Starmer praises diversity as MPs sworn into parliament

Sir Keir Starmer was greeted with a standing ovation from Labour MPs on the benches as he made his first appearance in the House of Commons since becoming prime minister.

- JILL LAWLESS, ALASTAIR JAMIESON

He gave the first speech responding to the unanimous reelection of Sir Lindsay Hoyle as speaker, as he joined more than 600 other MPs being sworn into a new parliament that looked very different to the last.

The new Commons includes the largest number of women ever elected – 263, some 40 per cent of the total – and the most nonwhite MPs, at 90.

Sir Keir paid special tribute to Diane Abbott – the longest serving female MP – weeks after a row over her selection as a Labour candidate.

Ms Abbott, 70, was first elected in June 1987, becoming the first black woman elected to the House of Commons.

He said Ms Abbott has “done so much in her career over so many years to fight for a parliament that truly represents modern Britain”.

Sir Keir said the new parliament was “the most diverse by race and gender this country has ever seen”. He also reiterated his campaign pledge to “replace the politics of performance with the politics of service”.

In her own speech, Ms Abbott said: “When I was a new member in 1987, there were only 40 female members of parliament. Today we have 264, and some of us are glad that we have lived to see this.”