The Mother of the House is an honorary title bestowed upon the woman who is the longest-serving female member of the House of Commons. The title holder is determined purely by their length of continuous service as an MP.

The role is informal and carries no official duties or additional salary. It is the female equivalent of the more longstanding title of father of the House.

Following the 2024 general election, the mother of the House is Diane Abbott, the Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington. She has served continuously since her first election in 1987.

The role and significance of the title

The mother of the House has no prescribed constitutional or procedural role.

The criteria for the title – longest continuous service – is the same as for the father of the House. An MP must have continuous service to qualify. If a female MP loses her seat and is later re-elected, her service is not considered continuous for the purpose of the title.

Historically, the member of the House of Commons with the longest record of continuous service has always been a man. The primary and only formal duty of the father of the House is to preside over the election of a speaker. This occurs at the beginning of a new parliament after a general election, or if a speaker resigns or dies mid-term. This would be the duty of the mother of the House in the event that the longest-serving member is a woman at the time of the speakership election.

Otherwise, the title is one of honour and respect, acknowledging the member’s long experience and service in the chamber. The role of mother of the House gives the post holder great authority and legitimacy when speaking in debates. They may be called upon to make speeches or tributes on significant parliamentary or national occasions. Their parliamentary colleagues recognise that the perspective of the mother of the House would be necessarily shaped by decades of experience in the chamber.

Since 2024, the mother of the House has sworn or affirmed their allegiance at the start of a new parliament after the speaker of the House and the father of the House – but before the prime minister and any other MPs.

History of the title

The title mother of the House is a relatively recent innovation. It was used informally to refer to Gwyneth Dunwoody, who became the longest-serving female member of the House of Commons in 2001.

The first use of the term in a ceremonial capacity was by Theresa May during the first sitting of the House following the 2017 general election. In setting out the new tradition, May announced she would “break with tradition” by congratulating Harriet Harman as mother of the House.

The then-prime minister said: “It may not surprise my right honourable and learned friend [Kenneth Clarke] that I intend to be difficult today and break with tradition by welcoming not only him as the father of the House, but the returning mother of the House.

“The right honourable and learned member for Camberwell [Harman] has been a great advocate for increasing the number of women in parliament. I am sure she will join me in celebrating the fact that there are now more women MPs than ever before.”

In November 2024, the mother of the House, Diane Abbott, joined forces with the Conservative father of the House, Edward Leigh, to issue a joint plea for their more junior colleagues to reject the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill.

Abbott and Leigh wrote in the Guardian: “There is more than a suspicion that the pressure groups behind this proposed change have sought to take advantage of an inexperienced new parliament. Either way, the flawed process has been lamentable and wholly unacceptable for a matter of such importance.”

Additional resources

• Centre on Constitutional Change – A New Parliamentary Institution? The Mother of the House & the Retirement of the Rt Hon Harriet Harman MP: https://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/news-and-opinion/new-parliamentary-institution-mother-house-retirement-rt-hon-harriet-harman-mp