The highlight of last week – and one of the highlights of my time so far as an MP – was President Zelensky addressing Parliament in Westminster Hall.
Westminster Hall is the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster, built in 1097 under William II, the largest hall in England (and probably Europe) at the time with a floor area of around 17,000 square feet. In the post-war period it’s been the location for addresses by a number of heads of state, including Charles de Gaulle, Nelson Mandela and our own Queen Elizabeth II.
President Zelensky’s visit was kept under wraps until the morning it was due to happen, understandably so given the risk to his personal safety whenever he is travelling somewhere. We were told that Parliament would be suspended for 90 minutes after Prime Minister’s Questions for us to be able to attend and that staff in Westminster would also be able to attend on a first come, first served basis. It won’t surprise you to know a queue of staff formed very quickly!
After an introduction by the Speaker of the House of Commons, the President gave a very powerful speech, conveying the bravery of the Ukrainian people and his thanks to the UK for our support during the past year.
For anyone born in the UK after the world wars, as I was, it is impossible to truly understand what his countrymen and women are going through at this time, subject to a relentless bombardment by Russian tanks and planes every day that takes the lives of their family members and causes untold destruction.
Ukraine has at no point done anything to warrant Putin’s invasion and while we are full of admiration for the bravery of the Ukrainian people and how they have confounded his expectation of an easy occupation, this war should not be taking place.
The President’s speech made us all feel proud of the UK’s support. We were the first European country to start sending lethal aid to Ukraine and are the second largest donor of military aid in the world after the USA – a total of £2.3 billion since the outbreak of war.
In addition to all the military equipment supplied – and a major new package of air defence to help protect Ukrainian civilians and critical national infrastructure from Russian strikes – we’ve provided a £220 million humanitarian assistance package and issued some 218,000 visas to Ukrainians.
Oxfordshire has of course been at the forefront of hosting Ukrainian refugees, many of whom I have had the privilege to meet. President Zelensky’s visit was a reminder of why our support is so important – and must continue. As the President said, ‘we know freedom will win.’.
