Queen 'one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known,' says Liz Truss in tribute to Commons

Queen Elizabeth II was "one of the most great leaders the world has even known,” said Liz Truss as the new Prime Minister paid tribute to the late sovereign in the Commons.

Ms Truss hailed the reigning monarch’s longest service life and the described as "a champion of freedom and democracy around the world".

The Prime Minister said the nation had witnessed "the most heartfelt outpouring of grief" since the announcement of the Queen's death on Thursday, saying life had 'hanged on hold' to mourn her passing. .

“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known. The UK is the great country it is today because of her," she said.

Praising her "sheer humanity", Ms Truss said: "She reinvented monarchy for the modern era. She was a champion of freedom and democracy around the world. She was ready to have fun - whether it was on a mission with 007 or having tea with Paddington Bear."

Ms Truss revealed that the Queen had shared her "profound government experience" when the the two met at Balmoral this week. . "She has remained determined to carry out her duties even at the age of 96…even in recent days."

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Referencing a new "Carolean era" in closing her speech, the PM said than charles "has already made a profound contribution through his work on conservation, education and his tireless diplomacy - to him we owe our loyalty and dedication".

MPs dressed in black stood for a minute silence from midday on Friday, before Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle hailed the "magnificence with which she assumed the role of Queen".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer paid t tribute to Elizabeth II as "this great country's greatest monarch" who had united the nation in turbulent times. "The loss of our queen robs this country of its calmest point, its greatest comfort, precisely when we need it most."

He added: "The late queen would like that we redouble our efforts, to climb the pass and weather the storm. Carry on. Above all, she would like us to remember that these are the times we must all gather."

Sir Keir called the country to remember "one of the great lessons of our Queen's reign - that we are always best when we rise above the petty, the trivial, the everyday, to focus on the things that really matter, those that unite us, rather than those that divide us".

Now was the time to carry forward the Queen's legacy, he said, "to show the same love of country, l love for each other, as she did. To show empathy and compassion, as she did, and to pass on the Great B reclaim through this dark night and bring it to dawn, as she did. p>Former Tory MP Boris Johnson has revealed he was 'moved to tears' during a special interview about the Queen after the BBC film crew asked him to...