Menu
UK Parliament

Return of the House of Commons

The House of Commons returns at 2.30pm on Tuesday 9 July to elect a Speaker, followed by several days of MPs being sworn in. Following the State Opening of Parliament, the first item of business will be a debate on the King’s Speech.

More detail on these opening stages of the new Parliament can be found below:

First meeting of the new Parliament

The House of Commons will first meet in the new Parliament at 2.30pm on Tuesday 9 July.

Once assembled after a General Election, MPs, led by the Member of Parliament with the longest continuous service - commonly known as the Father, or Mother, of the House - go to the House of Lords where they receive a message from the monarch asking them to elect a Speaker.

They return to the House of Commons and begin the process immediately, under the direction of the Father or Mother of the House.

Election of the Speaker

If the MP who was Speaker before the general election is returned at the election and wishes to stand for re-election as Speaker, that decision is taken immediately. A motion is put before the House ‘that x do take the Chair of this House as Speaker’. If the question is challenged the decision is made by division.

If the former Speaker is re-elected, the Speaker-elect will go with Black Rod to the Lords to receive the Royal Approbation. On returning from the Lords, the Speaker swears in. 

If the former Speaker does not wish to stand for re-election or the House votes against their appointment, the House will adjourn until 2.30pm the following day (Wednesday 10 July) when a secret ballot will take place.

When a new Speaker of the House of Commons is elected, the successful candidate is dragged to the Chair by two other MPs because historically Members could be reluctant to take on the role of Speaker.

Read more on the Election of the Speaker.

Read the Commons Library briefing on the election of a Speaker.

Deputy Speakers are elected by a secret ballot and further details will be announced in due course.

Read the Commons Library briefing on the election of deputy speakers.

Swearing-in

After the Speaker has sworn in, the swearing in process for all Members begins. The exact timetable for swearing in will be made clear after the election of the Speaker. The House is likely to meet for swearing in on Wednesday 10 July and Thursday 11 July. Timings will be announced on the parliamentary website and via parliament's social media channels.

The recital of the oath or affirmation has legal effect. Members can either swear in using a religious text (an oath) or make a non-religious, solemn affirmation. MPs can request which religious text they would like to use, and can repeat the oath or affirmation in another language, such as Welsh, Scottish Gaelic or Cornish.

Members take the oath/affirm in an established order: first the Father (or Mother) of the House then members of the Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet, other privy counsellors and other Ministers. Other Members are then called by length of service.

Members will be expected to have sworn in before the King’s Speech, which will take place on Wednesday 17 July.

Members who have not taken the oath or affirmation may not draw a salary, sit during any debate or vote in a division in the House. A Member who has not taken the oath and who sits during a debate or votes in a division after the Speaker has been chosen may be fined £500 but, more importantly, will have to vacate their seat.

Read more on the swearing in process.

King’s Speech

The State Opening of Parliament and The King’s Speech will take place on Wednesday 17 July.

This is where the new Parliamentary session officially begins, with the King reading the Speech from the Throne, outlining the Government’s legislative programme.

The Commons will then debate the King’s Speech for a number of days.

Read more about the State Opening of Parliament. The House of Commons media relations team will send a briefing note related to the Commons aspects of the State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday 16 July.

Next steps

New Members will seek to make a maiden speech in the House of Commons. A maiden speech is uncontroversial, fairly brief (about five minutes) and includes a tribute to the Member’s predecessor in the seat, irrespective of party, and favourable remarks about the constituency.

While taking the oath or affirming is a legal requirement, Members are not required to make a traditional maiden speech, though it is a custom that most new Members choose to observe.

Other Parliamentary business will begin in the days after State Opening, such as Westminster Hall debates, departmental questions and Ministerial statements.

At a later date, the parties will agree the allocation of chairs of select committees, and elections for those roles will take place before select committees begin their work.

Useful links