“Be Steadfast…and do the little things.”

Betty Boothroyd, whose sad death was announced this week, was a truly great Speaker. Amongst so many fond memories of her firmness and courtesy as well as her sense of fun, two stick out in my memory. Soon after I was first elected I called Tony Blair ‘a liar’, which I should not have done. Betty was on her feet in an instant “I heard that word… Who was it.. Come on - own up. Who said it?” But being a new boy I kept stumm and looked at my feet. That evening I was at a reception in the Speaker’s Grand State Rooms, and Betty gripped me firmly by the elbow fixed her steely blue eyes on mine; “It was you, James, dear, wasn’t it?” I had to admit to it and stood up in Parliament the next day to apologise for my unparliamentary language. A little crestfallen I was accosted by the Chief Whip as I left the Chamber and was about to make my excuses. “Not a bit of it, “said the Chief. ”A brilliant performance- you called Blair a liar yesterday and were able to repeat it in your apology today. Keep it up…” Years later, I hosted the Gurkhas ‘Beating Retreat’ in Speaker’s Court. Speaker Bercow was elsewhere (at a football match, I seem to recall), so I asked Betty if she would take the salute. She positively squealed with delight at the prospect, and she and I stepped up to do it together arm in arm. A great moment.The Union was to the fore this week with Rishi Sunak’s brilliant diplomacy finding a solution to that intractable Gordian knot, the Northern Ireland Protocol. I hope that the DUP will realise that it is the best possible solution and will allow them to take their places in Stormont again; and that my own colleagues, especially Boris Johnson will realise that it is by far the best way of completing Brexit, but vitally also preserving the Good Friday Agreement, and thereby peace in the Province. Meanwhile, the SNP seem to be in deep disarray over their leadership battle, which is all to the good, and their Westminster Leader made a complete hash of his response to the Northern Ireland statement. The next day the whole Chamber was awash with daffodils for PMQ as we celebrated St David’s Day. Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland- we are stronger as one.Boris rumbling; Sue Gray disgracefully taking a job from the Labour Party having pretended to be a dispassionate inspector of alleged Partygate; Matt Hancock making a fool of himself by handing thousands of confidential What’s App exchanges to Isabel Oakeshott who then disgracefully betrayed him by publishing them (and failing to declare her own personal relationship with Reform head, Richard Tice.) She’s a good journalist, but a pretty poor friend.It was a privilege to welcome Sir David Attenborough into Parliament where I was hosting an exhibition about the ship of his name’s first year’s deployment in the Antarctic ice. I reminded him about the last time we met- about three or four years ago, when after the meeting he insisted on going back to his Richmond home by bus. I can’t imagine what the other passengers must have made of it. This time his lovely daughter interjected with “At 96 I think you deserve a taxi, Dad,” and off they went.People like Attenborough and Boothroyd are big people- great people. They fulfil St David’s last words: “Be Steadfast.. and do the little things.”