The mother of the House is an honorific title given by tradition to the female Member of Parliament of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom with the longest uninterrupted service.[1]
| Mother of the House | |
|---|---|
| House of Commons of the United Kingdom | |
| Member of | House of Commons |
| Seat | Westminster |
| First holder | Harriet Harman |
Since 4 July 2024 the Mother of the House is Diane Abbott.
History
editAlthough the term had been used previously,[2][3][4] the first use of the term in a ceremonial capacity was by Theresa May during the first sitting of the House following the 2017 General Election. In setting out the new tradition, Theresa May announced she was "breaking with tradition" by congratulating Harriet Harman as Mother of the House.[5][6] The Centre on Constitutional Change attributes the normalisation and mainstreaming of the term to Harman, especially due to her prominence and leadership in the campaign to change the Standing Orders to allow female MPs taking maternity leave to vote in the House of Commons by proxy.[4]
The term was used to refer to Harman for the remainder of her Parliamentary career after which time Abbott became Mother of the House following her re-election as an MP on 4 July 2024.[6][7]
Historically, the term was also used by MP Noel Billing in 1920 in reference to Nancy Astor who had been elected as the first female MP to take up her seat the previous year. Astor went on to further use the term to refer to herself in 1945.[4]
Role
editSimilar to the titles of Father of the House and Baby of the House, the Mother of the House is not established by Standing Order but rather by convention.[8][9] However, the role of Mother of the House gives the post holder unprecedented authority and legitimacy when speaking in debates.[4]
The title is bestowed on the female parliamentarian with the longest uninterrupted service as MP calculated by the date of the election. When two MPs have served for the same duration, it is calculated depending on the date and time on which they took the Oath of Allegiance.[9][7]
There is yet to be a female Member of Parliament who has sat longer than her male counterpart making the Father of the House more senior.
In 2024 The Mother of the House swears or affirms their allegiance at the start of a new Parliament after the Speaker of the House and the Father of the House but before the Prime Minister and any other MPs.[10]
| Name | Portrait | Entered Parliament | Became Mother of the House | Left the House | Party | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harriet Harman |  |
1982 | 2017[a] | 2024 | Labour |
| |
| Diane Abbott |  |
1987 | 2024 | Incumbent | Labour | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | |
Notes
edit- ^ Harman was the longest continuously-serving female MP since the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody in 2008. However, until the normalisation and mainstreaming of the term in 2017, it was not widely used and 2017 is the date widely used in reports and biographies.[5][11][12]
References
edit- ^ Morris, Nigel (5 July 2024). "Why Diane Abbott has been named 'Mother of the House', and what it means". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Hansard, Volume 596. "debated on Monday 18 May 2015, Column 6". UK Parliament. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Hansard, Volume 596. "debated on Monday 27 May 2015, Column 43". UK Parliament. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d "A New Parliamentary Institution? The Mother of the House & the Retirement of the Rt Hon Harriet Harman MP". Centre on Constitutional Change. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ a b Nagesh, Ashitha (13 June 2017). "Harriet Harman has become first ever 'Mother of the House'". Metro. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ a b Malnick, Edward (26 May 2018). "One eye on the Speaker's seat, Harriet Harman sets out reform agenda". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ a b Pickover, Ella (5 July 2024). "Abbott hailed as 'trailblazer' as she becomes Mother of the House". The Independent. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Kelly, R., Priddy, S. (17 December 2019). "Father of the House" (PDF). House of Commons Library.
- ^ a b Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (13 June 2017). "Election of Speaker". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: United Kingdom House of Commons.
- ^ Kelly, Richard (3 July 2024). "What happens in the Commons after the general election?". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "The Right Honourable Harriet Harman KC MP". wacl.info. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Russell, Herbie (2 June 2024). "Harriet Harman: Who is she and why is she stepping down?". Southwark News. Retrieved 11 July 2024.