Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said he missed yesterday’s Budget because the prayer card he had used to reserve a seat in the Commons was removed, but the House of Commons said the card was removed in line with normal procedure because it lacked a valid date stamp. Humanists UK has said the row highlights why the Commons should scrap its outdated system of reserving seats through attendance at Anglican prayers.
Every sitting day in the Commons begins with Anglican prayers. MPs who attend can then use a prayer card to reserve their seat for the rest of the day. With only 427 seats for 650 MPs, those who don’t attend prayers are at a real disadvantage on busy days such as Budgets and Prime Minister’s Questions. MPs left standing are much less likely to be called by the Speaker, which means their constituents are less likely to be heard.
The only exceptions are narrow ones, for MPs with select committee business or accessibility needs. An MP with neither has to attend prayers to be sure of a seat.
This is the most non-religious House of Commons ever, and 55% of MPs are not Protestant. MPs across parties have described having to attend prayers they do not believe in just to secure a seat. The Scottish Parliament holds an inclusive ‘Time for Reflection’ instead, and seats are not allocated on the basis of attending it.
The All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, for which Humanists UK provides the secretariat, has called on the Modernisation Committee to end the ‘prayer privilege’. However, in 2025 the Leader of the House ruled out reviewing parliamentary prayers.
Richy Thompson, Humanists UK Director of Human Rights and Advocacy, said:
‘It is extraordinary that in 2026, whether an MP can get a seat for the Budget depends on whether they turned up to an Anglican service that morning. No MP should be put at a disadvantage because of their religion or belief. Parliament should end prayer-based seat reservations and replace them with a fair system that works for every MP, whatever they believe.’
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For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Head of Press and Campaign Communications Nathan Stilwell at press@humanists.uk or phone 0203 675 0959 (media only).
Read more about our work on religion in Parliament.
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