Last night I was privileged to sit in the chamber of the House of Commons at an illustrious gathering to mark the installation of a plaque above the door to the chamber commemorating Ian Gow, the Conservative MP for Eastbourne who was murdered by an IRA car bomb in 1990.
The memorial is alongside that dedicated to Airey Neave, and was unveiled by Ian Gow's widow, Dame Jane Gow DBE, after a moving ceremony attended by numerous politicians past and present including Lord Tebbit, Lord Parkinson, Lord Howard of Lympne, Lord Trimble, Owen Paterson MP, Iain Duncan Smith MP, his three successors as MP for Eastbourne (David Bellotti, Nigel Waterson and Stephen Lloyd) and scores of other friends, family, former colleagues and admirers, too numerous to mention here.
The Speaker, John Bercow MP, arranged for the ceremony and installation of the memorial after a request from Romford MP, Andrew Rosindell, and Lord Howe of Aberavon last October, all of whom spoke last night.
Lord Howe described him as "one of the most warm hearted and courageous politicians of his generation" whilst Andrew Rosindell saluted "a man of principle and courage... who was never afraid to say and do what he believed was right for his country".
As she unveiled the memorial, Dame Jane thanked all those behind it for recognising her late husband "in this place which he loved so much".