Members of Parliament sworn in as Parliament reconvenes following the general election

July 9, 2024 TruthUSA

MPs are not permitted to engage in debates or receive a salary until they have taken the oath or affirmation.

The House of Commons greeted the newly elected MPs on Tuesday to initiate the swearing-in process, five days after the general election.

Members of both Houses of Parliament are legally required to pledge allegiance to the Crown. The procedure is activated after a general election or by-election.

This Tuesday saw MPs arriving at the Commons to swear in before assuming their seats in Parliament. They are not permitted to participate in debates, vote, or receive a salary until they have taken the oath or affirmation.

The first task for the parliamentarians is to elect the Speaker. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who has been serving as the Speaker since 2019, was re-elected by the House and was the first to swear the oath.

After Sir Lindsay’s re-election, Sir Keir, the Leader of the Opposition Rishi Sunak, the leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey, SNP leader in Westminster Stephen Flynn, and other party leaders addressed the House and welcomed the new MPs.

In his first speech in the Commons as Prime Minister, Sir Keir stated: “And now, as in any new Parliament, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to put an end to a politics that has too often seemed self-serving and self-obsessed, and to replace that politics of performance with the politics of service.”

Party leaders also recognized Sir Edward Leigh as the Father of the House, the longest-serving MP since 1983. Diane Abbott was hailed as the Mother of the House, given to the longest-serving female member of parliament.

Ms. Abbott applauded the increased representation of women in the House.

“When I was a new member in 1987, there were only 40 female members of Parliament. Today we have 264, and some of us are glad that we have lived to see this,” she shared with the House.

Rookies

Among the new MPs, 335 are fresh to the role, including Alex Baker, the first Labour MP for Aldershot, Alex Baker, and Bradley Thomas, who succeeded Sajid Javid in Bromsgrove, Bradley Thomas. Three hundred MPs were re-elected, while 15 are new MPs after a period of absence.

Sir Lindsay expressed gratitude to the Commons staff for assisting the new MPs. The rookies received a briefing on conduct rules in Parliament, including the dress code and guidelines on “unparliamentary language.”

Five Reform UK MPs, including party leader Nigel Farage and party chairman Richard Tice, were among the new faces.

The unofficial title of the “baby of the House,” given to the youngest MP, is likely to be bestowed upon 22-year-old Sam Carling, the newly elected Labour MP for North West Cambridgeshire.

The newly formed Cabinet members, such as Angela Rayner, Rachel Reeves, and Yvette Cooper, will also swear-in. They will be followed by shadow cabinet ministers, privy counsellors, and other ministers, with MPs called in order of their seniority in the House.

In the House of Lords, the swearing-in process mirrors the Commons procedure, with peers presenting writs of summons at the House Table before making the oath or affirmation.

The general election on July 4 declared all 650 Commons seats, with Labour winning 411, followed by Conservatives with 121, and Liberal Democrats with 72. The remaining seats went to candidates from other parties like the SNP and Reform UK.

Sinn Fein from Northern Ireland, which secured seven seats, maintains a policy of abstentionism and does not take their seats in Westminster.

The swearing-in proceedings in the Commons are scheduled to continue on July 10, 11, 15, and 16.

MPs will not commence debates in the House of Commons until the official State Opening of Parliament on July 17. The King will deliver an address from the Sovereign’s Throne in the House of Lords outlining the government’s agenda.

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