The father of the House is a title that is bestowed on the male member of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom 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.
Since the 2024 general election, Sir Edward Leigh has been Father of the House, having been an MP continuously for Gainsborough (previously Gainsborough and Horncastle) since 1983. While other MPs (namely Jeremy Corbyn and Roger Gale) have also served continuously since 1983, Leigh was sworn in first.
The previous father was Sir Peter Bottomley, who was an MP continuously from 1975 until he lost his seat to Labour's Beccy Cooper in the 2024 general election. Bottomley was the first Father to be unseated rather than retire or die in office.
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; 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.
There has been criticism of the term Father of the House being used instead of Elder of the House as a relic of the "legacy of women’s historic under-representation in the House" and the way in which gendered language affected representation.
To date, all holders of the position have been men. In 2015 Harriet Harman described herself as the 'Mother of the House' as she was the longest continuously serving woman MP. David Cameron referred to her as the Mother the week after, and Theresa May referred to Harriet Harman as the Mother of the House in 2017. Harman had in fact been the longest serving female MP since at least 2010. Following the 2024 general election and Harman's retirement, Diane Abbott became Mother of the House. During speeches at the re-opening of Parliament after the 2024 general election, Diane Abbott was described as the "Mother of the House" by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and then Leader of the Opposition Rishi Sunak.
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. Those who died as Father are indicated by a †. Those who were unseated are indicated by a U.
NameEntered ParliamentFather (Standing Order No 1)Left HousePartyConstituencyWilliam Wither Bramston Beach185718991901†Michael Hicks Beach186419011906George Finch186719061907†RutlandSir Henry Campbell-Bannerman186819071908†Stirling BurghsSir John Kennaway187019081910Thomas Burt187419101918MorpethT. P. O'Connor188019181929†David Lloyd George189019291945Caernarvon BoroughsThe Earl Winterton190419451951Sir Hugh O'Neill191519511952David Grenfell192219521959GowerSir Winston Churchill1900continuous from 192419591964Oldham R. A. Butler192919641965Saffron WaldenSir Robin Turton192919651974Thirsk and MaltonGeorge Strauss1929continuous from 193419741979John Parker193519791983James Callaghan194519831987Sir Bernard Braine195019871992Sir Edward Heath195019922001Sir Tam Dalyell196220012005Alan Williams196420052010Swansea WestSir Peter Tapsell1959continuous from 196620102015Sir Gerald Kaufman197020152017†Kenneth Clarke197020172019 Rushcliffe Sir Peter Bottomley197520192024USir Edward Leigh19832024present
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. These men served in the Parliament of England until the 1707 Acts of Union and from thereafter until the end of 1800 in the Parliament of Great Britain.
NameEntered ParliamentFather (Standing Order No 1)Left HousePartyConstituencySir John Fagg1645continuous from 165317011701†SteyningThomas Turgis165917011704†GattonSir Christopher Musgrave, 4th Baronet166117041704†WestmorlandThomas Strangways167317041713DorsetSir Richard Onslow167917131715Thomas Erle167917151718WarehamEdward Vaughan167917181718†CardiganshireRichard Vaughan1685continuous from 168917181724†CarmarthenLord William Powlett168917241729†Sir Justinian Isham, 4th Baronet1685 continuous from 169417291730†Sir Charles Turner, 1st Baronet169517301738†King's LynnSir Roger Bradshaigh169517381747†WiganSir Edward Ashe169517471747HeytesburySir Thomas Cartwright1695continuous from 170117471748†NorthamptonshireSir Richard Shuttleworth170517481749†LancashirePhillips Gybbon170717491762†RyeSir John Rushout, 4th Baronet171317621768William Aislabie172117681781†RiponCharles FitzRoy-Scudamore173317811782†The Earl Nugent174117821784Sir Charles Frederick174117841784The Lord Mendip174117841790William Drake174617901796†AmershamSir Philip Stephens, 1st Baronet175917961806Clement Tudway176118061815†WellsSir John Aubrey, 6th Baronet176818151826†Sir Samuel Smith178818261832George Byng179018321847†MiddlesexCharles Williams-Wynn179718471850† George Harcourt180618501861† Sir Charles Burrell, 3rd Baronet180618611862† New Shoreham Henry Cecil Lowther181218621867† Westmorland Thomas Peers Williams182018671868 Marlow Henry Lowry-Corry182518681873† TyroneGeorge Weld-Forester182818731874 Wenlock Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot183018741890† Charles Pelham Villiers183518901898† Sir John Mowbray, 1st Baronet185318981899†
Longest-serving member of the House of Lords The title "Father of the House" is not used in the House of Lords: its longest-serving member is recorded on the House website, though no duties or special distinctions are associated with the position.Parliament.UK – House of Lords FAQS – Membership and principal office holders at parliament.uk
, the longest-serving member and longest-serving female member of the House is the Baroness Cox (Crossbencher), who first took her seat on 2 March 1983.
The below table lists the longest continuously serving members of the House of Lords since the Acts of Union 1707, in the order they achieved that status. Prior to 1707, all members of the Lords were members of the parliament of England.
Until 1898, the longest continuously serving member of the Lords, as with his counterpart in the Commons, was not necessarily considered the senior-most member of that chamber.