Business of the House

John Hayes Excerpts

Thursday 12th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings) (Con)]

Madam Deputy Speaker, you and the Leader of the House will be aware that all those who serve on the Treasury Bench are Ministers of the Crown. For that reason, from time immemorial, the Government have been described as HM Government—His Majesty’s Government—yet we now learn that that has changed, and that this Administration have decided to drop “HM Government” and replace it with “UK Government”. I do not know whether that is to pander to foreigners who do not understand our constitution or—more likely—to the doubt-fuelled, guilt-ridden bourgeois liberals who fill too much of our establishment. I believe that our traditions matter, because they underpin our shared sense of belonging, and I think the House as a whole probably agrees. This change has been made without consultation, without reference to the House and without discussion, so will the Leader of the House ensure that at the very least there is a statement, and better still a debate, on why this change was made under the radar?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I agree with the right hon. Gentleman that in many regards, tradition does matter, but so does accuracy. For clarity, communications teams are advised to use “UK Government” rather than departmental names and logos for announcements, but that does not affect the use of the term “His Majesty’s Government”, which continues on all relevant official communications and records, as it should. The “UK Government” term has long been used in public-facing communications.