Sally-Ann Hart – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by Sally-Ann Hart, the Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

On behalf of the people of Hastings and Rye, I express our sadness and grief at the death of our beloved sovereign Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

Her late Majesty came to Hastings and St Leonards 25 years ago, filling local residents with pride and joy. She visited a number of places, including West St Leonards Primary Academy and the Hastings Fishermen Museum, opened Priory Meadow shopping centre, and was presented with a winkle by the Winkle Club.

Our Queen spent her whole life dedicated to her people in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. It was a life that she did not choose herself, but one that she was born into. The burden of her birth was one that she carried so diligently, dutifully and lovingly, with the support of her faith in God, her beloved late husband Prince Philip, her family and her people.

I thank Her late Majesty for her life of selfless public service, her love, her dedication and her stoicism. She shone a light to us all—a light that gave comfort to those in need; a light that gave hope to those in despair; and a light of unity to all her peoples across our four nations. She brought light where it was most needed; a beacon of stability to us in this place.

I speak on behalf of the people of Hastings and Rye when I express my deepest sorrow at Her Majesty’s passing, and extend our prayers and condolences to her family—our royal family. With his accession to the throne, His Majesty King Charles III will bring in a new era, and we offer him our loyalty and love for a long and happy reign. Long live the King.