mr speaker, i'm not the first richard benyon to be asked to move the royal address.berkshire between 1860 and 1876. though, in many ways a great man, there is no record of him ever troubling hansard with any speech. even a maiden speech. however, he was asked by disraeli to move the loyal address in 1869, but replied that though mindful of the honour as a matter of principle, he never spoke in parliament. as you know, my father was one of your predecessors as member for buckingham and he told that story to speaker thomas who clasp a hand to his head and said, how i wish there were more like him in the house. mr speaker, i still think of myself as young. but being asked to do this singular honour reminds me that i am, as golfers put it, on the back nine. in the election that we have alljust enjoyed or endured, whatever your perspective, i faced a labour candidate who was born a year after i was selected to fight the seat i now hold. teams of therapists will be needed to help me overcome the brutal reality that i've gone straight from being young thruster to old codger

i shall first call an amendment, richard benyon, to move, and then quasi—kwa tang to second the addresse presented to her majesty as follows, most gracious sovereign, we, your most gracious sovereign, we, your most loyal subjects, the commons of the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, in parliament assembled, beg leave to offer humble thanks to her majesty for the graces speech that a magistrate has addressed to both houses of parliament. it is an honour to have been asked to move the loyal address. —— gracious. it is important we recognise we meet in the shadow of some of the most terrible tragedies of modern times. nothing we say can undo what has happened in the kensington, or, forthat matter, on the streets of london or manchester. what we can, in this house, do, is tojoin our sovereign in leading the nation in mourning the dead, caring for the injured and the dead, caring for the injured and the bereaved, and uniting in an absolute determination to prevent any such tragedies and outrages happening again. our tone any such tragedies and outrages happening again. ou