- 13/09/2022
- Posted by: Ken Skates MS
- Category: News
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Member of the Senedd Ken Skates described Queen Elizabeth II as a ‘rock of stability’ as the Welsh Parliament was recalled to pay tribute following her death.
The Senedd reconvened on Sunday for a motion of condolence which will be presented to His Majesty King Charles III when he visits Wales later this week ahead of Monday’s state funeral.
Opening the special sitting of the Senedd on Sunday, Presiding Officer Elin Jones said: “We gather here today to pay tribute to Elizabeth II, a head of state for over 70 years. The motion of condolence that we agree today will be presented to His Majesty the King when he visits the Senedd on Friday.
“Elizabeth II took office 47 years before this Senedd was created. Today, it falls to us to be the Members of the first ever Welsh Parliament to pay tribute following the death of a head of state.”
The tributes from Members from all parties were then led by First Minister Mark Drakeford.
Mr Skates, MS for Clwyd South, told the Senedd: “Grief and sadness are incredibly powerful emotions. They can unite people, though, at times of discord and bring people together.
“It’s happening right now as people are expressing their sadness and their grief for Her Majesty the Queen. In her life, the Queen had an unparalleled ability to unite people at all times, not just at times of terrible suffering.
“To unite people is perhaps the most important duty that anyone in authority can fulfil, and nobody has done it better than the Queen. The people of our country, the Commonwealth and beyond have lost a Queen who was the rock of stability in our often troubled existence.
“But to live in hearts we leave behind is not to die, and so Her Majesty the Queen, her goodness and her kindness will go on living in hearts around the globe.”
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