By Alex Noel2024-07-18T08:00:00
In looking at Diane Abbott’s new title, Alex Noel asks, who is your ‘mother of the house’ and as Christians, what does the role entail?
There is a tradition in Parliament, that in the lower of the two Houses - the Commons; the longest continuously-serving female MP is honoured with the title, ‘Mother of the House’. It isn’t an official role per se, but it is a firm acknowledgement of the experience she has acquired over the course of her tenure. Which, as the honour confers, is deserving of respect and recognition - bringing with it a certain authority, and privilege too.
Previously, it was Harriet Harman, who has now left the Commons. And so it passes to Diane Abbott - someone entirely fitting to hold the title in what is proving to be a groundbreaking new Parliament.
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