Newly elected Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has been physically dragged to the Commons Chair as the newly elected MPs took their seats.

On being re-elected as Labour MP for Chorley, Sir Lindsay must take part in a bizarre tradition to be restored to his position as Commons Speaker. The role of Speaker, which is politically impartial, dates back centuries and is steeped in tradition.

Following the General Election, other MPs must physically take Sir Lindsay by his arms and drag from the backbenches of the Commons to the Speaker's Chair. In a speech beforehand, the politician said it was "an absolute privilege" to serve as the 158th Speaker of the House of Commons.
Labour MP Cat Smith and Tory MP David Davis dragged Sir Lindsay Hoyle to the Speaker's Chair

"With the authority of the Chair comes great responsibility, which is something I've never taken lightly," he said, before declaring: "I submit myself to the House as your Speaker and seeking to be your champion."

Asked if the House supports Sir Lindsay being re-instated as the Speaker, MPs roared "aye". Labour MP Cat Smith and Tory MP David Davis then took Sir Lindsay by the arms and dragged him to the Speaker's Chair.

Historically the Speaker may have been reluctant to take the job as it was considered a dangerous role. Part of the Speaker's job is to tell the King about the opinions of MPs in the Commons. As history goes, if the monarch didn't agree with the message being communicated then the early death - in other words execution - of the Speaker could follow. "Therefore, as you can imagine, previous Speakers required some gentle persuasion to accept the post," the UK Parliament website adds.
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After being dragged to his Chair, Sir Lindsay welcomed the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer to give a short speech. Leader of the Opposition Rishi Sunak also addressed MPs.

Sir Lindsay, who was knighted in 2018 for parliamentary and political services, was first elected as Labour MP in 1997. He succeeded controversial character John Bercow as Speaker in 2019. The position is extremely senior, with the Speaker having power to control Commons debates, to decide who can speak in the chamber and to choose which amendments are considered during law-making processes.