ABHI Statement on the Death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Topic : Type : Briefing
It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Her steadfast rule over a period of seven decades has, for the vast majority of us, been all we have ever known. Indeed, nine in 10 living humans were born after Elizabeth became queen, and despite enormous social, cultural and political change during that period, she remained a constant source of stability and integrity, with a deep sense of duty to her role.
The Government will now work with the Royal Household on how to commemorate the life of Her Majesty, and an online book of condolence is now available on the Royal website. The website also includes details of The Queen’s patronages, which individuals and businesses may wish to donate to.
Members are also advised to give consideration to whether your business location is likely to be impacted by arrangements made by Local Authorities, or events planned in central London. Large crowds are expected to descend on the capital in the coming days, which may impact transport and hotel availability.
Parliamentary business will now be suspended for a period of 10 days, which also means that Parliament will not sit before the official conference recess. For the NHS, there will be a pause on proactive communications, excepting those relating to operational issues and patient interactions. Planned Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union strikes on 15 and 17 September will also be cancelled.
As a mark of respect, ABHI will not be issuing any further communications today and our Secretariat will discuss arrangements for planned group meetings during the official period of mourning on Monday.