and flourished as a new city during her reign. From a collection of north Buckinghamshire towns and villages to the thriving city we know today, Milton Keynes developed under her.

Her late Majesty visited many times to celebrate our history, whether that was to go to the railway works at Wolverton, which has been home to the royal train for many years, or Bletchley Park in my constituency, which she visited about 10 years ago to unveil a memorial to the codebreakers there. Members who have had a royal visit will know that these are often planned to the last minute, if not second, but such was her interest and that of the late Duke of Edinburgh that the timetable went completely out of the window, because she was so engrossed in celebrating the achievements of the codebreakers.

As well as our history, the Queen was there to celebrate our development. Whether it was the opening of the Open University, our new city centre or the football stadium, she has been there for every part of Milton Keynes’s development.

But the greatest honour came just a few months ago, at the platinum jubilee, when she had the grace to bestow city status upon us. At the heart of our bid was the fact that Milton Keynes is made up of many different communities, from the vast majority, if not all, of the countries in the Commonwealth. That, of course, is something that she enormously cherished.

Finally, I noticed that yesterday, in his fine speech, the Leader of the Opposition quoted some lines from Philip Larkin, one of the Queen’s poet laureates. I would like to conclude by quoting a short poem by another of her poet laureates, Sir John Betjeman, called “The Last Laugh”. It reads:

“I made hay while the sun shone.

My work sold.

Now, if the harvest is over

And the world cold,

Give me the bonus of laughter

As I lose hold.”

I very much hope that Her late Majesty did keep her well-known sense of humour to the end, and that once the period of grief and mourning at her loss has passed, we may all, as individuals and as a nation, smile and remember with joy what she meant to us and did for us. Thank you, Ma’am. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Geraint Davies – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made Geraint Davies, the Labour MP for Swansea West, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

There is nothing more important to a child than their mother. She provides comfort, security and stability amid the worries of the world. She is the person assumed by all of us to go on forever. And so it was with Queen Elizabeth, the mother of our country, our queen of hearts.

The people across the four nations of the United Kingdom owe so much to Her Majesty the Queen for providing steady continuity through war and peacetime, through the peaks and troughs of change. So we feel a sense of deep grief across our United Kingdom for the loss of our eternal mother. For me personally, I feel a special affection as my own mother was of the same generation and met my father during the war, when he served in the Royal Navy.

Elizabeth bore the weight of the United Kingdom on her young shoulders from the age of 25, when Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister, for over 70 years of global change. She has been an anchor for Britain in a sea of change through 15 Prime Ministers, 14 US Presidents and seven Popes, supporting the world with the long-term interests of her communities and nations in mind, not the short-term expedients of others. As a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, she had to lead a family often in personal turbulence, in the public view, with a steady hand, carefully balancing the interests of the country with those of her own family.

I had the privilege of meeting the Queen briefly on behalf of Swansea West on a few occasions since 2010. In those fleeting moments, I could appreciate her wisdom and quiet gravity amid her sunny demeanour whatever the weather. She will remain loved by so many millions for so many things. Her continuity has helped anchor our fundamental values of fairness and democracy amid the undulating changes of political leadership, and the storms and sunshine of global events.

We shall never forget the Queen, and the people of Wales—and of Swansea West—will always hold her in our hearts for her service and devotion to our country. Our thoughts are of course with her family, wishing them strength at this most difficult time, and the comfort of remembering, with love and affection, the happy times shared together as a family with Elizabeth, who will continue to live in our hearts.

Finally, for Swansea West, I recall how on 14 May 1946 Elizabeth, at the tender age of 20, attended a recital of poetry at Wigmore Hall with her mother, Queen Elizabeth, and sister, Princess Margaret. There Dylan Thomas, Wales’s greatest poet—born in Uplands in my constituency of Swansea West—read “Fern Hill”. The last verse reads:

“Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me

Up to the swallow-thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,

In the moon that is always rising,

Nor that riding to sleep

I should hear him fly with the high fields

And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land.

Oh, as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,

Time held me green and dying

Though I sang in my chains like the sea.”

Diolch yn fawr, Elizabeth. Rest in peace. God save the King, and the Prince and Princess of Wales.

September 11, 2022
John Whittingdale – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by John Whittingdale, the Conservative MP for Maldon, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

It is a privilege to join hon. Members in paying tribute to Her late Majesty, not just on my own behalf, but on behalf of all the people of the Maldon constituency. Many fine tributes have been given yesterday and today, and many hon. Members have spoken of Her late Majesty’s dedication, commitment, remarkable sense of duty, and lifetime of service, which was always performed with dignity, compassion and kindness. I echo all those sentiments.

It has been an extraordinary week, starting with the appointment of a new Prime Minister and ending with the accession of a new sovereign. I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I am sure she will be grateful that her first audience with the monarch was with Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. I am sure that His Majesty King Charles will continue to provide advice and counsel, but my right hon. Friend must be sad that she will not benefit from the extraordinary wisdom and experience that Her late Majesty shared in advising 15 successive Prime Ministers.

Before entering the House, I worked for one of those Prime Ministers, Margaret Thatcher. She used to fix in her diary—the only immutable engagement in 11 years—the weekly audience with Her Majesty. I suspect that there were, occasionally, some quite robust discussions—she never spoke of what was said—but I know that she immensely valued the experience of Her late Majesty and was hugely honoured when Her late Majesty attended her 70th birthday party.

A number of hon. Members have spoken about how they are asked in primary schools whether they have met the Queen, and I have had exactly the same experience, but I have also been struck on international visits when many parliamentarians from across the world have spoken of their admiration of the Queen and have envied the fact that we have benefited from having her as our sovereign. We have seen that in the global tributes, with Union Jacks and the red, white and blue across America and Brazil; the extraordinary display on Sydney opera house yesterday; and the words of the President of France—a country that has not always had great relations with the British monarch—who said:

“To you, she was your Queen. To us, she was the Queen.”

Like many right hon. Members, I benefited from meeting the Queen as a member of the Privy Council, and I had the good fortune to accompany her to the Cenotaph on one occasion, which is one of the roles of what was then the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. It was her two visits to Maldon, however, that my constituents will always value. The first visit was in 1971 to mark the 800th anniversary of the award of the charter to Maldon by Henry II. I was privileged to take part in the second visit in 2010, when the Queen visited Maldon Salt before walking down the high street to have lunch in the town hall. On that day, it seemed that the whole town turned out to celebrate her visit. Today, the whole town, indeed the whole of my constituency, is once again united in mourning the passage of Her late Majesty and in pledging allegiance to King Charles III.

September 11, 2022
Ellie Reeves – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Ellie Reeves, the Labour MP for Lewisham West and Penge, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

This is not just a time of national mourning; our grief is shared the world over, a testament to our Queen’s service and the impact she had. For seven decades, she selflessly dedicated her life to service. She was icon who meant so much to us all and who, at times, we felt we would never lose. So long was her service that her presence was sewn into the very fabric of our society, guiding our country above the fray of politics. Her unrivalled commitment and experience helped to lead our nation and keep it steady, no matter the political turbulence. In her quiet way, she symbolised the commitment, selflessness and humility that we expect from our leaders.

The progress that we saw globally in technology, culture and politics during her reign is unparalleled in history, but as an ever-present matriarch throughout, she assured us as the world changed exponentially. It is truly sad that we have now lost her. Although my words today cannot do justice to a life of such dedication, the outpouring of tributes the world over is a testament to her place in our lives. Now, our thoughts are with her family as they mourn; we all send them our condolences.

In my constituency of Lewisham West and Penge, we mourn her, too. In June, we came together across the constituency to hold platinum jubilee parties. Neighbours came together for the first time since the pandemic, children played in the street, and people made new friends—all in her name.

I was proud to help to organise my jubilee street party. My seven-year-old son declared it the “best day ever”, and we raised more than £800 for our local food bank. One of my earliest childhood memories was seeing the Queen as she visited the pioneering St Christopher’s Hospice in my constituency. Her support, and that of the royal family, made such a huge difference to its work. I know that I speak on behalf of everyone in my constituency when I say thank you, Your Majesty, for everything—the service, selflessness and humility. Queen Elizabeth II went above the call of duty, and for that, we will always be grateful.

September 11, 2022
Kelly Tolhurst – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Kelly Tolhurst, the Conservative MP for Rochester and Strood, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

I rise on behalf of my constituents in Rochester and Strood to extend my deepest condolences to the royal family. Her late Majesty’s death is a terrible loss for us all and has touched every corner of the world. She was a constant reassuring presence. The world is unrecognisable from the start of her reign but, despite those changes, she was a steadying figure who led this country from the aftermath of the second world war to being the country that we are today.

Like many in the House, I had only lived under the Queen’s reign. As a female born in 1978, I was lucky to be born into a unique era for this country and grow up under both a female Head of State and a female Prime Minister for the first time in history. We had those powerful female figures at the top of our country, so for me it was absolutely normal to see women leading.

The Queen was a remarkable figure and an inspiration to many, whose influence has shaped generations as the values that she embodied of a sense of duty, public service and quiet dignity epitomised her reign.

She was a continuous figure, both in this country and around the world, who managed to exercise a calm and steadying influence over our country, even its toughest times.

Rochester and Strood was blessed by many visits from Her Majesty over the years. I am immensely proud of our royal history and the links we have with our late Queen. She made her first visit to Rochester with King George VI in 1938, when they visited the Short Brothers aircraft works. That was followed by a visit to the Historic Dockyard Chatham in 1942. I hope that I am right in saying that she liked what she saw in those early visits before her accession, inspiring many trips in the following years.

In her role as its Colonel-in-Chief, she inspected the Corps of Royal Engineers at Brompton barracks in 1968, during one of her many visits there. She also opened the Royal Engineers Museum in 1987. She made her final visit in 2016 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the corps, and it was the greatest honour of my life to meet her on that occasion.

I felt nervous, like everyone else meeting the Queen for the first time, and after overcoming the first hurdle of getting my curtsy right, I moved on to the next step of meeting her: the handshake. There I was, just over a year into being an MP, standing in front of Her Majesty, who had just turned 90, worrying about the damage that I could cause her hand should I grip too hard. I could not have been more wrong: I had failed to appreciate how years of experience had left Her Majesty skilled in administering a handshake. With her great smile and the twinkle in her eye that so many have spoken about, she took my hand firmly, and released it before I could even take a moment.

The barracks were not the only place that the Queen had visited in Rochester. She went to Rochester cathedral, and she even took a trip to our great Isle of Grain oil refinery in 1955. Following her 1942 visit to the Historic Dockyard Chatham in 1942, she returned to the site in 1984, when she was able to see the redevelopment proposal for the closed Chatham dockyards on St Mary’s island.

Those are a few examples highlighting how committed and dedicated the Queen was to her people. She was totally devoted to the British people throughout her reign, and the hundreds of thousands of people who met her felt at ease. Her absence will be felt around the world. My thoughts and prayers are with her family. I know that King Charles III has the support of Rochester and all the good people to lead this country into a new era. God save the King.

September 11, 2022
Philippa Whitford – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Philippa Whitford, the SNP MP for Central Ayrshire, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

I rise on behalf of my constituents in Central Ayrshire to express our sympathies to the royal family and to pay respect to Her late Majesty for her long service of threescore years and ten—literally a biblical lifetime. Being from Northern Ireland, for me her greatest contribution was to peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland, through both bravely welcoming Martin McGuinness here in London and her state visit in 2011, which brought so much healing.

The debate has already woven the most important part of any funeral: the eulogy. It reminds me of the traditional wakes with which I grew up, with the coffin lying in state in the living room surrounded by family, friends and neighbours. What struck me then as a little girl was how the sadness gave way once the funny, embarrassing stories started, with talk of someone being on a chair in Blackpool singing at the top of their voice. Those stories changed the whole mood in the room that I observed as a five, six and seven-year-old. The sombre tones were replaced by laughter. Strangely, the coffin often turned into a coffee table, covered in glasses. I do not think that Her late Majesty is likely to face that indignity, but I remember my uncle saying that he aspired to being buried in a coffin with ring marks because that would be a symbol of a really good wake: one that accepts that death is part of life and one that celebrates not a life ended but a life completed.

In the same way, the Chamber has been lifted by so many funny stories that demonstrate Her late Majesty’s great sense of fun, both in public, such as the stunts at the Olympics or with Paddington Bear, or in private, as we have heard from right hon. and hon. Members today. The most illuminating are those that show how she used humour to put people at ease, out of her kindness. I think that she is probably delighted at the sheer amount of laughter there has been in the Chamber over the last two days.

Having walked the last journey with many of my patients over a lot of years, I know that virtually all of us would choose to die peacefully at home, and that is exactly what the Queen did. So we should take comfort from the fact that she ended her life peacefully and quietly at home in her favourite place, Balmoral, surrounded by her family and loved ones. It does not get better than that. So while we offer our sympathy and condolences to her family in their sorrow at her loss, we should be glad for her. She goes to her rest, welcomed once again into the arms of her beloved Philip and, no doubt, already sharing a wry joke, probably at our expense. For Her late Majesty, I simply pray, may she rest in peace.

September 11, 2022