No prayer ban in Commons, Speaker says

London: Speaker John Bercow was forced to act on Saturday to head off a threat to the Commons' daily prayer session.

He insisted parliamentary privilege means MPs' prayers will not be affected by a controversial court ruling to outlaw them in a town hall.

But the system of daily prayers faces a growing threat from some MPs — including atheists — who take part in a ‘sit-down protest' at each session they attend.

While most MPs stand to pray, the rebels remain seated and refuse to join in when prayers are conducted by Commons chaplain, the Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin. The prayer sessions are held in private, with the proceedings never publicly revealed.

But on Saturday, Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson, an aide to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg who is himself an atheist, admitted she always stayed seated. "I don't believe.... It's as simple as that."

Swinson insisted her objection to the system was because MPs had to attend prayers if they wanted to reserve a seat for the following Commons proceedings. But she also suggested the rituals should also be changed to allow other faiths to be represented.

Own processes

Another atheist MP, Tory Treasury Minister Chloe Smith, broke with convention by refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen on the Bible when she entered the Commons in 2009. Instead, she made a non-religious ‘solemn affirmation' — though there is no suggestion she wants to end Commons prayers.

But Tory MP Jo Johnson echoed Swinson's call for changes. Johnson is on record as saying the prayer sessions in the Commons Chamber itself should be scrapped and moved elsewhere. However, Johnson also said his main objection was MPs had to attend prayers to reserve a seat. But Bercow on Saturday insisted the ruling by a High Court judge banning prayers recited before meetings of Bideford Town Council in Devon would not affect the Commons. A spokesman for the Speaker said: "Under the Bill of Rights 1689, the Commons has the right to decide on its own processes and procedures."

David Cameron also entered the row by insisting the prayer sessions had to stay.

— Daily Mail