West Dorset MP Chris Loder gave a heartfelt tribute, on behalf of all in West Dorset, for the life and service of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the House of Commons chamber on the evening of the 9th of September.

Mr Loder conveyed the deepest sorrow he shared with so many of his constituents at the passing of the UK's longest-serving monarch in its history.

In his personal tribute, Mr Loder recounted the numerous times the Queen visited West Dorset during her reign – from visiting an archaeological dig at Maiden Castle in July 1952, after only 5 months as Queen, to opening the Dorset County Hospital buildings in 1998, and unveiling the statue of the Queen Mother with King Charles III in Poundbury in 2016.

The full speech

"Thank you, Mr Speaker.

 I rise to speak on behalf of my constituents in West Dorset.

To pay tribute to our late Queen whom we have loved and admired for our entire lives. To share in the deepest sorrow of the nation - and to send our deepest sympathy to King Charles and The Royal Family

Queen Elizabeth – has been one of the few constants in our transitory lives.

The past 24 hours has truly brought home to us - not only the life and service of our Queen but also our own service to our community and nation.

 Queen Elizabeth was a woman of great kindness and faith of incredible inspiration, of steadfast leadership, and was a family role model for us all.

 The Queen was of my grandparents' generation.

Their sense of selfless service and duty, particularly during times of difficulty, has allowed us to lead the lives of freedom and democracy that we enjoy today.

Her late Majesty's generation is one of selflessness, not of entitlement.

Her generation is one of tenacity, of character and of wisdom that we must look to continue in our own lives.

And since my own grandparents passed away, I, and so many - have looked upon our Queen as the grandmother of the nation and that is why the loss we feel is so sad - and difficult to describe.

I am not able to put it better than Martin Lee, the Rector of Sherborne when he said: 'Our country has been held in her hands. With gentleness and firmness, she has never let go, always putting the needs of the nation before herself'.

In West Dorset, we have the fondest memories of the many occasions that Queen Elizabeth visited us.

First in 1952 in our county town of Dorchester.

She visited my hometown of Sherborne twice, once in 1998 when The Queen unveiled the Great West window at Sherborne Abbey - and again as part of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee tour in 2012 – returning to Dorchester in 2016 to open Queen Mother Square in Poundbury.

Those fond memories have endured with us for many years and will continue to do so.

We, the people of West Dorset and citizens of the United Kingdom mourn our Queen.

But our new King and his family are mourning his mother.

It is therefore with profound affection and the greatest sympathy from West Dorset – that I wish His Majesty the King to know, that he, the Royal Family and the late Queen Elizabeth remain steadfastly in our thoughts and prayers at this very sad time.

God Save the King."