WILLIAM Hague is "our greatest living Yorkshireman", David Cameron said, as he paid tribute to the outgoing former Tory leader and MP for Richmond.
The Prime Minister impersonated Mr Hague's renowned Yorkshire accent and recalled how a boy who had a record collection consisting of one Dire Straits album and dozens of Winston Churchill speeches rose through the ranks in politics.
Speaking to the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Mr Cameron told delegates: "When it comes to keeping Britain safe, one man has been by my side for the last four years. We all remember those lyrical tones in a hall like this all those years ago."
The PM, mimicking Mr Hague, said: "Some of you won't be here in 30 years time."
After laughter and applause, Mr Cameron said: "All right, I won't give up the day job. Now, when he was a teenager he didn't only address the Tory Party conference, he read Hansard in bed and he had a record collection that apparently consisted of one album by Dire Straits and dozens of speeches by Winston Churchill.
"His dad said: 'He was just a normal happy boy'.
"All I can say is this: that boy became an amazing parliamentarian, a brilliant foreign secretary, our greatest living Yorkshireman and someone to whom I owe an enormous debt of gratitude - William Hague."
Who do you think is the 'greatest living Yorkshireman or woman?
Let us know by commenting below.
Here are some possible contenders:
Cricket umpire Dickie Bird
Former Yorkshire and England batsman Geoff Boycott
Artist David Hockney
York-born actress Dame Judie Dench
Comedians and panto stars the Chuckle Brothers
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson
Olympic champion Jessica Ennis
Miners' leader Arthur Scargill
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