Parliament’s two new MPs take their seats in the House of Commons

PA Wire

Parliament’s newest MPs have taken their seats after opposition parties inflicted a double by-election defeat on Boris Johnson.

The Prime Minister saw the former Tory stronghold of Tiverton and Honiton switch to the Liberal Democrats, while Wakefield returned to Labour.

Simon Lightwood, the new MP for Wakefield, was accompanied by Yorkshire Labour colleagues Louise Haigh (Sheffield Heeley) and Stephanie Peacock (Barnsley East) as he arrived in the House of Commons.

Liberal Democrat Richard Foord, the new MP for Tiverton and Honiton, was joined by the party’s leader Sir Ed Davey and chief whip Wendy Chamberlain.

Richard Foord (centre), is welcomed by Lib Dem leader Ed Davey (PA) (PA Wire)

MPs are required to make an oath or solemn affirmation of allegiance to the Crown in order to take their seats in Parliament.

The vote in Tiverton and Honiton was triggered by the resignation of Tory Neil Parish after he was caught watching pornography in Parliament.

In Wakefield, previous Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan quit after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy – a crime he was jailed for 18 months for.

Wakefield was one of the so-called red wall seats won by the Tories in the 2019 general election after being Labour since the 1930s.