Oaths and Affirmations

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Tuesday 9th July 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, before the House proceeds to oath-taking, I thought it would be helpful to set out how the process will work. As is customary, after I have finished, the Lord Speaker, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Senior Deputy Speaker and the main party leaders will proceed to take the oath of allegiance. After this, any Front-Bench Members in the Chamber will have priority. They should be followed by any Members with a disability or impaired mobility.

Members should start to queue below the Bar so that they can re-enter the Floor of the House on the temporal side, where a rope will guide the queue. Any Members with impaired mobility should alert the doorkeepers, who will ensure that they are given priority throughout the day. Members must start to queue to take their oaths only after any priority Members have done so. Noble Lords may find it convenient to remain in their place until this point. When wider oath-taking commences, I ask all Members to leave the Chamber to queue in Peers’ Lobby before entering to take their oath.

There will be a short adjournment of oath-taking at around 3.35 pm for the second Royal Commission. I thank all noble Lords in advance for their patience as the House staff support a large number of us to take our oaths of allegiance as quickly as possible.

The Lord Speaker, singly in the first place, took the oath.