From the Lords to the Commons: the state opening of parliament is truly a bicameral affair. Fresh from diadem-spotting in the Upper House, Mr S headed down to the other place after lunch, to hear the Loyal Address. This is the parliamentary procedure used to formally open the debate on the King’s Speech, with the proposer typically a eminent grandee/crusty old windbag and the seconder a rising star/ambitious young so-and-so (delete as appropriate).
Today the honour of proposing the first Loyal Address of King Charles’s reign fell to Sir Robert Goodwill, the long-serving, long-suffering Member for Scarborough. In an entertaining speech, Sir Robert told the House of the ups and downs of his parliamentary career. One highlight was the 2010 election campaign, when posters went up in his Scarborough constituency, asking ‘What is the difference between Robert Goodwill and a supermarket trolley?’ At the end of the campaign, the local newspaper concluded: ‘A supermarket trolley has a mind of its own.
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