Prayers mark the daily opening of Parliament. The occassion is used by MPs to reserve seats in the Commons Chamber with 'prayer cards'. Prayers are not televised on the official feed.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
[Mr Speaker in the Chair]
business before questions
Death of a Member
Mr Speaker
I regret to have to report to the House the death of David Cairns, the Member for Inverclyde. David was a most assiduous Member serving as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister of State in the last Parliament, and was much respected by the House. David trained and served as a priest before beginning his political career. I am sure that Members in all parts of the House will join me in mourning the loss of a colleague, and extending our sympathy to the hon. Member’s partner Dermot, his father John, his brother Billy and his many friends and family.