– in the House of Commons at 1:08 pm on 2 July 2026.
Jeremy Corbyn
Parliamentary Leader, Your Party
1:08,
2 July 2026
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I have given the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Mr Falconer, prior notice of this point of order. Yesterday, I asked him about Britain’s relationship with Israel in relation to its disgraceful expansion of illegal settlements. I emphasised that they are illegal and made the point that they are supported and facilitated by the Israeli Government. He did not answer my question about Britain’s military co-operation; instead, he misrepresented my words and implied that I was somehow or other making a statement about the views of the Jewish people in this country, which I absolutely was not. I seek your advice on how I can ensure the Minister comes back to the House, corrects the record and answers the question that I put to him.
Judith Cummins
Deputy Speaker (First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means), Chair, Restoration and Renewal Programme Board Committee, Chair, Restoration and Renewal Programme Board Committee
I thank the right hon. Member for his point of order. He will know that Ministers themselves are responsible for their words at the Dispatch Box. Those on the Treasury Bench will have heard his concern, and I am sure that they will pass it on to the Minister. He is an experienced Member, and will know that a number of routes are available to him to pursue questions to the Government on this issue. The Clerks in the Table Office can advise him further, if need be.
Joe Robertson
Conservative, Isle of Wight East
On a point of order, yesterday in Westminster Hall, the Maritime Minister, Keir Mather, may have inadvertently misled the House. I confirm that I have given the required notices. The Minister stated on three occasions that a Court of Appeal judgment changed the legal status of maritime coastguard rescue officers. That simply is not true. The Court of Appeal confirmed worker status that already existed and has existed for years; it is the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, backed by the Government, that is now seeking to change the status of those brave heroes to that of unpaid volunteers. Madam Deputy Speaker, can you advise me on how I can seek to get the record corrected?
Judith Cummins
Deputy Speaker (First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means), Chair, Restoration and Renewal Programme Board Committee, Chair, Restoration and Renewal Programme Board Committee
I thank the hon. Gentleman for notice of his point of order. Members on the Treasury Bench will have heard his point and will doubtless communicate it to the Minister, who is in his place, who will be able to consider whether there is anything in his remarks that requires correcting or whether, taken as a whole, they gave an accurate account of the situation.
Florence Eshalomi
Chair, Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, Chair, Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
On a point of order, I seek guidance from your good self, Madam Deputy Speaker, on how to remind Members about the courtesies of the House when undertaking events in other constituencies. I am proud to serve the Constituency of Vauxhall and Camberwell Green, where there are many wonderful venues that host many fantastic events. When Members, including senior Members, take part in speaking events in another constituency that are not private events, they should notify the sitting Member.
Judith Cummins
Deputy Speaker (First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means), Chair, Restoration and Renewal Programme Board Committee, Chair, Restoration and Renewal Programme Board Committee
I thank the hon. Member for giving notice of her point of order. When a Member visits another Member’s Constituency, except on purely a private visit, they should take reasonable steps in advance to tell the Member in whose constituency the visit is taking place. The document called “Rules of behaviour and courtesies in the House of Commons” deals with this matter and failure to follow that guidance is regarded as very discourteous.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The Deputy speaker is in charge of proceedings of the House of Commons in the absence of the Speaker.
The deputy speaker's formal title is Chairman of Ways and Means, one of whose functions is to preside over the House of Commons when it is in a Committee of the Whole House.
The deputy speaker also presides over the Budget.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
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.
Of a male MP, sitting on his regular seat in the House. For females, "in her place".
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 is one of the houses of parliament. Here, elected MPs (elected by the "commons", i.e. the people) debate. In modern times, nearly all power resides in this house. In the commons are 650 MPs, as well as a speaker and three deputy speakers.