Message to Attend the Lords Commissioners – in the House of Commons at 2:40 pm on 19 May 2015.
John Bercow
Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Chair, Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Chair, Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
2:40,
19 May 2015
I must now call on the Members of the House, according to the usual custom, to take the Oath of Allegiance or to affirm at the Table of the House, first doing so myself.
The Speaker first, alone, standing on the upper step of the Chair, made and subscribed the Affirmation required by law.
John Bercow
Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Chair, Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Chair, Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
I should remind hon. Members that until they take the Oath or affirm, they must not sit during any debate or vote in any Division of the House, and will not receive any salary.
The arrangements for swearing in are set out in the Chamber information sheet, and a guidance note is also available from the Table and Vote Offices.
I propose to call first the Father of the House, Sir Gerald Kaufman, then members of the Cabinet, then members of the Shadow Cabinet, then all Privy Counsellors not included in those two groups, wherever they may be sitting, and then other Ministers. Thereafter, I shall call other hon. Members according to the Parliament of their first entry, or, for those with broken service, that of most recent entry. The first batch will be those elected in or prior to the 2001-05 Parliament. Thereafter I shall proceed to call Members by successive Parliaments. Realistically, I do not expect to call new Members until tomorrow.
I propose to remain in the Chair until 5 pm today, and then to return at 5.30 pm and continue until 7 pm if necessary. The House will sit again tomorrow at 11.30 am, on Thursday at 9.30 am, and on Tuesday at 2.30 pm. Tomorrow I propose to be in the Chair for swearing in until 1.30 pm, on Thursday until 11.30 am, and on Tuesday until 3.30 pm. I hope that by next Tuesday afternoon we will have made sufficient progress to enable all Members to swear in who wish to do so. I hope that Members will come forward in an orderly manner.
I remind Members that the swearing in, as a proceeding of the House, is recorded by the television cameras, and that anything said or done by Members may appear on television or be picked up by microphones. It will assist the broadcasters if new Members state their name and Constituency when they come to the Dispatch Box. Progress will depend, of course, on the number of Members wishing to swear in at any particular time. I advise Members to watch the Annunciators to establish progress, and to speak to their Whips.
The following Members took and subscribed the Oath, or made and subscribed the Affirmation, required by law:
Right Honourable Sir Gerald Bernard Kaufman, for Manchester, Gorton
Right honourable David William Donald Cameron, Witney
Right honourable George Gideon Oliver Osborne, Tatton
Right honourable Theresa Mary May, Maidenhead
Right honourable George Iain Duncan Smith, Chingford and Woodford Green
Right honourable Christopher Stephen Grayling, Epsom and Ewell
Right honourable Patrick Allen McLoughlin, Derbyshire Dales
Right honourable Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt, South West Surrey
Right honourable Nicola Ann Morgan, Loughborough
Right honourable Elizabeth Mary Truss, South West Norfolk
Priti Sushil Patel, Witham
Right honourable Gregory William Hands, Chelsea and Fulham
Right honourable Michael Andrew Gove, Surrey Heath
Right honourable Stephen Crabb, Preseli Pembrokeshire
Right honourable David Gordon Mundell, Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
Right honourable Matthew John David Hancock, West Suffolk
Robert Henry Halfon, Harlow
Right honourable Gregory David Clark, Tunbridge Wells
Right honourable Oliver Letwin, West Dorset
Right honourable Anna Mary Soubry, Broxtowe
Right honourable Jeremy Paul Wright, Kenilworth and Southam
Mark James Harper, Forest of Dean
Right honourable Harriet Harman, Camberwell and Peckham
Christopher Michael Leslie, Nottingham East
Right honourable Yvette Cooper, Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford
Angela Eagle, Wallasey
Right honourable Hilary James Benn, Leeds Central
Right honourable Rosie Winterton, Doncaster Central
Maria Eagle, Garston and Halewood
Elizabeth Louise Kendall, Leicester West
Chuka Harrison Umunna, Streatham
Tristram Julian William Hunt, Stoke-on-Trent Central
Jon Hedley Trickett, Hemsworth
Gloria De Piero, Ashfield
Owen Smith, Pontypridd
Ian Murray, Edinburgh South
Michael Vincent Dugher, Barnsley East
Lucy Maria Powell, Manchester Central
Mary Helen Creagh, Wakefield
Right honourable Caroline Louise Flint, Don Valley
Rachel Jane Reeves, Leeds West
Vernon Rodney Coaker, Gedling
Right honourable Margaret Mary Beckett, Derby South
Right honourable Cheryl Elise Kendall Gillan, Chesham and Amersham
Right honourable Sir Nicholas Soames, Mid Sussex
Right honourable Peter Bruce Lilley, Hitchin and Harpenden
Right honourable Margaret Eve Hodge, Barking
Right honourable Nicholas Hugh Brown, Newcastle upon Tyne East
Right honourable Dominic Charles Roberts Grieve, Beaconsfield
Right honourable Maria Frances Lewis Miller, Basingstoke
Right honourable Keith Anthony Vaz, Leicester East
Right honourable Sir Edward Henry Garnier, Harborough
Right honourable Caroline Spelman, Meriden
Right honourable Benjamin Peter James Bradshaw, Exeter
Right honourable Ann Clwyd, Cynon Valley
Right honourable Anne Frances Milton, Guildford
Right honourable David Anthony Evennett, Bexleyheath and Crayford
Right honourable Eric Jack Pickles, Brentwood and Ongar
Right honourable John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale, Maldon
Right honourable George Edward Howarth, Knowsley
Right honourable Lindsay Harvey Hoyle, Chorley
Right honourable Nigel Alexander Dodds, Belfast North
Right honourable David Lindon Lammy, Tottenham
Nicholas Edward Coleridge Boles, Grantham and Stamford
Right honourable Desmond Angus Swayne, New Forest West
Right honourable Alan Arthur Johnson, Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
Joseph Edmund Johnson, Orpington
Roderick James Nugent Stewart, Penrith and the Border
Right honourable Hugo George William Swire, East Devon
Right honourable David Ian Jones, Clwyd West
Right honourable Sir Kevin John Barron, Rother Valley
Right honourable Andrew David Smith, Oxford East
Right honourable Alan Campbell, Tynemouth
Right honourable Alexander Morrison Carmichael, Orkney and Shetland
Right honourable Nicholas William Peter Clegg, Sheffield, and Hallam
Right honourable Ed Miliband, Doncaster North
Brandon Kenneth Lewis, Great Yarmouth
Right honourable Frank Field, Birkenhead
David Julian Winnick, Walsall North
Ronald Campbell, Blyth Valley
Kate Hoey, Vauxhall
Right honourable Alex Salmond, Gordon
Helen Mary Jones, Warrington North
Thérèse Anne Coffey, Suffolk Coastal
Alasdair McDonnell, Belfast South
John Mark Lancaster, Milton Keynes North
Right honourable Nick Herbert, Arundel and South Downs
Robert Owen Biggs Wilson, Reading East
Marcus Charles Jones, Nuneaton
Right honourable Stephen Creswell Timms, East Ham
James Peter Brokenshire, Old Bexley and Sidcup
Right honourable Alistair James Hendry Burt, North East Bedfordshire
Charles George Eustice, Camborne and Redruth
Justin Paul Tomlinson, North Swindon
Anthony Edward Timpson, Crewe and Nantwich
Right honourable John Francis Spellar, Warley
Tracey Elizabeth Anne Crouch, Chatham and Aylesford
Right honourable David George Hanson, Delyn
Caroline Julia Dinenage, Gosport
Barry Strachan Gardiner, Brent North
Right honourable Andrew Murray Burnham, Leigh
Derek Twigg, Halton
Right honourable Fiona Margaret Mactaggart, Slough
Crispin Jeremy Rupert Blunt, Reigate
Kristan Frederick Hopkins, Keighley
Nicolas John Gibb, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton
Samuel Phillip Gyimah, East Surrey
Gary Nicholas Streeter, South West Devon
Christopher John Bryant, Rhondda
Right honourable Sir Alan James Peter Duncan, Rutland and Melton
Richard Michael Bacon, South Norfolk
Right honourable Mark Christopher Field, Cities of London and Westminster
David Michael Gauke, South West Hertfordshire
Sir Edward Julian Egerton Leigh, Gainsborough
James Stephen Wharton, Stockton South
Graham Eric Stringer, Blackley and Broughton
Right honourable John Healey, Wentworth and Dearne
Margaret Ann Wishart Coffey, Stockport
Right honourable Damian Howard Green, Ashford
Sir Joseph Alan Meale, Mansfield
David Anthon Crausby, Bolton North East
Ian Richard Peregrine Liddell-Grainger, Bridgwater and West Somerset
Stephen Pelham Pound, Ealing North
Kelvin Peter Hopkins, Luton North
Kevin Denis Brennan, Cardiff West,
Iain David Wright, Hartlepool
Right honourable Michael Alan Penning, Hemel Hempstead
George William Freeman, Mid Norfolk
Right honourable Tom Brake, Carshalton and Wallington
Graham William Allen, Nottingham North
Right honourable Sir Roger James Gale, North Thanet
Right honourable Jeffrey Mark Donaldson, Lagan Valley
Right honourable Norman Peter Lamb, North Norfolk
Timothy Paul Loughton, East Worthing and Shoreham
Gordon Marsden, Blackpool South
Dame Angela Eileen Watkinson, Hornchurch and Upminster
Claire Louise Perry, Devizes
Edward Henry Butler Vaizey, Wantage
Sir Oliver Heald, North East Hertfordshire
Margot Cathleen James, Stourbridge
Benedict Michael Gummer, Ipswich
Barry John Sheerman, Huddersfield
Michael John Gapes, Ilford South
Right honourable Sir Alan Gordon Barraclough Haselhurst, Saffron Walden
Eleanor Fulton Laing, Epping Forest
Jacqueline Doyle-Price, Thurrock
David Anderson, Blaydon
Madeleine Moon, Bridgend
Jessica Elizabeth Morden, Newport East
Adrian Edward Bailey, West Bromwich West
Sarah Louise Newton, Truro and Falmouth
Sir William Cash, Stone
Albert Owen, Ynys Môn
Kevan David Jones, North Durham
Stephen Hepburn, Jarrow
James Patrick Dowd, Lewisham West and Penge
Clive Stanley Efford, Eltham
George Michael Edward Hollingbery, Meon Valley
Graham Stuart, Beverley and Holderness
Ifor Huw Irranca-Davies, Ogmore
Right honourable John Henry Hayes, South Holland and The Deepings
Richard Haines Burden, Birmingham, Northfield
Robert James Buckland, South Swindon
Sir Alexander Paul Beresford, Mole Valley
Philip Martin Dunne, Ludlow
Julian William Hendy Brazier, Canterbury
Charles Brett Anthony Elphicke, Dover
Julian Richard Smith, Skipton and Ripon
Andrew Hanson Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough
Jonathan Simon Djanogly, Huntingdon
Damian Patrick George Hinds, East Hampshire
Laurence Anthony Robertson, Tewkesbury
Michael Fraser Weir, Angus
Ian Lavery, Wansbeck
Khalid Mahmood, Birmingham, Perry Barr
James Dolan Cunningham, Coventry South
Clive James Charles Betts, Sheffield South East
Geoffrey Robinson, Coventry North West
Right honourable John Alan Redwood, Wokingham
Sir David Anthony Andrew Amess, Southend West
Mark Richard Tami, Alyn and Deeside
Mark Steven Spencer, Sherwood
Nigel Adams, Selby and Ainsty
Geoffrey Robert Clifton-Brown, The Cotswolds
Andrew James Bridgen, North West Leicestershire
Mark Phillip Hendrick, Preston
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous, South West Bedfordshire
Ian Colin Lucas, Wrexham
Wayne David, Caerphilly
Right honourable Julian Murray Lewis, New Forest East
Valerie Carol Marian Vaz, Walsall South
John David Pugh, Southport
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, North Antrim
Louise Joyce Ellman, Liverpool, Riverside
John Robert Cryer, Leyton and Wanstead
Fabian Hamilton, Leeds North East
Angus Struan Carolus Robertson, Moray
Stephen James McCabe, Birmingham, Selly Oak
Karen Patricia Buck, Westminster North
Emily Thornberry, Islington South and Finsbury
Nia Rhiannon Griffith, Llanelli
Sylvia Eileen Lady Hermon, North Down
Karen Anne Bradley, Staffordshire Moorlands
Stuart James Andrew, Pudsey
Craig Whittaker, Calder Valley
Atta-Ur-Rehman Chishti, Gillingham and Rainham
Alan Patrick Vincent Whitehead, Southampton, Test
Mark Michael Prisk, Hertford and Stortford
Dennis Edward Skinner, Bolsover
Samuel Wilson, East Antrim
Thomas David Simpson, Upper Bann
Stephen James Metcalfe, South Basildon and East Thurrock
Graham Evans, Weaver Vale
Nigel John Mills, Amber Valley
Peter Wishart, Perth and North Perthshire
John Michael Howell, Henley
Philip Wilson, Sedgefield
Stewart Hosie, Dundee East
John Mann, Bassetlaw
Anne Marie Morris, Newton Abbot
Right honourable Liam Fox, North Somerset
Christopher Heaton-Harris, Daventry
Robert Edward Jenrick, Newark
Charlotte Leslie, Bristol North West
Andrew John Turner, Isle of Wight
Gisela Gschaider Stuart, Birmingham, Edgbaston
Heather Kay Wheeler, South Derbyshire
Mark Robert Timothy Garnier, Wyre Forest
Gavin Laurence Barwell, Croydon Central
Stewart James Jackson, Peterborough
Richard Henry Ronald Benyon, Newbury
Right honourable Sajid Javid, Bromsgrove
Right honourable Andrew Guy Tyrie, Chichester
Right honourable Philip Hammond, Runnymede and Weybridge
Lisa Eva Nandy, Wigan
Patricia Mary Glass, North West Durham
James Ian Mearns, Gateshead
Grahame Mark Morris, Easington
Geraint Richard Davies, Swansea West
Meg Hillier, Hackney South and Shoreditch
Gordon Henderson, Sittingbourne and Sheppey
Guto ap Owain Bebb, Aberconwy
Andrew Theakstone Percy, Brigg and Goole
Thomas Anthony Watson, West Bromwich East
Jonathan Cruddas, Dagenham and Rainham
Eilidh Whiteford, Banff and Buchan
Christopher Mark Francis White, Warwick and Leamington
James Jacob Gilchrist Berry, Rossendale and Darwen
Alec Shelbrooke, Elmet and Rothwell
Jacob William Rees-Mogg, North East Somerset
Simon James Hoare, North Dorset
Pauline Elizabeth Latham, Mid Derbyshire
Sir James Gerald Douglas Howarth, Aldershot
Philip Thomas Hollobone, Kettering
Richard Irwin Harrington, Watford
Robert James MacGillivray Neill, Bromley and Chislehurst
Kevin Paul Hollinrake, Thirsk and Malton
Sharon Hodgson, Washington and Sunderland West
Stephen Twigg, Liverpool, West Derby
Nicholas Richard Hurd, Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Richard Graham, Gloucester
Andrea Leadsom, South Northamptonshire
Richard James Shannon, Strangford
Alexander Cunningham, Stockton North
Robert Charles Douglas Flello, Stoke-on-Trent South
Graham Peter Jones, Hyndburn
Thomas Francis Blenkinsop, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
Angela Christine Smith, Penistone and Stockbridge
James Fitzpatrick, Poplar and Limehouse
Iain Aitken Stewart, Milton Keynes South
Chi Onwurah, Newcastle upon Tyne Central
Emma Louise Lewell-Buck, South Shields
James George Morris, Halesowen and Rowley Regis
Gareth Thomas, Harrow West
Ranil Malcolm Jayawardena, North East Hampshire
Alan Mak, Havant
Thomas Georg John Tugendhat, Tonbridge and Malling
Chris Ian Brian Mynott Philp, Croydon South
Amanda Jane Solloway, Derby North
Alun Craig Williams, Cardiff North
Judith Mary Cummins, Bradford South
David Jonathan Edwards, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
Liz Saville Roberts, Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Hywel Williams, Arfon
Kevin John Foster, Torbay
Conor Patrick McGinn, St Helens North
Alun Hugh Cairns, Vale of Glamorgan
Robert Andrew Raymond Syms, Poole
Andrew John Gwynne, Denton and Reddish
Helen Catherine Goodman, Bishop Auckland
Mary Theresa Glindon, North Tyneside
Victoria Lorne Peta Lady Borwick, Kensington
John Charles Baron, Basildon and Billericay
Stephen John Doughty, Cardiff South and Penarth
Christopher Evans, Islwyn
Right honourable Mark Gino Francois, Rayleigh and Wickford
Catherine Malloy Hollern, Blackburn
Julie Elliott, Sunderland Central
William Roffen Esterson, Sefton Central
Peter Dowd, Bootle
Thomas Christopher John Pursglove, Corby
Peter William Bone, Wellingborough
Andrew Joseph McDonald, Middlesbrough
Stephen Mark Ward Reed, Croydon North
Sheryll Murray, South East Cornwall
Oliver Newton Colvile, Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
Rosemary Elizabeth Cooper, West Lancashire
Nicola Claire Blackwood, Oxford West and Abingdon
Margaret Ritchie, South Down
Kwasi Alfred Addo Kwarteng, Spelthorne
John Douglas Wilson Carswell, Clacton
Catherine McKinnell, Newcastle upon Tyne North
Barbara Mary Keeley, Worsley and Eccles South
Elizabeth Anne McInnes, Heywood and Middleton
Stephen James Phillips, Sleaford and North Hykeham
Neil Carmichael, Stroud
Caroline Fiona Ellen Nokes, Romsey and Southampton North
Natascha Engel, North East Derbyshire
Melvyn John Stride, Central Devon
David John Nuttall, Bury North
Sitting suspended.
On resuming—
The following Members took and subscribed the Oath, or made and subscribed the Affirmation required by law:
Sir Peter James Bottomley, for Worthing West
Bernard Christison Jenkin, Harwich and North Essex
John David Penrose, Weston-super-Mare
Guy Opperman, Hexham
Diana Ruth Johnson, Kingston upon Hull North
Roberta Carol Blackman-Woods, City of Durham
Gregory Lloyd Campbell, East Londonderry
Angus Brendan MacNeil, Na h-Eileanan an Iar
John Mark Durkan, Foyle
Alok Kumar Sharma, Reading West
Andrew Russell Bingham, High Peak
Matthew Toby Perkins, Chesterfield
David Thomas Morris, Morecambe and Lunesdale
Jack Eugene Joseph Dromey, Birmingham, Erdington
Lilian Rachel Greenwood, Nottingham South
Nicholas Dakin, Scunthorpe
Shabana Mahmood, Birmingham, Ladywood
Jonathan Michael Graham Ashworth, Leicester South
Susan Elan Jones, Clwyd South
Steven John Baker, Wycombe
Andrew George Stephenson, Pendle
Julian Charles Sturdy, York Outer
Fiona Claire Bruce, Congleton
Paul Christopher Maynard, Blackpool North and Cleveleys
John Philip Glen, Salisbury
Michael Tyrone Ellis, Northampton North
Harriett Mary Morison Baldwin, West Worcestershire
Bridget Maeve Phillipson, Houghton and Sunderland South
Stephen Paul Barclay, North East Cambridgeshire
Damian Noel Thomas Collins, Folkestone and Hythe
Caroline Patricia Lucas, Brighton, Pavilion
Robert John Blackman, Harrow East
Jamieson Ronald Reed, Copeland
Greg Mulholland, Leeds North West
Timothy James Farron, Westmorland and Lonsdale
Mark Fraser Williams, Ceredigion
Graham Stuart Brady, Altrincham and Sale West
Ian Austin, Dudley North
Giacomo Lopresti, Filton and Bradley Stoke
Kerry Gillian McCarthy, Bristol East
Deborah Angela Elspeth Marie Abrahams, Oldham East and Saddleworth
Philip Andrew Davies, Shipley
Nusrat Munir Ghani, Wealden
John Luther Mercer, Plymouth Moor View
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan, Berwick-upon-Tweed
Rebecca Faye Clark Pow, Taunton Deane
Martin John Vickers, Cleethorpes
Michael James Tomlinson-Mynors, Mid Dorset and North Poole
Stephen Daniel Double, St Austell and Newquay
Jennifer Chapman, Darlington
Right honourable Sadiq Aman Khan, Tooting
Yvonne Helen Fovargue, Makerfield
John Zak Woodcock, Barrow and Furness
Mark Andrew Menzies, Fylde
Nicholas Desmond John Smith, Blaenau Gwent
Steven Philip Rotheram, Liverpool, Walton
Dan Jarvis, Barnsley Central
Katherine Anne Green, Stretford and Urmston
Stella Judith Creasy, Walthamstow
Paul Christopher Blomfield, Sheffield Central
Alison McGovern, Wirral South
Heidi Alexander, Lewisham East
Alexander Jesse Norman, Hereford and South Herefordshire
Michael Joseph Patrick Kane, Wythenshawe and Sale East
Jonathan Neil Reynolds, Stalybridge and Hyde
Elizabeth Rebecca Scott Harris, Castle Point
Nigel Martin Evans, Ribble Valley
Peter James Guy Aldous, Waveney
Miriam Jane Alice Davies, Eastleigh
Marcus John Hudson Fysh, Yeovil
Antoinette Sandbach, Eddisbury
Daniel De Burgh Kinahan, South Antrim
James Stephen Heappey, Wells
Peter Heaton-Jones, North Devon
Angela Rayner, Ashton-under-Lyne
Matthew Thomas Pennycook, Greenwich and Woolwich
Rupa Asha Huq, Ealing Central and Acton
Margaret Ann Throup, Erewash
Alberto Castrenze Costa, South Leicestershire
Chris Matheson, City of Chester
Luciana Clare Berger, Liverpool Wavertree
Royston Matthew Smith, Southampton, Itchen
Sue-Ellen Cassiana Fernandes, Fareham
Right honourable Michael Fallon, Sevenoaks
Edward John Comport Argar, Charnwood
Shailesh Lakhman Vara, North West Cambridgeshire
Simon Hart, Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
Matthew Warman, Boston and Skegness
Nigel Paul Huddleston, Mid Worcestershire
Michael Jon Wood, Dudley South
Susan Mary Hayman, Workington
Phillip James Lee, Bracknell
Sarah James Wollaston, Totnes
David Henry Rutley, Macclesfield
Melanie Onn, Great Grimsby
William David Wiggin, North Herefordshire
Henry Byron Davies, Gower
Gavin Shuker, Luton South
Jane Elizabeth Ellison, Battersea
After election to the Commons an MP must swear an Oath of Allegiance before taking their seat. While holding a copy of the New Testament (or, in the case of a Jew or Muslim, the Old Testament or the Koran) a Member swears: "I…..swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God." Members who object to oath swearing may make a Solemn Affirmation instead. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M7 at the UK Parliament site. The Oath of Allegiance must be taken, or Solemn Affirmation made, by every Lord, on Introduction and at the beginning of every new Parliament, before he or she can sit and vote in the House of Lords.
The Speaker is an MP who has been elected to act as Chairman during debates in the House of Commons. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the rules laid down by the House for the carrying out of its business are observed. It is the Speaker who calls MPs to speak, and maintains order in the House. He or she acts as the House's representative in its relations with outside bodies and the other elements of Parliament such as the Lords and the Monarch. The Speaker is also responsible for protecting the interests of minorities in the House. He or she must ensure that the holders of an opinion, however unpopular, are allowed to put across their view without undue obstruction. It is also the Speaker who reprimands, on behalf of the House, an MP brought to the Bar of the House. In the case of disobedience the Speaker can 'name' an MP which results in their suspension from the House for a period. The Speaker must be impartial in all matters. He or she is elected by MPs in the House of Commons but then ceases to be involved in party politics. All sides in the House rely on the Speaker's disinterest. Even after retirement a former Speaker will not take part in political issues. Taking on the office means losing close contact with old colleagues and keeping apart from all groups and interests, even avoiding using the House of Commons dining rooms or bars. The Speaker continues as a Member of Parliament dealing with constituent's letters and problems. By tradition other candidates from the major parties do not contest the Speaker's seat at a General Election. The Speakership dates back to 1377 when Sir Thomas Hungerford was appointed to the role. The title Speaker comes from the fact that the Speaker was the official spokesman of the House of Commons to the Monarch. In the early years of the office, several Speakers suffered violent deaths when they presented unwelcome news to the King. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M2 on the UK Parliament website.
The title Father of the House is given to the MP with the longest unbroken service in the House of Commons.
The most important duty of the Father of the House is to preside over the election of a new speaker should that office be vacant at the beginning of a Parliament.
A minister is never considered the Father of the House, even if that minister is more senior than any other MP.
If you've ever seen inside the Commons, you'll notice a large table in the middle - upon this table is a box, known as the dispatch box. When members of the Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet address the house, they speak from the dispatch box. There is a dispatch box for the government and for the opposition. Ministers and Shadow Ministers speak to the house from these boxes.
Right Honourable is a form of address used within the House of Commons, for members of the Privy Council. Members of the person’s own party will refer to them as ‘My Right Honourable Friend, the member for [constituency]’. Members of other parties will refer to them as ‘The Right Honourable Lady/Gentleman, the member for [constituency]’. The Privy Council consists of, among others, Cabinet ministers and a number of junior ministers as well as former office holders.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent
The House of Commons votes by dividing. Those voting Aye (yes) to any proposition walk through the division lobby to the right of the Speaker and those voting no through the lobby to the left. In each of the lobbies there are desks occupied by Clerks who tick Members' names off division lists as they pass through. Then at the exit doors the Members are counted by two Members acting as tellers. The Speaker calls for a vote by announcing "Clear the Lobbies". In the House of Lords "Clear the Bar" is called. Division Bells ring throughout the building and the police direct all Strangers to leave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. They also walk through the public rooms of the House shouting "division". MPs have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby before the doors are closed. Members make their way to the Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remind the uncertain which way, if any, their party is voting. Meanwhile the Clerks who will take the names of those voting have taken their place at the high tables with the alphabetical lists of MPs' names on which ticks are made to record the vote. When the tellers are ready the counting process begins - the recording of names by the Clerk and the counting of heads by the tellers. When both lobbies have been counted and the figures entered on a card this is given to the Speaker who reads the figures and announces "So the Ayes [or Noes] have it". In the House of Lords the process is the same except that the Lobbies are called the Contents Lobby and the Not Contents Lobby. Unlike many other legislatures, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have not adopted a mechanical or electronic means of voting. This was considered in 1998 but rejected. Divisions rarely take less than ten minutes and those where most Members are voting usually take about fifteen. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P9 at the UK Parliament site.
The shadow cabinet is the name given to the group of senior members from the chief opposition party who would form the cabinet if they were to come to power after a General Election. Each member of the shadow cabinet is allocated responsibility for `shadowing' the work of one of the members of the real cabinet.
The Party Leader assigns specific portfolios according to the ability, seniority and popularity of the shadow cabinet's members.
