A triumphant Keir Starmer paraded his troops in the Commons today as the 'Red' Parliament returned.
The dramatic change in fortunes has been laid bare in the chamber, with 411 Labour MPs squeezing on to the government benches while the paltry 121 Tories sit alongside the 72 Lib Dems.
Sir Keir was clapped and cheered by his party as he came into the Commons. He paused to have a brief exchange with defeated rival Rishi Sunak, although they did not seem to shake hands.
The first job for the new cohort of 643 MPs - minus seven Sinn Fein who do not take their seats - was to elect a Speaker.
Incumbent Sir Lindsay Hoyle was returned unopposed, and was dragged to the chair as is traditional by Conservative David Davis and Labour's Cat Smith.
In his maiden speech as premier at the despatch box, Sir Keir said he wanted to 'turn the page' and embark on 'national renewal'. He also praised new mother of the House Diane Abbott, even though he initially tried to block her from being a candidate.
Mr Sunak responded by congratulating his opponent, saying there was 'respect' despite the bad-tempered clashes during the campaign.
He also again apologised to Tories who lost their constituencies, promising that the party would 'rebuild' and be a 'professional' opposition.
Nigel Farage has also announced his arrival at Westminster with his four Reform colleagues, describing themselves as 'foxes in the hen house'.
Speaking from the back row, having apparently been separated from Lee Anderson and Richard Tice who were both standing up, Mr Farage backed Sir Lindsay but hit out at his predecessor John Bercow for trying to block Brexit.
MPs will now be formally sworn in over the coming days ahead of Parliament's State Opening on Wednesday July 17.
Pictures show how many Labour MPs (highlighted in red) were seen spilling out around the speaker's chair, along with members from other parties (highlighted in green) who couldn't find seats in the packed chamber
A triumphant Keir Starmer paraded his troops in the Commons today as the 'Red' Parliament returned
The dramatic change in fortunes has been be laid bare in the chamber, with 411 Labour MPs squeezing on to the government benches while the paltry 121 Tories sit alongside the 72 Lib Dems
Keir Starmer was clapped and cheered by his party as he came into the Commons
Sir Keir paused to have a brief exchange with defeated rival Rishi Sunak, although they did not seem to shake hands
Edward Leigh and Diane Abbott, as father and mother of the House respectively, play a key role in the return of Parliament, overseeing the selection of the Speaker
The first job for the new cohort of 643 MPs - minus seven Sinn Fein who do not take their seats - is to elect a Speaker. Sir Lindsay Hoyle was returned to the chair unopposed
Rishi Sunak again apologised to Tories who lost their constituencies, promising that the party would 'rebuild' and be a 'professional' opposition
Black Rod entered the Commons to ask MPs to attend the Lords for a message from the King
Sir Keir and Mr Sunak shared a moment as they left the chamber after the exchanges
They will promise to 'be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law'.
Sir Keir said: 'And now, as in any new Parliament, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to put an end to a politics that has too often seemed self-serving and self-obsessed, and to replace that politics of performance with the politics of service.
'Because service is a precondition for hope and trust, and the need to restore trust should weigh heavily on every member here, new and returning alike.
'We all have a duty to show that politics can be a force for good.
'So whatever our political differences, it's not time to turn the page, unite in a common endeavour of national renewal and make this Parliament a Parliament of service.'
Mr Sunak said he wanted to 'start by congratulating the Prime Minister on his election victory and as he takes on his formidable task, he and his family deserve the good wishes of all of us in this House'.
'In our politics, we can argue vigorously, as the Prime Minister and I did over the past six weeks, but still respect each other, and whatever disputes we have in this Parliament, I know that everyone in this house will not lose sight of the fact that we are all motivated by our desire to serve our constituents, our country, and advance the principles that we honourably believe in,' he said.
Mr Sunak described being an MP as the 'greatest honour, privilege and responsibility' and added: 'One of the great aspects of our system is no matter how high you rise, you still have that constituency which keeps you grounded.'
When his turn came Mr Farage said his party were 'the new kids on the block.'
'We have no experience in this Parliament whatsoever, even though some of us have tried many times over the years previously,' the Reform leader said.
Eliciting groans from the Government benches, Mr Farage compared Sir Lindsay to his predecessor John Bercow.
He said: 'We absolutely endorse (Sir Lindsay) entirely for this job. And it is, I must say, in marked contrast to the little man that was there before you and besmirched the office so dreadfully in doing his best to overturn the biggest democratic result in the history of the country. We support you Sir fully.'
Sinn Fein, which won seven seats across Northern Ireland, including two in Belfast, have a long-standing policy of abstentionism so do not take their seats in Westminster.
Before they elected the Speaker, Black Rod Sarah Clarke summoned MPs to the House of Lords.
She crossed through Central Lobby to fetch Father of the House Sir Edward Leigh, and walk him to the Lords, where a Royal Commission was read directing MPs to choose their speaker.
Sir Edward is the longest continuously serving MP, having had a seat in the Commons since 1983 – the year when Margaret Thatcher won a 144-seat majority and when Jeremy Corbyn, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown first became MPs.
Sir Lindsay put himself forward as Speaker, having served in the role since 2019 and contested the Chorley, Lancashire, without a party affiliation.
He was dragged to the Chair in a nod to the once-perilous nature of the role, with seven speakers having been executed between 1394 and 1535, according to Parliament records.
Diane Abbott was in the chamber to be praised by Sir Keir and Mr Sunak
Nigel Farage has also arrived at Westminster with his four Reform colleagues, vowing to target Labour voters and be a thorn in the side of the premier
Before the Commons returned Rishi Sunak held a meeting with his 'interim' shadow cabinet
The Leader of the Opposition hosted his first meeting of the interim Conservative Shadow Cabinet
Rishi Sunak confirmed his interim shadow cabinet (pictured), after 12 members of his top team lost their seats in the general election
(from left to right) Stuart Andrew, Jeremy Wright, Alex Burghart and Lord True listen in during Rishi Sunak's first meeting of the interim Conservative Shadow Cabinet
Swearing in begins the same afternoon, led by the Speaker, Father of the House Sir Edward, then members of the Sir Keir's Cabinet and Leader of the Opposition Rishi Sunak's shadow cabinet.
Lawmaking and debates in the House of Commons remain on hold until after the formal State Opening of Parliament, where the King will lay out the government's legislative agenda from the Sovereign's Throne in the House of Lords.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said Sir Keir discussed 'other parts of the country where there could be mayors' during a meeting with regional leaders at Downing Street.
Mr Khan said after the meeting: 'What I want other parts of the country who have not got a mayor to know is that having a mayor can be a real game changer.'
The Mayor of London added: 'We heard this morning, the Prime Minister talking about other parts of the country where there could be mayors.
'That brings with it not just additional powers, but also additional resources as well.'
returns on Tuesday with Labour ministers on the Government frontbench for the first time in more than a decade.
London mayor Sadiq Khan (right) said Sir Keir discussed 'other parts of the country where there could be mayors' during a meeting with regional leaders at Downing Street. Andy Burnham (left) was also there
