MPs acting against Commons’ prayer seating privilege

The All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group (APPHG)’s campaign to modernise the ‘prayer card’ system for reserving limited seating in the House of Commons is gaining traction. Labour MPs – who since July 2024 make up a significant majority in the House of Commons – have begun informally taking approaches to minimise the discriminatory impact of an archaic system that gives privileged access to seats to those MPs who attend Anglican prayers at the start of each day. 

The current prayer card system allows MPs who attend Anglican prayers (which are held in the chamber every day) to reserve their seat for the rest of the day. As there are only 427 seats for 650 MPs this means on busy days such as Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) those MPs who don’t attend prayers and their constituents are at a disadvantage as those MPs who are left standing are much less likely to be picked by the speaker to contribute. No parliamentarian should be put at a democratic disadvantage due to their religion or belief.

On 17 January, Politico reported that some Labour MPs were now refusing to use the discriminatory system, saying that ‘Labour MPs have informally retired the use of “prayer cards,” used in the Commons to reserve seats for the full day, starting with the prayer session that kicks off each morning onwards. One new MP tells her “it feels so outdated” and “we can just work it out between ourselves.”’

One Labour MP told Humanists UK that, with the exception of reservations for accessibility and committee business, many colleagues were deliberately no longer using the prayer card system, as although MPs said they had been told firmly by parliamentary authorities to use them at the start of the term, they got significant push back leading to a first-come first-serve system. However, any changes are far from universal – some Labour MPs are still using prayer cards. Either way, it doesn’t address the whole problem. It doesn’t change the fact that MPs who attend prayers are able to stay in their seats for subsequent debates – particularly PMQs. This is a clear example of indirect discrimination on the basis of religion, and as such it would be unlawful in any other workplace.

On the Opposition benches, the issue is sometimes even more heated because competition for seats exists between the smaller parties. As with Labour, roughly half of Lib Dem MPs are non-religious. One Lib Dem MP told us that they must attend prayers if they want to get a seat due to that competition. But many Lib Dems are now refusing to stand for prayers (as is tradition) and are just sitting down for them – something some Labour MPs are doing too. 

Prayer card chaos and dysfunction further underlines the case for modernisation. This is particularly true given that 55% of MPs are not Protestants, including two-thirds of Labour MPs, most Lib Dems, eight of nine SNP MPs, every Green MP, and a quarter of Conservatives.

Earlier this year the APPHG submitted evidence to the Modernisation Committee of the House of Commons to ask for the removal of the ‘prayer privilege’. The Committee was set up to look at reforms to the House of Commons in order to modernise it and improve its efficiency. A number of current and former MPs submitted similar requests. Humanists UK provides the secretariat to the APPHG.

Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson commented:

‘It is clear that the system of prayer cards is not only discriminatory, outdated and unfair but is also not working properly. Parliament should be a place where all MPs, regardless of belief, are treated equally. We urge the Modernisation Committee to listen to the concerns raised and abandon this archaic practice’.