‘Queen’s death united MPs like never before’

EVERY strike of Big Ben will remind us how the death of the Queen brought the country together like nothing else, according to Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

- David Williamson and Jonathan Walker

The Commons Speaker also said the tragedy has transformed the Commons and could lead to lasting change for the better.

The 65-year-old said he watched MPs react with “grief, shock, respect and admiration” as the Queen’s reign ended.

He said: “We’ll never see anything like this again. It’s unbelievable, that here we had a country and a Parliament that was very tetchy with each other, very scratchy.

“And suddenly, it’s brought Parliament together, it’s brought the country together, united in grief.”

Sir Lindsay admits he is still in shock, but in the days since her death the eyes of the world have been on Parliament.

MPs from across the political divide have shared their stories of how the Queen touched their lives.

And a Commons in which MPs were battling over energy policy changed in an instant when news arrived of doctors’ concern for the Queen’s health.

Sir Lindsay, who joined the Commons in 1997, said: “It united the House. It’s something I’ve never seen before.”