Westminster statue an 'appropriate tribute' to the legacy of Lord David Trimble
An artwork to celebrate the life and work of the late Lord Trimble – recognising his contribution to both Houses of Parliament and to peace – has been unveiled at Westminster.
The event on Thursday was attended by Lady Daphne Trimble, other members of the family, and senior political figures past and present.
The bust was unveiled in the River Room in the House of Lords, and is likely to be displayed in the Palace of Westminster outside the Pugin room.
That is a prominent location between both houses of parliament, where it will be visible to MPs, peers and guests. This is in recognition of his contribution to both the House of Commons and the House of Lords throughout his long political career.
Lord Bew, a former adviser to David Trimble during the key years surrounding the signing of the Belfast Agreement, said there was an “appropriate symbolism” about the placing of the memorial.
He described it as “a pretty striking sculpture” and welcomed the fact that the former Ulster Unionist leader was now recognised alongside other important Irish political figures in Parliament.
“It was emotional, I was surprised – I was becoming incoherent once or twice”, Lord Bew told the News Letter.
There were tributes from other senior political figures who worked with David Trimble in the past, such as David Campbell, Lord Kilclooney, Lord Empey and Eoghan Harris.
Lord Bew said there was “an enormous respect” for Lord Trimble – as demonstrated by the attendance of former senior civil servants who had worked with him, as well as the Irish ambassador to the UK and SDLP MP Colum Eastwood.
Lord Murphy – the former Northern Ireland Secretary of State – was also there. The pair had developed a surprising personal bond over the years, due to their shared love of opera.
The recognition of Lord Trimble puts him alongside former Prime Ministers and prominent parliamentarians throughout the centuries.
His former colleague, Lord Reg Empey, said: “Very, very few parliamentarians would get that sort of recognition. Yes, there are paintings around in Portcullis House, outside the Palace [of Westminster]. But that fact that this in the Palace, the fact that the Arts Committee have decided to have it, is quite a tribute to David.
“And of course it celebrates the fact that he was here north of thirty years, roughly half of his time in the Commons, half in the Lords”.
The ceremony was conducted by the Lord Speaker, Lord McFall of Alcluith – who had himself worked with David Trimble as a direct rule economy minister following the first Stormont collapse since the 1998 deal.
In recent years, the House of Commons also commissioned a portrait of former John Hume, with whom David Trimble shared a Nobel Peace Prize for their instrumental role in the Good Friday Agreement.
The artwork of the former SDLP leader is currently on display in Portcullis House.
Eoghan Harris – a political commentator and occasional adviser to David Trimble – said he had got himself out of a hospital bed to attend the unveiling because he has “such huge admiration for David – and for his courage.
Mr Harris, who helped write the speech Lord Trimble delivered after becoming a Nobel Laureate for his work on the Belfast Agreement, said: “He was very special”.