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.
