Today we mourn the passing of a remarkable sovereign.

It is a deep private loss for the Royal Family and our first thoughts are with
them at this time. The nation shares in their grief.

Queen Elizabeth II created a special, personal relationship with us all. A
relationship based on service and devotion to her country. Nobody under the age
of 70 has known anything other than Queen Elizabeth II on the throne. For the
vast majority of us, the late Queen has been simply the Queen. The only Queen.
Above all else, our Queen.

As we mourn her loss, we should also treasure her life. Our longest-serving and
greatest ever monarch. Above the clashes of politics, she stood not for what the
nation fought over but what it agreed upon. In crisis, she reassured us.
Reminding us that we are all part of something that stretches back through time.
A symbol of the best of us. I saw it for myself when I led the Crown Prosecution
Service.

Every time I had the privilege to meet the late Queen, she would ask the most
searching questions because she wanted to understand the lives and struggles of
her people. And as Britain changed rapidly around her, this dedication became
the still point of our turning world. An example that taught us that whatever
the challenges we face, the value of service always endures.

And the obvious love the late Queen displayed for Britain, the British people
gave back in return. That is why there is such an outpouring of grief across the
nation today. As there is across the Commonwealth to which the late Queen was so
devoted.

Around the world, people are united in mourning. And united in celebrating her
life. This togetherness is a reminder of what she achieved. A reminder of our
shared values. Values which I know will be upheld by her beloved son, Charles,
our new King.

So as our great Elizabethan era comes to an end, we will honour the late Queen’s
memory by keeping alive the values of public service she embodied.

For seventy years, Elizabeth II stood as the head of our country. But, in
spirit, she stood amongst us.

Keir Starmer
Leader of the Labour Party

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