There is not much I can add to what has already been said.
I am, as I am sure you all are, deeply saddened by the loss of our Queen, Elizabeth II. She was simply an amazing woman who has lead our country with dignity and devotion over her historic 70 year reign. The Queen was the best of us. Service and duty above all else. My thoughts are with the Royal Family, and in particular, the new King at what must be a difficult time.
But, I know that many of you will also be grieving. She was, to many, the nations grandmother - a constant in all of our lives. I saw just how much we all appreciated our monarch just a few months ago at the Platinum Jubilee. I am glad that we had the opportunity to show Her Majesty just how much we were thankful for her service.
I have included below just some pictures of the Queen's many visits to Crewe and Nantwich over her long reign, as well as details about the funeral for those watching at home, and those wanting to go and pay their respects in person during the lying in state.
I was able to visit and kneel in respect last night and as an MP we are also able to invite four guests. I wanted to invite people to represent the relationship between the Queen and the constituency, but not just with dignitaries but the people of Crewe & Nantwich. Also, the relationship between the Queen and the military and voluntary organisations. I have asked the following constituents to attend on Sunday:
Sarah Winchester: Sarah was one of the pupils at Monks Coppenhall who were invited to perform for the Queen when she visited to open Crewe Heritage centre in 1987. This was a visit remembered by many local families who saw the Queen as she travelled around the constituency.
Gerald Newbrook: In 1995 the Queen visited Crewe station and Gerald was the local Scout Leader asked to organise for 200 local scouts to greet the Queen at the station. Voluntary organisations like the Scouts were important to the Queen.
Phil Malam: The Queen met Phil in 1972 when he was just 19 when she opened Leighton Hospital, having started work just before the visit as a hospital porter. Phil has worked there ever since as their longest serving member of staff. Phil not only represents this important visit but public sector staff who reflect the Queens own values as a public servant.
Steve Weekes: Steve is a veteran, serving 24 years as a Welsh Guardsman who met the Queen on numerous occasions during his duties. Steve represents the important relationship between local Armed Forces personnel and veterans and the Queen.
Obviously I would have liked to invite more people and I had just a few days to organise this mostly through word of mouth but hopefully people feel this is a group that can pay respects to her Majesty on all our behalf's.
I was also able to make a tribute speech in the Commons at the weekend paying tribute to our late Queen on behalf of the constituency.
The Queen is gone, but her legacy will live on, not least through her son and our new monarch, King Charles III.
God save the King.
My Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II in the Commons
Details Regarding the State Funeral and Lying in State
The Queen in Crewe and Nantwich
My Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II in the Commons
Below is a written copy of the speech I made in the Commons in tribute to the late Queen. You can watch it in full here: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/960bd4be-8f1f-42cc-8881-d3e86fbf0a23?in=19:10:37
It is a privilege for me to pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II today on behalf of the people of Crewe and Nantwich and surrounding villages. I did not have the honour of meeting the Queen, but in a testament to her decades of service and the diligent attention she paid to every corner of her realm, Her Majesty visited the area numerous times. In 1972, she opened Leighton Hospital. In 1987, she opened Crewe Heritage Centre and visited Crewe Works. In 1995, she was greeted by 200 south-west Cheshire scouts at Crewe train station, and in 2010, she visited Reaseheath College in Nantwich.
As others have said, a visit by the Queen—the handshakes, the conversations, even just distant glimpses—stay in people’s memories. Leighton Hospital’s longest-serving member of staff, Phil Malam, now aged 69, talked about the visit as part of the hospital’s recent 50th anniversary celebrations. The visit took place just a few days after the then 19-year-old began working as a hospital porter. He wrote:
“It was a very special day…I remember we lined the corridor and the Queen spoke to quite a few of us as she walked past. She was really interested in what we did and thanked us—a lovely lady.”
That is absolutely typical of how people describe interactions with the Queen: “She was really interested in what we did and thanked us.” Over 70 years, I cannot even begin to imagine the number of conversations, handshakes, school and hospital openings, state occasions, visits by dignitaries and tours abroad—70 years of unwavering service to this country and her people, always interested, always smiling, always polite. In the age of celebrity, where to be famous is to be of interest to others, the most famous woman in the world was more interested in others. What drove her was a sense of duty and, as others have said, her wish to keep that promise that she made at just 21: to devote her life to our service. It was a promise solemnly made, and solemnly kept.
Why does that stir such strong sentiment in us? I think it is because we know our failings as humans are often rooted in self-interest of one kind or another: our desire to be important or admired, to achieve things, to be celebrated, to think mostly of ourselves and our family and friends. When someone extends the bonds of service to an entire nation, as the Queen did, to people she would never meet or know—when we see someone embodying the best of what it means to be human, the opposite of self-interest—that inspires us. It gives us a glimpse of what we are all capable of. That is why I admired the Queen.
But, as she embodied us, the millions who undertake acts of community and voluntary service embody her as well. The scout leader, the children’s Sunday league football coach, the parkrun or marathon steward, the parish councillor, the Samaritans helpline volunteer, and the litter-pick group member all follow her example. Now I look at that final picture of her taken this week, and in retrospect, I think there was a deeper meaning to that final act of service than I realised at the time. Right at the end of her life, when perhaps for the rest of us our own comfort would come first, Her Majesty was once again absolutely determined to put her promise to us first—one last desire to help her people and her Prime Minister, entering another period of difficulty and uncertainty, to take that first step towards it with her yet again at our side.
Now, rest in peace, Your Majesty. God save the King.
Details Regarding the State Funeral and Lying in State
The Queen will be lying in state at Westminster Hall until 6:30am on Monday 19th September. Hundreds of thousands of people will be going to pay their last respects to Her Majesty, and I know that many of you will be among them.
The Government has provided some information that you should be aware of to help make your journey there smoother.
Westminster Hall will be open 24 hours a day until Monday Morning. Large queues are expected, you may need to be in it for several hours, possibly overnight. You can keep track of the location for the beginning of the queue by the live queue tracker, available below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJxDwDzAwEs
There will also be airport-style security before entering. The items you are able to take inside is restricted. You can find full details on this via the link below:
The Funeral will be at 11am on Monday 19th September, and will be show on all major TV Channels.
For those travelling to London for the Funeral or Lying in State, you can find up-to-date travel information on the TfL website below. Some stations will be busier than usual, with others may be closed.
https://tfl.gov.uk/status-updates/major-works-and-events/travel-advice-for-the-mourning-period
Avanti West Coast also expects services to and from London to be exceptionally busy. Please allow plenty of time and check times regularly. They plan to run eight more services between London and Manchester, which will add around 16,000 available extra seats.
Check here for the latest information from Avanti: https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/travel-information/plan-your-journey/hm-the-queen
The Queen in Crewe and Nantwich
The Queen opening Leighton Hospital
The Queen opening the Crewe Heritage Centre in 1987, alongside her husband Prince Phillip
The Queen visits Crewe in 1987
The Queen and Prince Phillip entering the Bentley site, then under the Rolls-Royce banner, in 1987
The Queen on a walkabout of Crewe Station
The Queen visits Reaseheath College, near Nantwich, in 2010