Outlawries Bill
Selected letter
O
The reading of the Outlawries Bill is a symbolic tradition which preserves the right of the House of Commons to debate a subject of its own choosing before they debate the subjects raised by the King's Speech at the beginning of every new session of Parliament.
In practice there is no debate and the Outlawries Bill is read out as a formality. The text has remained the same since Victorian times, but the first recorded instance of the House reading such a Bill before any other business dates back to 1558.