Westminster pays tribute to Queen

He said: "Over her reign she has seen unprecedented social, cultural, technological change, through it all she has been the most conscientious and dutiful monarchs.

“But whilst she understood the unescapable nature of duty, which sometimes must have weighed upon her heavily, she also delighted in carrying it out for she was the most devoted monarch.”

He added: “Our memories of her will be filled with that image of a gently smiling dedication that showed throughout her life.”

Liz Truss was the first party leader to speak in the ten hour debate.

"We have witnessed the most heartfelt outpouring of grief”, she said.

“In the hours since last night’s shocking news, we have witnessed the most heartfelt outpouring of grief at the loss of Her late Majesty the Queen.

“Crowds have gathered, flags have been lowered to half-mast, tributes have been sent from every continent around the world.”

Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II “was one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known”, the Prime Minister Liz said.

“On the death of her father King George VI, Winston Churchill said the news had stilled the clatter and traffic of 20th century life in many lands.

“Now 70 years later in the tumult of the 21st century life has paused again. Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known.”

The Prime Minister said the Queen shared her “deep experience of government” when the two met at Balmoral this week.

“She remained determined to carry out her duties even at the age of 96.

“It was just three days ago at Balmoral that she invited me to form a Government and become her 15th prime minister.

“Again she generously shared with me her deep experience of government, even in those last days.”

Ms Truss made her tribute to the Queen in a full, silent Commons chamber, with MPs on all benches clothed in black.

She said the Queen fulfilled her promised to “dedicate her life to service”.

She said: “As we meet today, we remember the pledge she made on her 21st birthday to dedicate her life to service.

“The whole House will agree, never has a promise been so completely fulfilled.”

She added: “Her devotion to duty remains an example to us all. She carried out thousands of engagements, she took a red box everyday, she gave her assent to countless pieces of legislation and was at the heart of our national life for seven decades.”

Former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Theresa May could both be seen on the backbenches, listening to their successor’s tribute.

Ms Truss also said King Charles now carried an “awesome responsibility” and the country owed him their “loyalty and devotion”.

The Prime Minister said: “Our crown endures, our nation ensures, and in that spirit I say, God save the King.”

Several MPs responded with their own cries of God save the King.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Queen had been the country’s “greatest monarch”.

He told the Commons “our Queen played a crucial role as the thread between the history we cherish and the present we own”.

The Labour leader went on: “Never was this link more important than when our country was plunged into lockdown at the start of the pandemic.

“Her simple message: that we would see family again, that we would see friends again, that we would be together again, gave people strength and courage when they needed it most.

“But it wasn’t simply the message that allowed a shaken nation to draw upon those reserves, it was the fact she was the messenger.”

He added: “At the time we were most alone, at a time we had been driven apart, she held the nation close, in a way no one else could have done. For that, we say: thank you.”

The SNP's Westminster leader, Ian Blackford said the Queen's "legacy and enduring presence" would live on.  

He said the monarch's death would be "deeply personal" for many in the country. 

He told MPs: "The Queen’s continuous and abiding presence, and the leadership she has shown over seven decades, will be the enduring marker of her remarkable tenure as our Head of State.

"Her Majesty has been Head of State for longer than most of us have been alive and the majority of us have never known a public life without her at the helm.

"For many, she has been a steady hand guiding the ship, and the perpetual symbol of stability.  

"15 prime ministers and five first ministers of Scotland have benefitted from her institutional knowledge and wise counsel.  

"As the figurehead of the Commonwealth, she was a unifying force, recognised the world over."  

Mr Blackford said he was struck by how many people across Scotland have had a first-hand encounter with the Queen.  

He said: "Whether they have been invited to one of her Holyrood garden parties, or had the pleasure to meet her at one of the many hundreds of events, walk-abouts or official openings, including that of our Scottish Parliament, or – whether she has taken them wholly by surprise with chance encounter in the countryside or villages near Balmoral, people the length and breadth of Scotland have their own tales of their individual meetings with the Queen."

The MP said the relationship between Scotland and the Queen was one of "shared admiration".  

He said: "Indeed, while she was everyone’s Queen, for many in Scotland, she was Elizabeth, Queen of Scots. Her Majesty’s roots in Scotland run deep.

"She is descended from the Royal House of Stewart on both sides of her family and, of course, her mother was from Glamis in Angus.

"It is clear that these family ties gave way to a great and enduring affection and Scotland was a place that was truly held dear to her, not only in an official capacity but in a private capacity as well.  

"It is well known that Balmoral, with its beautiful and atmospheric scenery, was the Queen’s favourite home.

"Balmoral was a place where she was able to enjoy freedom, peace and an ability to indulge her love of the great outdoors; whether that was walking with her dogs, riding on horses, hosting picnics and BBQs – or from behind the wheel of her Landrover.

"It is clear that Balmoral has been a place of peace and sanctuary for her throughout her whole life, and perhaps particularly so, following the death of her husband, life companion and love, His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

"It is therefore fitting, perhaps, that she has met her final peace at Balmoral, a place where she found such enjoyment and comfort."

Mr Blackford ended his speech, saying "God bless the Queen, may she rest in peace. God bless the King."

Boris Johnson told MPs that the BBC had asked to interview him about the Queen earlier this year. He said they had asked him to speak about her in the past tense, but he was unable to do so. 

“I am afraid I simply choked up and I couldn’t go on. I am really not easily moved to tears, but I was so overcome with sadness that I had to ask them to go away.

“I know that today there are countless people in this country and around the world who have experienced the same sudden unexpected emotion.”

He paid tribute to her service, telling MPs she was the "last person in British public life to have served in uniform in the Second World War."

The former Tory leader added: "She was the first female member of the royal family in 1,000 years to serve full time in the armed forces.

"And that impulse to do her duty carried her right through into her tenth decade to the very moment in Balmoral only three days ago when she saw off her fourteenth Prime Minister and welcomed her fifteenth.

"I can tell you, in that audience, she was as radiant and as knowledgeable and as fascinated by politics as ever I can remember, and as wise in her advice, as anyone I know, if not wiser." 

Mr Johnson praised the Queen’s “humility” and “refusal to be grand”, and sparked laughter from the Commons when he said: “Unlike us politicians, with our outriders and our armour-plated convoys, I can tell you as a direct eye witness that she drove herself in her own car with no detectives and no bodyguard, bouncing at alarming speed over the Scottish landscape to the total amazement of the ramblers and the tourists we encountered.”

Praising the “indomitable spirit with which she created the modern constitutional monarchy”, he concluded: “The fact that today we can say with such confidence – God Save the King – is a tribute to him, but above all to Elizabeth the Great, who worked so hard for the good of her country, not just now but for generations to come.”