The first MP to take the revised oath, which refers to the King rather than the Queen, was the Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, followed by the two longest-serving MPs, Peter Bottomley and Harriet Harman, then Truss and a dozen other senior MPs. , mainly ministers, shadow ministers and party leaders. Other MPs will have the chance to do so when the Commons resumes after the Queen’s funeral. The swearing-in followed a meeting of the privy council on Saturday morning, also attended by Truss and many senior MPs, at which the new King Charles III was proclaimed monarch in a formal ceremony. It is not necessary for MPs to renew the oath, as the oath they take on entering parliament pledges that they will “be loyal and bear true faith to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according to law” . While peers use the same wording, the rules for the Upper House state that the oath or non-religious affirmation must “be taken by all members before they can sit and vote in the house … after the death of the crown”. As with the Commons, a number of senior peers took the oath again on Saturday before tributes to the Queen resumed, while others had to do so before taking part in important parliamentary business once the Lords resumed after the Queen’s funeral. The wording of the oath was outlined in the Promissory Oaths Act 1868, with a more recent law, the Oaths Act 1978, setting out formalities such as arrangements for people of faith outside Christianity, and the option of affirmation for those who are not religious. However, it is mandatory for MPs to swear allegiance to the monarch in order to sit in the Commons. This is why Sinn Féin MPs are absent, as they do not recognize the UK monarch as head of state. Tributes in the Commons included remembrances of the Queen from a number of MPs, including former transport secretary Grant Shapps, who told of his confusion over protocol at the ceremony where he became a member of the privy council. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. In her speech, Health Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Thérèse Coffey said the Queen had “brought this nation together”. Coffey recounted her mother’s memories of the coronation in 1952: “The first time she saw television was when the coronation took place. Someone near her town of Wrexham bought a television and people flocked from the surrounding streets to see the princess – the queen by then – being crowned.’
