Farron Pays Tribute To Queen
Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron paid tribute to the Queen in parliament to mark the monarch's 90th birthday.
Tim said: "It is a massive honour to give praise and to acknowledge the service of Her Majesty on her 90th birthday…
"Her Majesty has had occasion to visit formally my part of the world-Westmorland-on two occasions in her reign. The first was in 1956, which was 14 years before I was born... The second occasion was three years ago, when I was privileged to meet her in Kendal as the Member of Parliament for Westmorland and Lonsdale. In the 57 years between those two visits, and indeed since she assumed the throne, so much has changed for all of us. Much, much more has changed for Britain and the world in which we live. The Elizabethan age will be reviewed by history as a vast, transformational and tumultuous era, during which our Queen has provided immeasurable constancy, which will be looked back on as the thread that runs through all of it, and that has made change possible without the uncertainty and instability that could have come about otherwise…
"Through all those years of change and upheaval, Her Majesty's selfless service to Britain has remained a constant. She is admired at home and around the world for her constant and consistent advocacy of Britain at its best. I am bound to say-others have reflected on this-that she embodies the value of a constitutional monarchy. She is a neutral person who is above politics and who is the foundation of our constitution. She is someone to whom all of us, whatever our political views, can look, and with whom we can share an allegiance. That is an immeasurably valuable thing.
"Even as we contemplate the monumental things that have occurred during Her Majesty's reign, it is worth remembering that birthdays are very personal occasions. They are opportunities to celebrate the lives we lead and give thanks with friends and families. Hers has been an extraordinary life and she is an extraordinary example to all of us in public life of the meaning of public service...
"On this wonderful and historic day, on behalf of my party and my constituents in Westmorland and Lonsdale, I pay tribute to Her Majesty, to her dedication, to a lifetime of public service and to her faith, and wish her a very happy birthday and many more to come. I thank God for her service. Long live the Queen."