Introduction (British House of Commons)
Encyclopedia
In the British House of Commons
, members of the House elected at a by-election
must be formally "introduced" to the House. (Members elected at a general election
are not introduced.) The ceremony in the Commons is considerably simpler than those in the House of Lords
.
By-elections are generally held on Thursdays, and the introduction in the afternoon of the Tuesday after the election. The new Member enters the Chamber along with two other members acting as "supporters" and bows to the Speaker
. The Member and supporters then process to the Speaker's table, where the new Member takes the Oath of Allegiance or Solemn Affirmation. Then, the Member signs the Test Roll, at the top of which the Oath is written. Finally, the Member returns to sit along with the rest of his party.
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, members of the House elected at a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
must be formally "introduced" to the House. (Members elected at a general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
are not introduced.) The ceremony in the Commons is considerably simpler than those in the House of Lords
Introduction (House of Lords)
Introduction is a ceremony in the House of Lords whereby new members are "introduced" to the existing membership. Introductions in the Lords are more elaborate than those in the House of Commons.-Origins:...
.
By-elections are generally held on Thursdays, and the introduction in the afternoon of the Tuesday after the election. The new Member enters the Chamber along with two other members acting as "supporters" and bows to the Speaker
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
. The Member and supporters then process to the Speaker's table, where the new Member takes the Oath of Allegiance or Solemn Affirmation. Then, the Member signs the Test Roll, at the top of which the Oath is written. Finally, the Member returns to sit along with the rest of his party.