Parliament will be recalled from its Easter recess to allow MPs and peers to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh as Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle says he ‘served his country with distinction’
- Parliament being recalled with House of Commons sitting at 2.30pm on Monday
- MPs had been due to return to Commons from Easter recess on Tuesday April 13
- Sir Lindsay Hoyle said that Prince Philip ‘served his country with distinction’
Parliament will be recalled from its Easter recess to allow MPs and peers to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh.
Downing Street and parliamentary officials confirmed the move to reconvene the House of Commons on Monday, a day earlier than had been scheduled.
The House of Commons is expected to meet from 2.30pm on Monday.
The House of Lords was already scheduled to return from recess on Monday at 1pm, but officials said they were finalising arrangements and any adjustments to business.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: ‘This is obviously a very sad day for Her Majesty, the royal family and the whole country.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, said the Duke of Edinburgh served the UK with ‘distinction’
‘The Duke of Edinburgh has given his unwavering support to the Queen, both as a husband and as a consort.
‘Described by Her Majesty as ‘my constant strength’, he served this country too, first with distinction during the Second World War and selflessly throughout eight decades during peacetime.
‘Prince Philip has performed wide-ranging official roles, carrying out thousands of engagements and overseas visits on behalf of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
‘He will be remembered for his loyal devotion to service and his leadership of hundreds of ideals and causes close to his heart.
‘Most notably, of course, is the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award which helps millions of young people around the world to achieve their full potential as team members and future leaders in their chosen fields.
‘His was a long life that saw so much dedication to duty.
‘Today we must pause to honour him and to offer our sincerest thanks for the prince’s devout faithfulness to our country – and all the nations shall miss him greatly.’
The most recent House of Commons recall from recess took place on January 6 to enable MPs to debate emergency Covid-19 legislation.
Other recent recalls include June 20 2016 to allow MPs to pay tribute to their murdered colleague Jo Cox.