The Father of the House is a title that is bestowed on the male member of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom who has the longest continuous service. If two or more members have the same length
Official portrait of Rt Hon Sir Edward Leigh MP
Sir Peter Bottomley presiding over the chamber in 2019
Peter Bottomley
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Sir Peter James Bottomley is a British Conservative Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1975 until 2024, last representing Worthing West.
Father of the House (United Kingdom)
…1983. While other MPs (namely Jeremy Corbyn and Roger Gale) have also served continuously since 1983, Leigh was sworn in first. The previous Father was Sir Peter Bottomley, who was an MP continuously from 1975 until he lost his seat to Labour's Beccy Cooper in the 2024 general election. Bottomley was the first Father to…
Official portrait, 2020