To mark her Diamond Jubilee, the Queen yesterday addressed members of both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall. Her speech was short, well judged and well received. There was something of a dig at the sheer volume of legislation that is enacted: “The happy relationship I have enjoyed with Parliament has extended well beyond the…
Westminster Hall provided a particularly fine historical venue for President Obama’s talk, as he noted. The Hall dates back to the 11th Century: it was completed in time for William Rufus to celebrate Whitsun on 29 May 1099. It provided a place for feasting and receiving foreign heads of state. The king’s throne was on…
Me being introduced to the President The address by President Obama in Westminster Hall last Wednesday was certainly an historic occasion, the first time a President of the United States has spoken in the Hall to members of both Houses of Parliament. The speech has received something of a mixed press, but I thought its content…
During the course of the Second World War, there were fourteen occasions when the Palace of Westminster suffered bomb damage. On 10 May 1941, both the chamber of the Commons and Westminster Hall were on fire as a result of incendiary bombing. Walter Elliot, an MP who was on fire-watching duty, declared ‘Let the pseudo-Gothic…
Both Houses are now in recess, though one would not necessarily know that given the work that is still going on. It will become quieter as we go further into recess, but today the Palace remains a hive of activity. The Despatch Box is still in considerable use, albeit not in either chamber. Despatch Box is the name of…
