Tobias Ellwood, the junior foreign office minister praised after he was among the first people seeking to help the police officer murdered during last week’s terrorist attack in Westminster, has received tributes from fellow MPs upon his return to Commons duties.
The former soldier was pictured kneeling over PC Keith Palmer, placing his hands over the chest wounds and giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, after attacker Khalid Masood had stabbed the officer.
Ellwood was part of a team of Foreign Office ministers answering questions in the Commons, with MPs giving a cheer when his name was announced for the first time.
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry paid tribute to his “extraordinary courage last Thursday”. Ellwood thanked her, saying “I was one of many that stepped forward on that dark day,” and that his thoughts were with the victim’s family.
Labour’s Kate Hoey began her question with a word of tribute to Ellwood, and was followed by a series of other MPs. “Can I also congratulate the right honourable member on his actions last week,” said the SNP’s Lisa Cameron.
Labour’s Stephen Doughty prefaced his question by saying: “If I can add my sincere tributes to the right honourable gentleman for his actions last week.”
Ellwood, answering on topics including Zimbabwe, South Sudan and the use of the death penalty, replied saying: “Thank you for your comments.”
The foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, began his stint responding to questions with his own tribute. “Mr Speaker, I want to pay my own tribute, if I can, to my right honourable friend and ministerial colleague, the member for Bournemouth East, and of course also to all those innocents who lost their lives or were injured last week,” Johnson said.
“Over the centuries many people have tried to attack this parliament and none has shaken our faith in our values of freedom and democracy, which inform our policies.”
