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The House of Commons in the State Opening of Parliament

The State Opening of Parliament takes place on Wednesday 17 July. Find out about the role of the House of Commons in State Opening and the King’s Speech debate below.

The State Opening will begin at 9.30am on Wednesday 17 July when the Yeomen of the Guard, the royal bodyguards, ceremonially search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster for explosives.

This commemorates the ‘gunpowder plot' of 1605 – a failed attempt by English Catholics to blow up the Protestant King James I and Parliament.

An MP is ceremonially held “hostage” in Buckingham Palace while the Sovereign attends Parliament, to ensure the King’s safe return. Traditionally, this is the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household (Samantha Dixon MP) – a Government Whip.

At around 11.30am, once the royal procession has arrived in the Lords, Black Rod will proceed to the Commons Chamber and summon MPs to the House of Lords. Traditionally, the door of the Commons is slammed shut to symbolise the independence of the Commons from the Monarch.

MPs will then follow Black Rod to the Lords to hear the King’s Speech. The Speech outlines the Government’s plans for the next Parliamentary session.

Commons debate on the King’s Speech

Following the State Opening ceremony, the House of Commons will sit from 2.30pm.

After introductory statements by the Speaker, the Outlawries Bill will receive its first reading. This is a purely formal proceeding where the House asserts its right to deliberate on matters of its own choosing before those proposed by the Government in the King’s Speech: no Bill is produced nor is there any debate.

The first of several days of debate on the King’s Speech will then begin. First, MPs will agree a Motion for the Loyal Address (thanking the King for the Speech).

The task of moving the motion is regarded as an honour and is given to two Government backbenchers. They are normally a contrasting pair with very different constituencies, one a relative newcomer and the other a long-serving MP. By convention, their speeches are not contentious and contain both humour and flattering references to their constituencies.

The Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister will then speak. Debate on the King’s Speech may continue until 10pm on Wednesday.

Debates on particular subjects (such as foreign affairs or health) will follow on subsequent days, and details of these will be included in the Order Paper.

MPs can seek to amend the motion for the Address. Votes on these are taken on the penultimate day of debate and on the final day. The final vote is on the Address itself.

There are no Westminster Hall debates until the debate on the King’s Speech is concluded. There are no Urgent Questions or ministerial statements on the day of State Opening, though they can be submitted on subsequent days as usual.

Interested in finding out more about the history of State Opening? Check out this research briefing compiled by the Commons Library. 

Where to watch:

Further Information:

  • Images of the ceremony, including Black Rod’s summons, and the opening of the King’s Speech debate, will be issued to media. For details regarding our licence arrangements or information on sharing footage consult our website.