Father of the House (United Kingdom)

Father of the House
Incumbent Sir Peter Bottomley since 13 December 2019

The Father of the House is a title that is bestowed on the senior member of the House of Commons who has the longest continuous service. If two or more members have the same length of current uninterrupted service, then whoever was sworn in earliest, as listed in Hansard, is named as Father of the House.

The only formal duty of the Father of the House is to preside over the election of the Speaker of the House of Commons. However, the relevant Standing Order does not refer to this member by the title of "Father of the House", but instead to the longest-serving member of the House present who is not a Minister of the Crown. Until 1971, the Clerk of the House of Commons presided over the election of the Speaker. As the clerk is never a member, and therefore is not permitted to speak, he would silently stand and point at the Member who was to speak. However, this procedure broke down at the election of a new Speaker in 1971 and was changed upon the recommendation of a select committee.

Until 6 November 2019, the Father of the House of Commons was Kenneth Clarke, a Conservative MP until 3 September, and then an Independent MP, for Rushcliffe. Clarke began his continuous service at the 1970 general election. He declined to seek re-election and he retired before the 2019 general election. Dennis Skinner, Labour MP for Bolsover, also began continuous service at the 1970 general election, but was sworn in after Clarke. Skinner contested the 2019 election, but was defeated, and so Sir Peter Bottomley, who has been an MP continuously since 1975, became Father of the House.

History

Historically, the Father of the House was not a clearly defined term, and it is not clear by what process it was used for individual Members. The first recorded usage of the term dates to 1788, in an obituary of Thomas Noel (MP); it is also attested in an engraved portrait of Whitshed Keene by Charles Picart, from 1816. It may have been interpreted at various times as the oldest member, the member with the longest total service, the member with the longest unbroken service (the modern definition), or the member who entered the House longest ago. There is also some evidence that in the late 19th century, the position may have been elected. The modern definition was not settled upon until the late 1890s.

After the Second World War, a convention arose that the Father would normally be a member of the Select Committee on Privileges, but this lapsed following the establishment of the modern Standards and Privileges Committee in the 1990s.

Among the twentieth-century Fathers, there were several very prominent figures; four former Prime Ministers became Father of the House, and a fifth, Henry Campbell-Bannerman was simultaneously Father of the House and Prime Minister from May 1907 until soon before his death during April 1908. Almost all have been Privy Councillors.

To date, all holders of the position have been men, and there has been no formal "Mother of the House". However, the term was used in 2017, by Prime Minister Theresa May, to describe Harriet Harman in recognition of her status as the longest continuously serving woman MP.

List of Fathers of the House since 1899

This list covers all Fathers of the House since W.W. Beach, the first to become Father after the modern approach (longest period of continuous service) was agreed in 1898.

style="width: 2px; background-color: #FFD700;" data-sort-value="Liberal Party (UK)" | style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | style="width: 2px; background-color: #DCDCDC;" data-sort-value="Independent politician" |

Name	Entered Parliament	Father (Standing Order No 1)	Left House	Party		Constituency
William Wither Bramston Beach	1857	1899	1901 style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative	North Hampshire (1857–85) Andover (1885–1901)
Michael Hicks Beach	1864	1901	1906 style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative	Gloucestershire East (1864–85) Bristol West (1885–1906)
George Finch	1867	1906	1907 style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative	Rutland
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman	1868	1907	1908 style="width: 2px; background-color: #FFD700;" data-sort-value="Liberal Party (UK)" |	Liberal	Stirling Burghs
Sir John Kennaway, 3rd Baronet	1870	1908	1910 style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative	East Devon (1870–85) Honiton (1885–1910)
Thomas Burt	1874	1910	1918 style="width: 2px; background-color: orange;" data-sort-value="Liberal-Labour (UK)" |	Lib-Lab	Morpeth
T. P. O'Connor	1880	1918	1929 style="width: 2px; background-color: #99FF66;" data-sort-value="Nationalist Party (Ireland)" |	Irish Nationalist	Galway Borough (1880–85) Liverpool Scotland (1885–1929)
David Lloyd George	1890	1929	1945 style="width: 2px; background-color: #FFD700;" data-sort-value="Liberal Party (UK)" |	Liberal	Caernarvon Boroughs
The Earl Winterton	1904	1945	1951 style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative	Horsham (1904–18, 1945–51) Horsham and Worthing (1918–45)
Sir Hugh O'Neill	1915	1951	1952 style="width: 2px; background-color: #48A5EE;" data-sort-value="Ulster Unionist Party" |	Ulster Unionist	Mid Antrim (1915–22) Antrim (1922–50) North Antrim (1950–52)
David Grenfell	1922	1952	1959 style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" |	Labour	Gower
Sir Winston Churchill	1900 continuous from 1924	1959	1964 style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative	Oldham (1900–04)
				Liberal	Oldham (1904–06) Manchester North West (1906–08) Dundee (1908–22)
				Conservative	Epping (1924–45) Woodford (1945–64)
R. A. Butler	1929	1964	1965 style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative	Saffron Walden
Sir Robin Turton	1929	1965	1974 style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative	Thirsk and Malton
George Strauss	1929 continuous from 1934	1974	1979 style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" |	Labour	Lambeth North (1929–31, 1934–50) Vauxhall (1950–79)
John Parker	1935	1979	1983 style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" |	Labour	Romford (1935–45) Dagenham (1945–83)
James Callaghan	1945	1983	1987 style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" |	Labour	Cardiff South (1945–50) Cardiff South East (1950–83) Cardiff South and Penarth (1983–87)
Sir Bernard Braine	1950	1987	1992 style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative	Billericay (1950–55) South East Essex (1955–83) Castle Point (1983–92)
Sir Edward Heath	1950	1992	2001 style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative	Bexley (1950–74) Sidcup (1974–83) Old Bexley and Sidcup (1983–2001)
Sir Thomas Dalyell, 11th Baronet	1962	2001	2005 style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" |	Labour	West Lothian (1962–83) Linlithgow (1983–2005)
Alan Williams	1964	2005	2010 style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" |	Labour	Swansea West
Sir Peter Tapsell	1959 continuous from 1966	2010	2015 style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative	Nottingham West (1959–64) Horncastle (1966–83) East Lindsey (1983–97) Louth and Horncastle (1997–2015)
Sir Gerald Kaufman	1970	2015	2017 style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" |	Labour	Manchester Ardwick (1970–83) Manchester Gorton (1983–2017)
Kenneth Clarke	1970	2017	2019 style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative (1970–2019)	Rushcliffe
				Independent (2019)
Sir Peter Bottomley	1975	2019	Incumbent style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative	Woolwich West (1975–83) Eltham (1983–97) Worthing West (1997–present)

Earlier "Fathers"

This list covers all those who would have been considered Father of the House, by the modern definition, since an arbitrary date of 1701. Many of these will not have been considered "Father of the House" by contemporaries, and some men who were described as such are not listed here.

style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | style="width: 2px; background-color: #FFD700;" data-sort-value="Liberal Party (UK)" | style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Irish Conservative Party" | style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | style="width: 2px; background-color: #FFD700;" data-sort-value="Liberal Party (UK)" | style="width: 2px; background-color: #2061A2;" data-sort-value="Liberal Unionist Party" |

Name	Entered Parliament	Father (Standing Order No 1)	Left House	Party		Constituency
Sir John Fagg	1645 continuous from 1653	1701	1701			Steyning
Thomas Turgis	1659	1701	1704			Gatton
Sir Christopher Musgrave, 4th Baronet	1661	1704	1704			Westmorland
Thomas Strangways	1673	1704	1713			Dorset
Sir Richard Onslow	1679	1713	1715 style="width: 2px; background-color: #FF7F00;" data-sort-value="Whigs (British political party)" |	Whig	Guildford (1713–14) Surrey (1714–15)
Thomas Erle	1679	1715	1718 style="width: 2px; background-color: #FF7F00;" data-sort-value="Whigs (British political party)" |	Whig	Wareham
Edward Vaughan	1679	1718	1718 style="width: 2px; background-color: #FF7F00;" data-sort-value="Whigs (British political party)" |	Whig	Cardiganshire
Richard Vaughan	1685 continuous from 1689	1718	1724 style="width: 2px; background-color: #FF7F00;" data-sort-value="Whigs (British political party)" |	Whig	Carmarthen
Lord William Powlett	1689	1724	1729 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	Winchester (1689–1710, 1715–29) Lymington (1710–15)
Sir Justinian Isham, 4th Baronet	1685 continuous from 1694	1729	1730 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	Northampton (1685–90, 1694–98) Northamptonshire (1698–30)
Sir Charles Turner, 1st Baronet, of Warham	1695	1730	1738 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	King's Lynn
Sir Roger Bradshaigh	1695	1738	1747 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	Wigan
Sir Edward Ashe	1695	1747	1747 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	Heytesbury
Sir Thomas Cartwright	1695 continuous from 1701	1747	1748 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	Northamptonshire
Sir Richard Shuttleworth	1705	1748	1749 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	Lancashire
Phillips Gybbon	1707	1749	1762 style="width: 2px; background-color: #FF7F00;" data-sort-value="Whigs (British political party)" |	Whig	Rye
Sir John Rushout, 4th Baronet	1713	1762	1768 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	Malmesbury (1713–22) Evesham (1722–68)
William Aislabie	1721	1768	1781 style="width: 2px; background-color: #FF7F00;" data-sort-value="Whigs (British political party)" |	Whig	Ripon
Charles FitzRoy-Scudamore	1733	1781	1782 style="width: 2px; background-color: #FF7F00;" data-sort-value="Whigs (British political party)" |	Whig	Thetford (1733–54, 1774–82) Hereford (1754–68) Heytesbury (1768–74)
The Earl Nugent	1741	1782	1784 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	St Mawes (1741–54, 1774–84) Bristol (1754–74)
Sir Charles Frederick	1741	1784	style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	New Shoreham (1741–54) Queenborough (1754–84)
The Lord Mendip	1741	1784	1790 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	Cricklade (1741–47) Weymouth and Melcombe Regis (1747–61, 1774–90) Aylesbury (1761–68) Petersfield (1768–74, 1791–95)
William Drake	1746	1790	1796			Amersham
Sir Philip Stephens, 1st Baronet	1759	1796	1806 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	Liskeard (1759–68) Sandwich (1768–1801)
Clement Tudway	1761	1806	1815 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	Wells
Sir John Aubrey, 6th Baronet	1768	1815	1826 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	Wallingford (1768–74, 1780–84) Aylesbury (1774–1780) Buckinghamshire (1780–90) Clitheroe (1790–96) Aldeburgh (1796–1801) Steyning (1812–20) Horsham (1820–26)
Sir Samuel Smith	1788	1826	1832 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory	St Germans (1788–90) Leicester (1790–1818) Midhurst (1818–20) Wendover (1820–32)
George Byng	1790	1832	1847 style="width: 2px; background-color: #FF7F00;" data-sort-value="Whigs (British political party)" |	Whig	Middlesex
Charles Williams-Wynn	1797	1847	1850 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory (1797–1834)	Old Sarum (1797–99) Montgomeryshire (1797–1850)
				Conservative (1834–50)
George Harcourt	1806	1850	1861 style="width: 2px; background-color: #FF7F00;" data-sort-value="Whigs (British political party)" |	Whig (1806–59)	Lichfield (1806–31) Oxfordshire (1831–62)
				Liberal (1859–61)
Sir Charles Burrell, 3rd Baronet	1806	1861	1862 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory (1806–34)	New Shoreham
				Conservative (1834–62)
Henry Cecil Lowther	1812	1862	1867 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory (1812–34)	Westmorland
				Conservative (1834–67)
Thomas Peers Williams	1820	1867	1868 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory (1820–34)	Marlow
				Conservative (1834–68)
Henry Lowry-Corry	1825	1868	1873 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory (1825–34)	Tyrone
				Irish Conservative (1834–73)
George Weld-Forester	1828	1873	1874 style="width: 2px; background-color: #3333CC;" data-sort-value="Tories (British political party)" |	Tory (1828–34)	Wenlock
				Conservative (1834–74)
Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot	1830	1874	1890 style="width: 2px; background-color: #FF7F00;" data-sort-value="Whigs (British political party)" |	Whig (1830–59)	Glamorganshire (1830–85) Mid Glamorganshire (1885–90)
				Liberal (1859–90)
Charles Pelham Villiers	1835	1890	1898 style="width: 2px; background-color: #FFD700;" data-sort-value="Liberal Party (UK)" |	Liberal (1835–86)	Wolverhampton (1835–85) Wolverhampton South (1885–98)
				Liberal Unionist (1886–98)
Sir John Mowbray, 1st Baronet	1853	1898	1899 style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" |	Conservative	Durham City (1853–85) Oxford University (1885–99)

Longest-serving member of the House of Lords

The title 'Father of the House' is not used in the House of Lords. The longest-serving member is recorded on the House website, though no duties or special distinctions are associated with the position. As of 2019, the longest-serving member is The Lord Denham (Conservative), who first took his seat on 13 December 1949 (having succeeded his father in the peerage the previous year). The House of Lords Act 1999 repealed the automatic right of hereditary peers to be members of the House of Lords; Denham was one of those elected to continue as a member under section 2 of the Act.

As of 2019, the longest-serving life peer is The Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench), who is also the longest-serving female member of the House, as well as the senior life peer by date of creation. She first took her seat on 25 February 1970.

External links

• House of Commons briefing paper