‘It’s not good...’ then a hush fell over Commons
COMMONS Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle was already braced for a challenging day on Thursday, September 8, before word spread that the Queen was in serious ill-health.
Sir Lindsay was in a “very, very feisty” Commons where Liztruss had unveiled her plans to limit rises in energy bills.
He recalled: “Tempers were rising, and I thought, ‘This is really going to be a tough gig.’”
The arrival in the chamber of
Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, signalled that something was up.
“He went to the Prime Minister and whispered to her. Then he came back to me and said, ‘It’s not good... Her Majesty is very ill.’
“To be told that, we knew it was really serious.”
When Buckingham Palace formally announced that the Queen’s doctors were concerned for her health, the Speaker rose to his feet to assure the Monarch and the Royal Family that they were in the thoughts and prayers of the entire House.
In an instant, the atmosphere in Westminster was transformed.
He said: “It was a completely different House and it’s been completely different since... that was what was so amazing, it united the House and the anger completely disappeared.”
With the House adjourned, the Speaker decided to inspect some building works and put on a hard hat and workboots.
Then his office received a telephone call tip-off with the message, “It’s bad news.”
Moments later, Buckingham Palace announced to the country that the Queen had died.
The Speaker released a statement saying she would be missed “beyond measure”. His team raced to prepare for days of ceremony and mourning. And politics as normal came to a halt.