It’s a real pleasure to follow the Right Honourable lady, and can I congratulate her on her lovely, heart-warming speech.

Mr Speaker,

Liberal Democrats join Members from all sides of the House in expressing our deepest condolences on the passing of Her Majesty The Queen.

We are mourning a profound loss.

The Queen was a formidable monarch, who faithfully served our country for all her life and was loved the world over. She represented not only duty and courage, but warmth and compassion. And she was a living reminder of our collective past, of the greatest generation and their sacrifices for our freedom.

For many people – myself included – Her Majesty was an ever-fixed mark in our lives. As the world changed around us and politicians came and went, she was our nation’s constant. In challenging times, she was always a source of calm and comfort.

And she tied our nations together. Embodying an unwavering pride in our country. Showing us that patriotism is not defined by political allegiance. And reminding us of the many things that bind us all together – even when it doesn’t always feel that way.

We saw this so vividly during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June. I am proud to represent the oldest Royal Borough in England – Kingston upon Thames – and our Jubilee street parties certainly lived up to that status. It was truly wonderful to see such an outpouring of affection from people across Kingston, from all walks of life. School children who baked jubilee cakes. Neighbours who shared bunting. Choirs who sang hymns of praise.

And it was incredibly fitting, wasn’t it, that after so long kept apart by Covid, it was The Queen and a celebration of Her Majesty’s reign that brought our communities back together so joyfully. Just as the whole country is united today so sadly in grief.

The deep mourning across the country now – just like the celebrations of her Jubilee a few months ago – comes not from a sense of duty, but from genuine and heartfelt affection, love and admiration of Her Majesty. It’s not because we were her subjects, but because she was truly our Queen. What she meant to us is perhaps best summed up by a phrase on so many people’s lips over the last twenty-four hours:

“I can’t imagine our country without her.”

For almost everyone in the country, she has been there our whole lives. At times of national grief and national jubilation, she has never not been there for us. So it is hard to accept that she is gone. And hard to see how we go on without her.

But we will. Our great United Kingdom has a great future – because The Queen’s spirit of strength, grace and resolve lives on in her people. One of the greatest privileges of being a Member of this House was the chance to meet Her Majesty. Like when she visited Kingston on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee.

Or when I was deeply privileged to sit next to her at lunch at Windsor Castle. I was initially confused by a silver cylinder beside her place setting. I wondered to myself what treasures it might hold. I had my suspicions when, as dessert was served, her beloved Corgis were let in, and nestled themselves around her feet. And the Queen lifted up the lid of the cylinder, plucked out some digestive biscuits, and began sneaking them to her grateful dogs.

Whenever I met her, I was struck by her warmth, her wisdom, and her humour. And I’m looking forward to hearing similar stories from other Honourable and Right Honourable Members as they give glimpses of the wonderful person beneath the Crown. 

Her Majesty will be remembered with honour, as the monarch who guided our country out of the shadow of a terrible war. Who helmed us calmly through troubled waters. And brought us safely into a new millennium.

And she will be remembered so fondly. As the monarch who leapt from a helicopter with James Bond. And showed Paddington where she kept her marmalade sandwiches. 

And, for the Royal Family, she will be remembered simply as a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with them all as they bear this terrible loss.

After a lifetime of dedicated and tireless service to our country and our Commonwealth, Her Majesty has gone to her eternal rest.

May God rest her soul. And may God save the King.

“We are all deeply mourning the profound loss of a great monarch who served our country so faithfully all her life and who was loved the world over.

“For many people, including myself, The Queen was an ever-fixed mark in our lives. As the world changed around us and politicians came and went, The Queen was our nation’s constant.

“The Queen represented duty and courage, as well as warmth and compassion. She was a living reminder of our collective past, of the greatest generation and their sacrifices for our freedom.

“My thoughts and prayers today go especially to the Royal Family. And they also go to people in every corner of the world whose lives she touched. Today our family of nations is in mourning, as we also remember the steadfastness, resolve and love Queen Elizabeth brought to the world.”

Ed Davey
Leader of the Liberal Democrats

While Liz Truss spent the summer focused on Tory infighting, families and pensioners have been worried sick about how they’ll pay their bills. They have been left in limbo by her refusal to set out a clear plan on tackling soaring energy bills.

The whole spectacle just proves how Liz Truss and the Conservatives are completely out of touch with the British people.

Liz Truss’ energy plan is a loan not a freeze. That’s just not right.

We should be making the oil and gas companies who are making tens of billions of pounds in unexpected profit pay some of that back so we can afford to freeze bills fairly. pic.twitter.com/78D0KmrBu2

— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) September 6, 2022

But Liberal Democrats have a fair plan to protect people and businesses from sky-high energy bills this winter – and we know how to pay for it.

We would scrap October’s energy price hike, freezing bills at their current level. We’d pay for this by extending and backdating the windfall tax on oil and gas companies’ huge, unexpected profits.

And we’d give small and medium sized businesses direct support with their bills. With grants of up to £50,000 to pay for 80% of rising bills that would be paid for by reversing the Conservatives’ tax breaks for banks.

This is an emergency that is on track to become a catastrophe. We cannot afford to sit idly by any longer. 

But we can’t leave our children to pick up the tab through even more borrowing while letting oil and gas companies off the hook. That’s how Liz Truss would have it. Our plan is a much fairer and more responsible way to tackle this crisis – and the Conservatives must adopt it without delay. 

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Small businesses are in danger. Our treasured high streets could be turned into ghost towns as local businesses face sky-rocketing energy bills. But Conservative ministers just don’t seem to care.

Local shops, pubs and restaurants up and down the country could all be forced to close their doors – unless the government finally steps up.

We need an energy bailout now to save the high street, protect jobs and keep prices down for families.

Liberal Democrats are calling for an emergency Covid-style support scheme to help shops, pubs, restaurants and other small businesses cope with sky-rocketing energy bills by offering grants of up to £50,000.

Because unlike households, businesses are not covered by Ofgem’s energy price cap. Many could see their energy bills rise by almost 400%, with devastating consequences.

Under our proposals, small and medium-sized businesses would be offered government grants to cover 80% of the increase in their energy bills for one year, up to a maximum of £50,000. For example, a typical small restaurant would receive a grant of around £10,000 to help with their bills. The plans would benefit the 1.4 million small businesses across the UK, from high street shops to local pubs and cafes.

The estimated £10 billion cost of the scheme could be met by reversing the Conservatives’ tax cuts for big banks – which are seeing their profits grow with rising interest rates. That would include cancelling the Government’s cut to the Bank Surcharge that is due to take effect in April 2023.

There’s no time to waste. Small businesses need support now. The new Conservative Prime Minister must bring in legislation to protect businesses from soaring energy bills as soon as Parliament returns on Monday – before it’s too late.