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Mother of the House (United Kingdom)

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Mother of the House
Incumbent
Diane Abbott
since 5 July 2024
House of Commons of the United Kingdom
Member ofHouse of Commons
SeatWestminster
First holderHarriet Harman

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]

Since 4 July 2024 the Mother of the House is Diane Abbott.

History

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Although 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

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Similar 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]

List

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So far, no woman has been the longest-serving member of the House of Commons. The following is a chronological sequence of longest-serving female MPs via the seniority criteria used to determine the Mother of the House.[11]

Whilst the term "Mother of the House" was first used in 1920 in reference to Nancy Astor, it did not have an official role or widespread use until 2017 when it was popularized in reference to Harriet Harman.[4]

List of longest-serving female MPs
Name Portrait Entered Parliament Became longest-serving female MP Left the House Party Constituency Notes
Nancy Astor 1919 1919 1945 Conservative Plymouth Sutton CH. Succeeded her husband Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor as MP, after he became a member of the House of Lords by inheriting the title of Viscount Astor upon the death of his father.

Constance Markievicz was the first woman elected to the House of Commons in 1918, representing Dublin St Patrick's in Ireland. As a member of Sinn Féin, she followed a policy of abstentionism and chose not to take her seat.

Eleanor Rathbone 1929 1945 1946 Independent Combined English Universities Daughter of William Rathbone VI. Aunt of fellow MP John Rathbone, whose wife Beatrice Wright succeeded him.

Hansard does not record which of Rathbone and Lloyd George was sworn in first in 1929.

Megan Lloyd George 1929 1945 1951 Liberal Anglesey CH. Youngest child of David Lloyd George (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1916–1922).

Hansard does not record which of Rathbone and Lloyd George was sworn in first in 1929.

Frances Davidson 1937 1951 1959 Conservative Hemel Hempstead DBE. Succeeded her husband J. C. C. Davidson, 1st Viscount Davidson as MP, after he became a member of the House of Lords by being raised to the peerage as Viscount Davidson. Daughter of Willoughby Dickinson, 1st Baron Dickinson. She was created a life peer as Baroness Northchurch, of Chiswick in the County of Middlesex, in 1963.
Edith Summerskill 1938 1959 1961 Labour Fulham West & Warrington Resigned as an MP and was made a life peer as Baroness Summerskill, of Kenwood in the County of London. She was made a CH in 1966. Mother of Shirley Summerskill.
Jennie Lee 1929 & 1945 1961 1931 & 1970 Labour North Lanarkshire & Cannock Married to fellow MP Anuerin Bevan. She was made a life peer as Baroness Lee of Asheridge, of the City of Westminster, in 1970.[12]

Alice Bacon, Bessie Braddock, and Margaret Herbison all entered and left Parliament alongside Lee. Lee was the first new female MP sworn that day.

Barbara Castle 1945 1970 1979 Labour Blackburn Wife of Edward Castle, Baron Castle. She was made a life peer as Baroness Castle of Blackburn in 1990.

Castle was sworn several minutes after Lee. Freda Corbet, who left Parliament in 1974, was sworn later that day.

Judith Hart 1959 1979 1987 Labour Lanark, then Clydesdale DBE. She was made a life peer as Baroness Hart of South Lanark in 1988.
Margaret Thatcher 1959 1987 1992 Conservative Finchley Sworn after Hart on the same day. Became Prime Minister in 1979 general election. OM. She was made a life peer as Baroness Thatcher, of Kesteven in the County of Lincolnshire, in 1992, and was made a KG in 1995.
Jill Knight 1966 1992 1997 Conservative Birmingham Edgbaston DBE. She was made a life peer as Baroness Knight of Collingtree, of Collingtree in the County of Northamptonshire, in 1997.
Gwyneth Dunwoody 1966 & 1974 1997 1970 & 2008 Labour Exeter, Crewe, Crewe and Nantwich Daughter of Morgan Phillips & Norah Phillips, Baroness Phillips. Mother of Tamsin Dunwoody.
Mothers of the House
Harriet Harman 1982 2008 2024 Labour
Harman was the longest continuously-serving female MP since the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody in 2008. With the normalisation and mainstreaming of the term "Mother of the House" in 2017, 2017 is the date used in reports and biographies for Harman becoming Mother of the House.[5][13][14]
Diane Abbott 1987 2024 Incumbent Labour Hackney North and Stoke Newington

Scottish Parliament

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See also: List of female Members of the Scottish Parliament

The term was used to describe Dr. Winnie Ewing at the first meeting of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.[15][16] However, in accordance with the standing orders of the Scottish Parliament she was referred to as the "Oldest Qualified Member" in the Scottish Parliament Official Report.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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)
  3. ^ 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)
  4. ^ a b c d e "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.
  5. ^ a b Nagesh, Ashitha (13 June 2017). "Harriet Harman has become first ever 'Mother of the House'". Metro. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b Pickover, Ella (5 July 2024). "Abbott hailed as 'trailblazer' as she becomes Mother of the House". The Independent. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  8. ^ Kelly, R., Priddy, S. (17 December 2019). "Father of the House" (PDF). House of Commons Library.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Kelly, Richard (3 July 2024). "What happens in the Commons after the general election?". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Father of the House: House of Commons Background Paper". House of Commons Library. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  12. ^ "No. 45229". The London Gazette. 10 November 1970. p. 12333.
  13. ^ "The Right Honourable Harriet Harman KC MP". wacl.info. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  14. ^ Russell, Herbie (2 June 2024). "Harriet Harman: Who is she and why is she stepping down?". Southwark News. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  15. ^ Cowan, Edward J.; Finlay, Richard J., eds. (2002). "Scottish History: The Power of the Past". Edinburgh University Press: 253. JSTOR 10.3366/j.ctt1r23k0. Winnie Ewing, as mother of the house and temporary presiding officer, uttered these words on Wednesday, 13 May 1999 to open the Scottish parliament {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. ^ "Daily Hansard - Debate". Hansard. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
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