Speaker’s Statement

Before we begin, I would like to pay tribute to Sir George Howarth, who died last week. Sir George was the Member of Parliament for Knowsley from 1986 to 2024. He held numerous posts on Select Committees in this House, was appointed a Minister in the late 1990s, and was later a distinguished and long-serving member of the Panel of Chairs. I knew George because his father-in-law was the MP for Chorley. George was committed to getting into the House, so we all had to work on his by-election. Tragically, he got a bad back, but we had a big majority by the end of the campaign. Of course, our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Julie, his wider family, and his friends. He was a great politician, and it is another sad loss for this House.