§ Mr. SpeakerI have a short statement to make.
The House will have learned with sorrow of the death, during the summer recess, of Lord Maybray-King, Speaker of this House from 1965 to 1970.
First elected to the house in 1947, Horace King quickly established himself as a highly respected Back Bencher. After 10 years' experience as a Chairman of Standing Committees, he became Chairman of Ways and Means in 1964 and a year later was elected Speaker, the first holder of that office to be drawn from the Labour party. Much of the respect and affection in which he was held by members of all parties derived from his instinctive sense of community with Back Bench Members, from among whom he was directly drawn as Speaker, and with whom he never lost touch.
Several Members present may recall his farewell speech to the House in December 1970. In a striking sentence he said:
The bedrock of this House is allegiance not so much to the individual in the Chair as to the stored wisdom, the procedure, customs and courtesies of which he is the guardian and the exponent".— [Official Report, 10 December 1970; Vol. 808, c. 671]This blend of personal humility and pride in the office of Speaker was typical of the man. His ever present sense of humour and feel for the House enabled him to defuse difficult, even menacing, situations with the lightest of touches.We salute his memory and extend to his family our sincere sympathy in their loss.