Lord Mayor's Banquet

In this the year of celebration for Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, this has also been a remarkable and triumphant year of office for you and the Lady Mayoress. Together you have done the City and your ancient office proud. As well as thanking you for your hospitality tonight, may I on behalf of all my judicial colleagues assembled here offer our warmest congratulations to you both.

For me this story of the year has been less rosy. Last year you may remember me telling you about the pretty girl who, on my 70th birthday, thought it was a 00 birthday. Well that message was recently rubbed in. This year our daughter Emma returned after many years of living in a hut on the shores of Lake Malawi and she needed a mortgage. It was refused on the basis that she had not been resident in this country for 2 years. So I offered to guarantee it.