Editing Father of the House (section)

==United Kingdom==
{{Main|Father of the House (United Kingdom)}}
[[File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Sir Edward Leigh MP crop 2.jpg|thumb|Sir [[Edward Leigh]], the incumbent Father of the UK House of Commons]]

The Father of the House is a title that is bestowed on the [[Seniority|senior]] male member of the House of Commons who has the longest continuous service.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last1=Kelly |first1=Richard |last2=Priddy |first2=Sarah |date=17 December 2019 |title=Father of the House |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06399/SN06399.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831061627/https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06399/SN06399.pdf |archive-date=31 August 2021 |access-date=7 July 2024 |website=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]] |series=Briefing Paper Number 06399 |publisher=[[House of Commons Library]]}}</ref><ref name="hciom3">{{cite web |last=House of Commons Information Office |author-link=House of Commons Information Office |date=November 2006 |orig-date=2005 |title=The Father of the House |url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/m03.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325142809/http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/m03.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2009 |access-date=5 October 2009 |work=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]] |series=Factsheet M3 Members Series}}</ref> If two or more members have the same length of current uninterrupted service, then whoever was sworn in earlier, as listed in ''[[Hansard]]'', is named as Father of the House.<ref name="Moss">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/02/labour-mp-dennis-skinner-at-83-interview | title=Labour's Dennis Skinner at 83: 'Father of the House? You must be joking' | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=2 May 2015 | access-date=2 May 2015 | author=Moss, Stephen}}</ref> Traditionally, however, the qualifications used for the Father of the House are not entirely clear and may have included the oldest member, the member with the longest aggregate service, or the member who entered the House longest ago.<ref name="hciom3" /> The first recorded usage of the term dates to 1788, in an obituary of [[Thomas Noel (MP)|Thomas Noel]].<ref name=":0" /> In 2017, [[Harriet Harman]] was described as "[[Mother of the House (United Kingdom)|Mother of the House]]" by Prime Minister [[Theresa May]], in recognition of her status as the longest-continuously serving woman MP.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2017-06-13/debates/EC97CC8B-CEAB-4D1D-8AEE-12D83E9E0253/ElectionOfSpeaker|title=Election of Speaker|date=13 June 2017|publisher=Commons | location=UK | work=Hansard}}</ref> During speeches at the re-opening of Parliament after the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 General Election]], [[Diane Abbott]] was also described as the "Mother of the House" by Prime Minister [[Keir Starmer]], and then [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]] [[Rishi Sunak]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2024/07/09/diane-abbott-speaks-for-first-time-as-mother-of-the-house/|title=Diane Abbott speaks for first time as Mother of the House|date=9 July 2024|publisher=Shropshire Star | location=UK}}</ref>

The only formal duty of the Father of the House is to preside over the election of the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]]. The Father of the House may also participate in ceremonial events, and is the second member to be sworn in after the Speaker.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 2024 |title=Swearing In and the Parliamentary Oath |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/elections-and-voting/swearingin/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100512051909/https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/elections-and-voting/swearingin/ |archive-date=12 May 2010 |access-date=7 July 2024 |website=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]]}}</ref>

Among the twentieth-century Fathers, there were several very prominent figures; four former Prime Ministers became Father of the House,<ref>{{Cite web |last=House of Commons Information Office |author-link=House of Commons Information Office |date=June 2010 |title=The Father of the House |url=https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/commons-information-office/m03.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108085421/https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/commons-information-office/m03.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2020 |access-date=7 July 2024 |website=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]] |series=Factsheet M3 Members Series FS No.M3 Ed 3.6 |page=4 |issn=0144-4689}}</ref> and a fifth, [[Henry Campbell-Bannerman]], was simultaneously Father of the House and Prime Minister from 22 May 1907 until shortly before his death on 22 April 1908.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Past Prime Ministers: Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/history/past-prime-ministers/henry-campbell-bannerman |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005102203/https://www.gov.uk/government/history/past-prime-ministers/henry-campbell-bannerman |archive-date=5 October 2013 |access-date=7 July 2024 |website=[[gov.uk]]}}</ref>

=== Devolved legislatures ===
In the [[Senedd]] of Wales, Father of the House is an official title bestowed on the longest-serving [[Member of the Senedd]]. The first to hold the title was [[Rod Richards]], who was the first member to be sworn in following the [[1999 National Assembly for Wales election|first election]] to the legislature in 1999, while the current father is [[John Griffiths (Welsh politician)|John Griffiths]], who was also elected in 1999.<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 June 2000 |title=Richards may face ethics panel |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/813138.stm |access-date=4 August 2024 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=23 June 2000 |title=A colourful and controversial character |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/800500.stm |access-date=4 August 2024 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Portillo |first=Sam |date=3 March 2024 |title=John Griffiths interview: Poverty in Pill and the Senedd |url=https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/24148701.john-griffiths-interview-poverty-pill-senedd/ |access-date=4 August 2024 |work=South Wales Argus}}</ref> In the [[Scottish Parliament]], both Father of the House and Mother of the House are used for the longest serving [[Member of the Scottish Parliament|Members of the Scottish Parliament]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 February 2014 |title=John Farquhar Munro - obituary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10631478/John-Farquhar-Munro-obituary.html |access-date=4 August 2024 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Davidson |first=Gina |date=10 May 2021 |title=Scottish Election 2021: Who will be the next Presiding Officer? |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-election-2021-who-will-be-the-next-presiding-officer-3229993 |access-date=4 August 2024 |work=The Scotsman}}</ref> The current mother is [[Christine Grahame]] while the current father is [[John Swinney]], who were both first elected at the [[1999 Scottish Parliament election]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dalgety |first=Susan |date=2021-05-08 |title=Will a more female Holyrood make a difference to women's lives? |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/will-a-more-female-holyrood-make-a-difference-to-women-s-lives/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=The Spectator |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AsMwAQAAMAAJ |title=Facts on File World News Digest Yearbook |date=2000 |publisher=Facts on File News Services |page=809 |language=en}}</ref> The [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] also grants the title of Father of the House to its longest serving male member.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McCormack |first=Jayne |date=26 March 2022 |title=NI election 2022: Which MLAs are standing down from Stormont? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60860518 |access-date=4 August 2024 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=8 March 2016 |title=Arlene Foster exerts her authority over Jim Wells selection in South Down |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/arlene-foster-exerts-her-authority-over-jim-wells-selection-in-south-down/34519768.html |access-date=4 August 2024 |work=Belfast Telegraph}}</ref> The current father is [[Alan Chambers (Northern Ireland politician)|Alan Chambers]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Manley |first=John |date=17 January 2024 |title=Stormont sketch: There's a growing sense we won't be back on the hill any time soon |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/stormont-sketch-theres-a-growing-sense-we-wont-be-back-on-the-hill-any-time-soon-OSPURMKVFFH6VPVIEV7GONLS3U/ |access-date=4 August 2024 |work=Irish News}}</ref>