LONDON: British lawmakers squeezed into parliament Tuesday with Labour ministers sitting on the government’s side of the chamber for the first time in 14 years following last week’s landslide election win.
Labour’s 400-plus MPs jostled for space on the ruling side of the House of Commons, with many having to stand, as parliament returned after being dissolved before Thursday’s vote.
New Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed the house for the first time as Britain’s leader, vowing to “put an end to a politics that has too often seemed self-serving and self-obsessed.”
“We all have a duty to show that politics can be a force for good,” he added.
He also noted the new parliament was “the most diverse parliament by race and gender this country has ever seen.”
According to the House of Commons Library, a record 263 or 40 percent of the 650 MPs are women, up from 220 in 2019, while 90 are from minority ethnic backgrounds, an increase from 66 five years ago.
Rishi Sunak — Conservative prime minister until last week — made his first speech as leader of the opposition, and started by congratulating Starmer on his victory.
He described being an MP as the “greatest honor, privilege and responsibility,” in a congenial session that contrasted sharply with the usual arguing and shouting seen in the chamber.
The session started by re-electing Lindsay Hoyle as speaker of the house.
After the addresses by Starmer, Sunak, and other party leaders, parliament was to begin the lengthy process of swearing in all 650 MPs. Some 335 of them are new to parliament.
Labour won 411 seats, securing a majority of more than 170 as it returned to power for the first time since Gordon Brown was prime minister in 2010.
The Tories suffered their worst-ever electoral defeat, succumbing to just 121 MPs.
Sunak is due to stay in charge of the party until the Conservatives work out the timetable for his successor to be chosen.
The new parliamentary session will officially begin after Starmer’s government puts forward its priorities for the term in the King’s speech on Wednesday 17 July.
Labour ministers in government seats as UK parliament returns
https://arab.news/vntfw
Labour ministers in government seats as UK parliament returns
- New Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed the house for the first time as Britain’s leader
- He noted new parliament was “the most diverse parliament by race and gender this country has ever seen”
North Macedonia police arrest man accused of planning mass murder
- Police said the suspect was inspired by the notorious Sandy Hook school massacre in December 2012
- Police tracked the message to the village of Mala Recica, west of the capital Skopje
SKOPJE: A 20-year-old man was arrested in North Macedonia suspected of planning a mass murder, authorities said on Friday, after being tipped off by US intelligence.
Police said the suspect was inspired by the notorious Sandy Hook school massacre in December 2012, when a 20-year-old man killed 26 people including 20 children at a school in Connecticut.
FBI investigators spotted threats on the social app Discord in late January and informed the US embassy in Skopje which contacted the local authorities, police said in a statement.
“The suspect sent a serious threat that he was ready to carry out an attack with a firearm — an AK-47 automatic rifle... while saying that he had impaired mental health,” it said.
Police tracked the message to the village of Mala Recica, west of the capital Skopje, and arrested two people.
The police said the suspect was charged with terrorism, while another, aged 89, was charged with weapons and explosives offenses. Media reported that the second suspect was the young man’s grandfather.
During searches officers seized various firearms, state prosecutors said in a statement.
The police said the weapons included an AK-47, two handguns and hundreds of pieces of ammunition plus body armor, knives and electronics.
The prosecutors’ office said the suspect was remanded in custody for a month.
