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.
