Affirmation
Selected letter
A
Members of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords are required to take an oath of allegiance to the Crown before they take their seats in Parliament after a general election or by-election and after the death of the monarch. Any MP or Member of the House of Lords who objects to swearing an oath can make a solemn Affirmation, which omits the religious references, instead. This process is known as swearing in.