Records of members of parliament of the United Kingdom

Youngest

The Parliamentary Elections Act 1695 established 21 as the minimum age, but until the Reform Act 1832 underage MPs were seldom unseated. For example, Charles James Fox became an MP aged 19 in 1768, and Robert Jocelyn, Viscount Jocelyn became an MP aged 18 in 1806.

Before the general election of 2015, the youngest MP since the Reform Act of 1832 was James Dickson who was elected as a Liberal at a by-election for the Borough of Dungannon on 25 June 1880. He was born on 19 April 1859 and so was aged 21 years 67 days. The youngest female MP was Bernadette Devlin, elected on 17 April 1969 from Mid Ulster aged 21 years 359 days. Both records are now jointly held by Mhairi Black, who was aged 20 years and 237 days old at the time of her election to the seat of Paisley and Renfrewshire South in the 2015 general election. She becomes the Baby of the House, the youngest sitting MP, replacing Pamela Nash, who was 25 years and 11 months old when she was elected to Parliament in the May 2010 general election.

Oldest

The oldest serving MP whose exact dates are known was Samuel Young (1822–1918) who was MP for East Cavan from 1892 (when aged 70) until his death at the age of 96 years 63 days.

The oldest ever woman MP was Irene Ward, member for Tynemouth, who was a few days short of 79 when she retired at the February 1974 general election.

Following the death of John Freeman on 20 December 2014, the oldest former MP still living is Ronald Atkins, born 13 June 1916 and the only one currently a centenarian. The oldest former woman MP, following the death of Mildred Gordon on 8 April 2016, is Mary Holt, born 31 July 1924. The latter was ironically MP for Preston North between 1970–74, between defeating and then being defeated by Atkins at successive general elections for the same seat.

Oldest debuts

Perhaps the oldest parliamentary debut of all time was that of Warren Lisle, believed born in 1695, who was elected on 7 September 1780 during that year's General Election as MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis as locum tenens, aged reportedly 85. He stood down on 21 November to allow his kinsman, Gabriel Steward, to stand for the seat after completing his own term as mayor of the borough (when he had been the local returning officer). He died in July 1788 aged reportedly 93.

Since compulsory birth registration, the oldest debut where a confirmed birth date is known was made by Sir Robert Pullar (born 18 February 1828) who was elected at an unopposed by-election for Perth on 12 February 1907 aged 78 years and 359 days. He retired at the January 1910 General Election.

The oldest woman at first entry to the Commons was Dr Ethel Bentham (born 5 January 1861) who was elected MP for Islington East at the 1929 General Election aged 68 years and 145 days. She died in office, the first woman so to do, in 1931.

The oldest debut at the 2015 General Election was possibly Marie Rimmer (born 27 April 1947) who was elected MP for St Helens South and Whiston ten days after her 68th birthday.

List of oldest sitting MPs since 1945

Notes:

^F Also Father of the House (not necessarily contemporaneous with seniority)¹ Died in office² Retired

Longest-lived ex-MP

The longest-lived former-MP was Theodore Cooke Taylor, member for Radcliffe cum Farnworth between 1900 and 1918, who lived to be 102. Other ex-MPs who have reached their centenary are Bert Hazell, Manny Shinwell, Hartley Shawcross, Sir George Ernest Schuster, Sir Harry Brittain, John Oldfield (who outlived his parliamentary service by 68 years), Nathaniel Micklem, Edgar Granville and Ronald Atkins (born 13 June 1916) who is the only centenarian ex MP currently living.

Frank James, who was elected MP for Walsall at the 1892 general election, but unseated on petition in November that year, achieved a slightly greater age than Theodore Cooke Taylor, at 102 years 135 days.

The longest-lived woman MP was Norah Runge who died aged 93 in 1978.

Shortest-lived MPs

One known contender for this record for whom both birth and death dates are known, in the Parliament of England, was James Wriothesley, Lord Wriothesley, who while still a minor was MP for Callington in 1621–22, and for Winchester from early in 1624 until his death from illness on military service in the Netherlands on 1 November 1624 aged 19 years and 251 days.

Based only on evidence from his university entrance records, Peter Legh, MP for Newton from 1640, may have been aged 19 or younger when he died after a duel on 2 February 1642, but his precise birthdate is not known.

Geoffrey Palmer, MP for Ludgershall from March 1660, died in office on 31 October 1661 aged 19 years and at least 245 days, based on his baptism registration (28 February 1642).

Since the setting of the youngest election age at 21, the youngest MP to die in office was George Charles Grey who was elected MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed in 1941 and was killed in action on 30 July 1944 aged 25 years 240 days. Throughout this period he was the Baby of the House.

The shortest-lived woman MP, Lady Cynthia Mosley, MP for Stoke 1929–31, died in 1933 aged 34. The youngest woman MP to die in office was Jo Cox, MP for Batley and Spen since 2015, on 16 June 2016, 6 days before her 42nd birthday.

Longest

Sir Francis Knollys (also the oldest ever sitting MP) was first elected as MP for Oxford in 1575 at the age of around 25 and was MP for Reading at the time of his death in 1648, a period spanning 73 years, although there were eight periods, amounting to 27 entire years (1590–92, 1594–96, 1599-1600, 1602–03, 1605–13, 1615–19, 1627 and 1630–39) in which the Parliament of England did not meet, and his period of service totalled little more than 23 years.

The longest span of service of an MP since the start of the 20th century was Winston Churchill who was first elected on 1 October 1900 and left the House of Commons on 25 September 1964, a period of 63 years 360 days. His service was not continuous, as he was not an MP for a spell in 1908 and between 1922 and 1924. Charles Pelham Villiers was the longest continuously serving MP. He was elected in 1835 and remained an MP continuously for over 62 years until his death on 16 January 1898, aged 96 years 13 days.

The longest continuous service and longest total service records for a female MP was held by Gwyneth Dunwoody, at over 34 years and 38 years respectively until Harriet Harman and Dame Margaret Beckett broke those records. The longest span of service for a woman was 42 years and 4 months for Irene Ward, first elected in 1931 and an MP until 1974 although she did not hold a seat between 1945 and 1950.

Shortest

There are cases of MPs being elected posthumously; Edward Legge (1710–47) was elected unopposed as MP for Portsmouth on 15 December 1747, four days before news arrived that he had died 87 days previously in the West Indies. In 1780 John Kirkman was elected as MP for the City of London despite passing away before polls closed.

In more recent times, members have died after polling, but before the declaration of the results. In 1906, Thomas Higgins was declared elected for the seat of North Galway, even though he had died earlier that morning, after polling day. More recently, in 1945 Sir Edward Taswell Campbell at Bromley and Leslie Pym at Monmouth died after polling, but nine days before the declaration of the results. Both were declared elected posthumously, and both had been MPs for a number of years. Noel Skelton is another example in 1935.

The shortest non-posthumous service was that of Alfred Dobbs, who was declared elected MP for Smethwick on 26 July 1945 and was killed the following day in a car accident on the way to take his seat.

The shortest service for women MPs has been 92 days in the case of both Ruth Dalton, who was MP for Bishop Auckland from by-election on 7 May 1929 to dissolution of Parliament on 10 May 1929 prior to that year's general election, and Margo MacDonald, who was MP for Glasgow Govan from by-election on 8 November 1973 until the dissolution of Parliament on 8 February 1974 prior to the coming general election.

Shortest total service since 1900

For a comprehensive list of MPs since 1900 with less than 365 days total service See

List of United Kingdom MPs with the shortest service

Members who never took their seats

Mickey Brady, 2015 -

Francie Molloy, 2013-

Paul Maskey, 2011–

Conor Murphy, 2005–2015

Michelle Gildernew, 2001–2015

Pat Doherty, 2001–

Martin McGuinness, 1997–2013

Gerry Adams, 1983–92, 1997–2011

Owen Carron, 1981–83

Bobby Sands, 1981

Philip Clarke, 1955

Tom Mitchell, 1955

Alfred Dobbs, 1945

Joseph Bell, 1922

Harry Wrightson, 1918–19

69 Sinn Féin Members elected at the 1918 General Election (including 6 first elected in by-elections 1917–18)

James Annand, 1906

Thomas Higgins, 1906

Henry Compton, 1905-6 (shortest serving MP - 46 days - whose tenure was not ended by his death)

Joseph Andrews, 1905-6

MPs who never won an election

On rare occasions the election winner may be disqualified, either by an election court or by the House of Commons, and the seat awarded to the runner-up.

Malcolm St. Clair: Bristol South-East, 1961–63Charles Beattie: Mid-Ulster, 1955–56

MPs elected to two or more constituencies simultaneously

Charles Stewart Parnell Elected in 1880 General election for three separate seats - Cork City, Mayo and Meath.Richard Hazleton: from 9 December 1910 until 23 February 1911, when he was unseated on a petition from the second seat, he was MP for North Galway and North Louth.At the 1918 election, 4 Sinn Féin candidates were each elected to two seats: Arthur Griffith (Cavan East and Tyrone North West), Éamon de Valera (Clare East and Mayo East), Liam Mellows (Galway East and Meath North) and Eoin MacNeill (Londonderry City and National University of Ireland). However, none of them took their seat in the House of Commons, instead attending the First Dáil.

MPs who have sat for three or more different constituencies

In modern times, it is unusual for an MP to represent more than one or two constituencies during their career, although before the 20th century it was quite common. MPs whose seats were altered purely by boundary changes are not listed.

George Galloway: Glasgow Hillhead/Kelvin ⁴; Bethnal Green and Bow ⁴; Bradford WestMichael Ancram: Berwick and East Lothian ¹; Edinburgh South ¹; DevizesKenneth Baker: Acton ¹; St. Marylebone ²; Mole ValleyWilliam Clark: Nottingham South ¹; East Surrey ⁴; Croydon SouthRoy Jenkins: Southwark Central ²; Birmingham Stechford ³; Glasgow HillheadShirley Williams: Hitchin ²; Hertford and Stevenage ¹; Crosby ¹Fergus Montgomery: Newcastle East ¹; Brierley Hill ²; Altrincham and SaleGeoffrey de Freitas: Nottingham Central ⁴; Lincoln ³; KetteringArthur Palmer: Wimbledon ¹; Cleveland ¹; Bristol CentralFrank Markham: Chatham ⁵; Nottingham South ¹; BuckinghamGeoffrey Lloyd: Birmingham Ladywood ¹; Birmingham King's Norton ²; Sutton ColdfieldRay Gunter: South-East Essex ²; Doncaster ¹; SouthwarkFrank Soskice: Birkenhead East ²; Sheffield Neepsend ²; NewportCharles Simmons: Birmingham Erdington¹; Birmingham West ²; Brierley HillCharles MacAndrew: Kilmarnock ¹; Glasgow Partick ⁴; Bute and North AyrshireRichard Kidston Law: Hull South West ¹; Kensington South ²; HaltempriceHyacinth Morgan: Camberwell North West ⁵; Rochdale ⁴; WarringtonRoger Conant: Chesterfield ¹; Bewdley ²; Rutland and StamfordRalph Assheton: Rushcliffe ¹; City of London ²; Blackburn WestJohn Wilmot: Fulham East ¹; Kennington ⁴; DeptfordAustin Hudson: Islington East ¹; Hackney North ¹; Lewisham NorthJoseph Braithwaite: Hillsborough ¹; Holderness ²; Bristol North WestWalter Elliot: Lanark¹; Kelvingrove¹; Combined Scottish Universities ²; KelvingroveWalter Ayles: Bristol North¹; Southall ⁴; Hayes and HarlingtonWilliam Jowitt: Hartlepool ¹; Preston ⁴; Ashton-under-LyneLeonard Lyle: Stratford ¹; Epping ⁵; BournemouthArthur Henderson: Barnard Castle ⁴; Widnes ¹; Newcastle East ¹; Burnley ¹; Clay CrossRamsay MacDonald: Leicester ²; Aberavon ⁴; Seaham ¹; Combined Scottish UniversitiesHarcourt Johnstone Willesden West ¹; South Shields ¹; Middlesbrough WestWilfred Paling: Doncaster ¹; Wentworth ²; Dearne ValleyEdward Hemmerde: East Denbighshire ⁴; North West Norfolk ²; Crewe ⁵Winston Churchill: Oldham⁴; Manchester North West¹; Dundee¹; Epping/Woodford⁵Arthur Griffith-Boscawen: Tunbridge ¹; Dudley ¹; Taunton ¹John Fletcher Moulton: Clapham ¹ South Hackney ¹, Launceston ⁵Arthur Balfour: Hertford ⁴; Manchester East ¹; City of London ¹Lord John Manners: Newark ¹; Colchester ⁴; North Leicestershire ⁴; Melton ⁶Benjamin Disraeli: Maidstone ⁴;Shrewsbury ⁴; Buckinghamshire ⁶William Ewart Gladstone: Newark ¹; Oxford University ¹; South Lancashire ²; Greenwich ⁴; Midlothian ⁵James Patrick Mahon: Clare ⁸; Ennis ¹; County Carlow ¹⁰Earl Gower (later 2nd Duke of Sutherland): St Mawes ⁴; Newcastle-Under-Lyme ⁴; Staffordshire ⁵James, Lord Brudenell: Marlborough; Fowey ²; North Northamptonshire ⁶Sir Robert Peel: Cashel ⁴; Chippenham ⁴; Oxford University ⁴; Westbury ⁴; TamworthThomas Graves: Okehampton ⁴; Windsor ⁴; Milborne Port ⁵Sir Joseph Yorke: Reigate ⁷; Saint Germans ³; Sandwich ⁴John Calcraft (the younger): Wareham ⁴; Rochester ⁴; DorsetSir Manasseh Masseh Lopes: New Romney ³; Evesham ⁹; Barnstaple⁹, Westbury³Sir George Hay: Stockbridge ¹; Calne ⁴; Sandwich ¹

Notes:

¹ defeated² seat abolished³ resigned⁴ sought another constituency⁵ retired⁶ inherited/raised to peerage⁷ resigned but returned to constituency at later date⁸ unseated on petition; elected at a later date, then retired⁹ unseated for bribery¹⁰ died

MPs who have made more than one comeback

In modern times, it is unusual for an MP who has been defeated (or retired e.g. due to their seat being abolished) to achieve more than one comeback to the House of Commons after a period of absence. In the UK Parliament, William Vesey-FitzGerald, Lord Charles Beresford and Arthur Henderson were exceptional in achieving it on no fewer than four occasions each: Vesey-FitzGerald over a span of 18 years through three by-elections and one general election, Beresford over a span of 25 years after voluntarily resigning or retiring from the House at stages of his naval career, Henderson invariably at by-elections following serial general election defeats in previous seats, in the shorter span of 14 years.

William McCrea: 2000 ^b, 2005Michael Ancram: 1979, 1992Fergus Montgomery: 1967 ^b, October 1974Tony Benn: 1963 ^b, 1984 ^bArthur Palmer: 1952 ^b, 1964Alec Douglas-Home: 1950, 1963 ^bFrank Soskice: 1950 ^b, 1956 ^bRichard Law: 1945 ^b, 1951Frank Markham: 1935, 1951Sir Herbert Williams: 1932 ^b, 1950Cahir Healy: 1931 ^b, 1950Harold Macmillan: 1931, 1945 ^bIan Fraser: 1931, 1940 ^bHarcourt Johnstone: 1931, 1940 ^bCuthbert Headlam: 1931, 1940 ^bGwilym Lloyd George: 1929, 1951Walter Ayles: 1929, 1945Somerville Hastings: 1929, 1945George Isaacs: 1929, 1939 ^bWilliam Jowitt: 1929, 1939 ^bJames Chuter Ede: 1929, 1935Herbert Morrison: 1929, 1935Robert Richards: 1929, 1935Arthur Henderson, Jr.: 1929, 1935Benjamin Walter Gardner: 1929, 1934 ^bTom Smith: 1929, 1933 ^bWilliam Wedgwood Benn: 1928 ^b, 1937 ^bManny Shinwell: 1928 ^b, 1935Austin Hudson: 1924, 1950Walter Elliot: 1924, 1946 ^bEdward Cadogan: 1924, 1940 ^bLord Erskine: 1924, 1940 ^bTom Johnston: 1924 ^b, 1935Andrew MacLaren: 1924, 1935Alec Cunningham-Reid: 1924, 1932^bArchibald Boyd-Carpenter: 1924, 1931Sir Geoffrey Ellis: 1924, 1931Arthur Evans, 1924, 1931Park Goff, 1924, 1931Vivian Henderson: 1924, 1931George Hume: 1924, 1931Frank Sanderson: 1924, 1931Wilfred Sugden: 1924, 1931Charles Lyle: 1923, 1940 ^bTom Kennedy: 1923, 1935Thomas Ellis Naylor: 1923, 1935Francis Dyke Acland: 1923, 1932 ^bWalter Rea: 1923, 1931John Edmund Mills: 1923, 1929Walter Robert Smith: 1923, 1929Henry Guest: 1922, 1937 ^bRamsay MacDonald: 1922, 1936 ^bCharles Roden Buxton: 1922, 1929Fred Jowett: 1922, 1929Hastings Lees-Smith: 1922, 1924, 1935Arthur Henderson, Sr.: 1919 ^b, 1923 ^b, 1924 ^b, 1933 ^bEdward Hemmerde: 1912 ^b, 1922Geoffrey Howard: 1911 ^b, 1923Charles Masterman: 1911 ^b, 1923Sir James Millar: 1911 ^b, 1922, 1929Sir Donald Maclean: December 1910, 1929Edward Anthony Strauss: December 1910, 1927 ^b, 1931Sir Hamar Greenwood: December 1910, 1924Frederick Guest: December 1910, 1923, 1931Leif Jones: December 1910, 1923, 1929William Mitchell-Thomson: December 1910, 1923Arthur Griffith-Boscawen: December 1910, 1921 ^bJ.E.B. Seely: 1910 ^b, 1923Sir Harry Foster: January 1910, 1924Henry Duke: January 1910, 1911 Winston Churchill: 1908 ^b, 1924Frederick Leverton Harris: 1907 ^b, 1914 ^bThomas Bramsdon: 1906, 1918Havelock Wilson: 1906, 1918John Scurrah Randles: 1906 ^b, 1912 ^bAndrew Bonar Law: 1906 ^b, 1911 ^bJames Rowlands: 1906, December 1910Harry Levy-Lawson: 1905 ^b, 1910Walter Runciman: 1902 ^b, 1924Charles Cripps: 1901 ^b, 1910Alfred Billson: 1897 ^b, 1906Sir Francis Evans: 1896 ^b, 1901 ^bLord Henry Cavendish-Bentinck: 1895, 1910Sir Robert Finlay: 1895, January 1910Robert Hermon-Hodge: 1895, 1909 ^b, 1917 ^bArchibald Grove: 1895, 1906John Fletcher Moulton: 1894 ^b, 1898 ^bPhilip Stanhope: 1893 ^b, 1904^bWilliam Grenfell: 1892 ^b, 1900Eugene Wason: 1892, 1899 ^bMichael Davitt: 1892, 1893 ^b, 1895William Mather: 1889 ^b, 1900 ^bEdmund Leamy: 1888 ^b, 1900Thomas Buchanan: 1888 ^b, 1892 ^b, 1903 ^bTim Healy: 1887 ^b, 1911 ^bWilliam O'Brien: 1887 ^b, 1900, January 1910William Sproston Caine: 1886 ^b, 1892, 1900James Agg-Gardner: 1885, 1900, 1911 ^bLord Charles Beresford: 1885, 1898, 1902 ^b, 1910Sir Henry Havelock-Allan, 1885, 1892Sir William Ingram: 1885, 1892Henry Meysey-Thompson: 1885, 1892James Lowther: 1881 ^b, 1888 ^bJohn Aloysius Blake: 1880, 1886 ^bSir Thomas Lea: 1880, 1886Samuel Danks Waddy: 1879^b, 1882^b, 1886Jacob Bright:1876 ^b, 1886John Philip Nolan: 1874^b, 1900Sir George Elliot: 1874 ^b, 1881 ^b, 1886Arthur Hayter: 1873 ^b, 1893 ^b, 1900Sir Julian Goldsmid: 1870 ^b, 1885Thomas Salt: 1869 ^b, 1881 ^b, 1886Lord Claud Hamilton: 1869 ^b, 1880 ^b, January 1910Sir Wilfrid Lawson: 1868, 1886, 1903 ^bEdward Brydges Williams: 1868, 1880Ralph Bernal Osborne: 1866, 1870William Henry Leatham: 1865, 1880Arthur Otway: 1865, 1878 ^bAbel Smith: 1859, 1866 ^bSir John Salusbury-Trelawny: 1857, 1868Sir William Fraser: 1857, 1863 ^b, 1874 ^bGeorge Peacocke: 1854 ^b, 1859, 1874Lord Montagu Graham: 1852, 1858 ^bJames Patrick Mahon: 1847, 1879 ^b, 1887 ^bWilliam Ewart Gladstone: 1847, 1865 ^bSir James Fergusson: 1859, 1885Thomas Alcock: 1839, 1847Fitzroy Kelly: 1838 ^b, 1843 ^b, 1852Robert Aglionby Slaney: 1837, 1847, 1857Anthony Lefroy: 1833, 1842, 1858Daniel O'Connell: 1832, 1837James Barlow-Hoy: 1832, 1835William Lascelles: 1831, 1837, 1842 ^bSir William Miles: 1830, 1834 ^bPhilip John Miles: 1829 ^b, 1835Sir John Beckett: 1826, 1835John Nicholas Fazakerley: 1826, 1830 ^bWilliam Vesey-FitzGerald:

1813 ^b, 1829 ^b, 1830 ^b, 1831

Frederick Trench: 1812 ^b, 1819 ^b, 1835Thomas Creevey: 1807, 1820, 1831Sir Manasseh Masseh Lopes: 1807, 1812, 1820

Notes:

^b indicates a by-election

Longest delay before making a comeback

In absolute terms two 17th-century members of the English Parliament had 35-year intervals outside the House of Commons:

Edward Mainwaring, 35 years and 269 days from serving as MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme in the parliament that closed on 12 August 1625, to returning for the same seat at start of the Cavalier Parliament on 8 May 1661,Sir William Killigrew who was out of the Commons 35 years and 30 days from the close of the 1628 parliament on 10 March 1629 when he served as MP for Penryn, Cornwall, until returning as MP for Richmond, Yorkshire on 9 April 1664

Note that intervals of more than a decade between service in the Commons were more commonplace in the 17th than in later centuries due to factors such as:

-years when no parliaments were held, such as Charles I's rule without parliament covering 1630–39,-Royalist MPs expelled during the English Civil Wars sitting again after the restoration of Charles II (1660),-the Cavalier Parliament of 1661–79 which met without general elections in meantime.-former Civil War and Commonwealth era Roundhead MPs returning to the Commons in the 1670s and 1680s under the Whig Party.

Since the establishment of regular parliamentary government at the end of the 17th century and the creation of the United Kingdom Parliament in 1801, possibly the longest gap between sitting was faced by Henry Drummond (1786–1860), of nearly 35 years between the dissolution of his first parliament on 29 September 1812 and returning to his next at the General Election held in July–August 1847.

Others:

John Angerstein, 33 years (1802–1835)Sir George Sondes, 32 years (1629–1661)The Honourable Richard Spencer, 32 years (1629–1661)Sir William Ayscough, 32 years (1648–1681)Walter Hungerford, 32 years (1701–1734)Henry Bulwer, 31 years (1837–1868)William Allen, 31 years (1900–1931)Richard Winwood, 30 years (1648–1679)Sir William Whitelock, 30 years (1659–1689)Sir Thomas Hanmer, 29 years (1640–1669)Sir John Gell, 29 years (1659–1689)Richard Beke, 29 years (1659–1689)Charles Boscawen, 29 years (1659–1689)Sir Jonathan Jennings, 29 years (1659–1689)John Manley, 29 years (1659–1689)John Buller, 29 years (1796–1826)Edward Herle, 28 years (second comeback) (1660–1689)Thomas Lascelles, 28 years (1660–1689)Sir William Scott, 28 years (1830–1859)William John Evelyn, 28 years (1857–1885)Sir Alfred Hopkinson, 28 years (1898–1926)Robert Hyde, 27 years (1586–1614)Samuel Trehawke Kekewich, 27 years (1830–1858)Sir Edward East, 26 years (1796–1833)Lord Edward Thynne, 26 years (1832–1859)Sir Sidney Montagu, 26 years (1614–1640)James Patrick Mahon, 26 years (second comeback) (1852–1879)Sir William Monson, 24 years (1601–1626)Robert Ferguson, 24 years (1807–1831)Richard Spooner, 24 years (1820–1844)Charles Tottenham (1807–1886), 24 years (1831–1856)Philip Pleydell-Bouverie, 24 years (1832–1857)Sir William Morton, 23 years (1640–1663)Vincent Denne, 23 years (1658–1681)Henry Luttrell, 2nd Earl of Carhampton, 23 years (1794–1817)William Peachy, 23 years (1802–1826)Henry Tufton, 23 years (1802–1826)William Ormsby-Gore, 23 years (1807–1830)Edward Southwell Ruthven, 23 years (1807–1830)John Arthur Wynne, 23 years (1832–1856)Sir Abel Barker, 22 years (1656–1679)James Wentworth Buller, 22 years (1834–1857)Sir Charles Berkeley, 21 years (1640–1661)Sir William Fleetwood, 21 years (1640–1661)Sir Richard Lloyd, 21 years (1640–1661)Sir Robert Long, 21 years (1640–1661)Sir Philip Mainwaring, 21 years (1640–1661)Sir James Thynne, 21 years (1643–1664)Robert Carden, 21 years (1859–1880)Lord Claud Hamilton, 21 years (1888–1910)Thomas Gewen, 20 years (1626–1647)Sir Francis Wyndham, 20 years (1640–1660)Sir Nicholas Crispe, 20 years (1641–1661)William Sandys, 20 years (1641–1661)Edmund Wyndham, 20 years (1641–1661)Samuel Ashe, 20 years (1659–1679)Sir Cecil Bishopp, 20 years (1734–1755)Francis Leigh, 20 years (1801–1821)John Cressett-Pelham, 20 years (1802–1822)Walter Boyd, 20 years (1802–1823)Duncombe Pleydell-Bouverie, 20 years (1807–1828)Lord William Cholmondeley, 20 years (1832–1852)Sir John Shelley, 20 years (1832–1852)Sackville Stopford-Sackville, 20 years (1880–1900)Moss Turner-Samuels, 20 years (1924–1945)Sir Francis Darcy, 19 years (1601–1621)Sir Fulke Greville, 19 years (1601–1621)Sir Henry Herbert, 19 years (1642–1661)John Frederick Cheetham, 19 years (1885–1905)Ernest Bennett, 19 years (1910–1929)Edward Herle, 18 years (first comeback) (1640–1659)Sir John Stawell, 18 years (1642–1661)Sir John Banks, 18 years (1659–1678)Robert Beake, 18 years (1660–1679)Sir Thomas Acland, 18 years (1868-1885)Edward Brocklehurst Fielden, 18 years (1906-1924)Fenner Brockway, 18 years (1931–1950)Thomas Onley, 17 years (1554–1572)Sir Thomas Littleton, 17 years (1644–1661)Jonathan Rashleigh, 17 years (1644–1661)Sir Ralph Assheton, 17 years (1662–1679)Richard Watson, 17 years (1835–1852)Sir James Fergusson, 17 years (1868–1885)John Henry Maden, 17 years (1900–1917)Paul Tyler, 17 years (1974–1992)James Patrick Mahon, 16 years (first comeback) (1830–1847)Hugh Lucas-Tooth, 16 years (1929–1945)Ian Horobin, 16 years (1935–1951)

The longest interval between parliamentary service for women MPs was 13 years in the case of Jennie Lee, Leah Manning and Lucy Noel-Buxton, Baroness Noel-Buxton who lost their first seats at the General Election of October 1931 then gained their second at that of July 1945.

MPs who resigned without completing at least one full parliament (or five years service)

Mark Reckless, 2014 (resigned to re-contest, after defecting to UKIP)Louise Mensch, 2012 (resigned to spend more time with her family)Jim Nicholson, 1985 (resigned to re-contest but was defeated)Frank Cousins, 1966 (disagreed with Prime Minister over introducing a statutory incomes policy)Malcolm St. Clair, 1963 (honoured a pledge to stand down)Sidney Schofield, 1953John Belcher, 1949 (scandal)Tom Williamson, 1948Noel Mason-Macfarlane, 1946 (ill health)John Boyd Orr, 1946 (resigned to become Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization)Clarice Shaw, 1946 (terminally ill)

Former and future Commonwealth heads of government

Several former heads of government have settled in Britain after their service and served in one of the Houses.

Australia:Sir Robert Torrens, Premier of South Australia (September 1857); MP for Cambridge 1868–74Sir George Reid, Prime Minister of Australia (1904–05), previously Premier of New South Wales (1894–99); MP for St George, Hanover Square 1916–18Sir Newton Moore, Premier of Western Australia (1906–10); MP for St George, Hanover Square October–December 1918, Islington North 1918–23, and Richmond upon Thames 1924–32Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, Prime Minister of Australia (1923–29); in House of Lords 1947–67Canada:Richard Bedford Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett, Prime Minister of Canada (1930–35); in House of Lords 1941–47Northern Ireland:

Several Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland when it had its own parliamentary government between 1921 and 1972 while remaining in the UK came to serve in Westminster as follows:

James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland 1921–40, MP for East Down 1906–18 and Mid Down 1918–21; in House of Lords 1927–40.Basil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland 1943–63; in House of Lords 1952–73Terence O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland 1963–69; in House of Lords 1970–90James Chichester-Clark, Baron Moyola, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland 1969–71; in House of Lords 1971–2002Brian Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland 1971–72; in House of Lords 1977

Several United Kingdom MPs have become a prime minister in another part of the Commonwealth:

Australia:Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, Premier of Victoria (1871–72), had been MP for New Ross in Ireland in 1852–56Sir Bryan O'Loghlen, Premier of Victoria (1881–83), had been MP for County Clare, Ireland in 1877–79 (but did not sit)Irish Free State (within Commonwealth to 1948 - subsequently seceded as the Republic of Ireland):W. T. Cosgrave, President of the Executive Council (1922–32), had been the last MP for Kilkenny City in 1917–18 although never sat at Westminster because of imprisonment.Éamon de Valera, President of the Executive Council (Taoiseach) (1932–48) while the Irish Free State was within the Commonwealth. (Later Taoiseach in the Republic of Ireland government in 1951–54 and 1957–59, and President of the Republic 1959–73.) He had been MP for East Clare 1917–22 and East Mayo 1918–22, although never sat at Westminster.Malta:Gerald Strickland, 1st Baron Strickland, Prime Minister of Malta (1927–32), had been MP for Lancaster 1924–28; also sat in the House of Lords 1928–40.

Women

The first woman elected to the House of Commons was Constance Markievicz who was elected on 14 December 1918 to the constituency of Dublin St Patrick's, but she refused to take her seat as she was a member of Sinn Féin.

The first woman to take her seat as an MP was Conservative Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, elected 28 November 1919.

The first woman MP to become a cabinet minister was Margaret Bondfield who was appointed Minister of Labour in 1929.

The first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was Margaret Thatcher who served as PM from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. Margaret Thatcher was also the first woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State.

Mother-daughter sets of MPs

These are rarer than father-son sets:

Edith Summerskill, MP for Fulham West 1938–55 and Warrington 1955–61, was mother of Shirley Summerskill, MP for Halifax 1964–83. Their consecutive service in the Commons totaled 43 years and spans 45 years.

Winnie Ewing, MP for Hamilton 1967–70 and Moray and Nairn 1974–79 was mother of Annabelle Ewing, MP for Perth 2001–05.

Sister sets

Sylvia Heal (née Sylvia Lloyd Fox), MP for Mid Staffordshire 1990–92 and Halesowen and Rowley Regis 1997–2010 and Ann Keen (née Ann Lloyd Fox), MP for Brentford and Isleworth 1997–2010. Keen additionally served with her husband, Alan Keen.

Angela Eagle, MP for Wallasey since 1992, and Maria Eagle, MP for Liverpool Garston 1997–2010 and Garston and Halewood since 2010, are, as of 2016, are the only set of sisters currently serving.

Constituency representation

Most women representing:

Halifax (in 1964-83 and since 1987) and Erewash (continuously since 1992) have both, since 2015 been represented by a fourth woman to sit for their constituencies.

Longest period represented by women MPs:

Birmingham Edgbaston has been represented by 3 women MPs in continuous succession since a by-election on 2 July 1953, a period of more than 63 years, apart from a vacancy interval of 63 days between the death of Dame Edith Pitt on 27 January 1966 and the election of her successor Dame Jill Knight at the general election that year.

Husband-Wife sets of MPs

First couples to serve as MPs

Indirectly successively - John Stewart-Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine was MP for West Perthshire from the December 1910 general election until 1917 when he succeeded his father as Duke of Atholl and moved to the House of Lords. His wife Katharine Stewart-Murray, Duchess of Atholl, was MP for Kinross and West Perthshire from 1923 to 1938.

Directly successively - Waldorf Astor (later 2nd Viscount Astor), who was MP for Plymouth December 1910-December 1918 and Plymouth Sutton December 1918-October 1919 (on succession to hereditary peerage), and Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, who succeeded him as MP for the latter seat, becoming the first woman to take her seat in the Commons, from by-election in November 1919 until July 1945.

Concurrently - Walter Runciman, MP for Swansea West 1924–29 and Hilda Runciman, MP for St Ives 1928–29. She relinquished the latter seat at the 1929 general election, enabling him to hold the seat until 1937. (He was also, previously, MP for Oldham 1899–1900 and Dewsbury 1902–18.)

First widow elected to succeed deceased husband as MP

Margaret Wintringham who became MP for Louth, Lincolnshire in 1921 at by-election following death of her husband Thomas Wintringham, who had only served since June 1920 and had died in August 1921. She lost the seat at the 1924 general election. She was the second woman to take her seat in the Commons.

Longest concurrent Commons service as married couple

Nicholas Winterton and Ann Winterton - 27 years, from the latter's election in 1983 for Congleton until both retired at the 2010 general election. The former had commenced serving as MP for Macclesfield from 1971. They are also contenders for the record of couple with highest collective years of service in the Commons, totaling 66 years.

Longest span of couple's service in the Commons

(Consecutive) - Noel Buxton, MP for Whitby from by-election in May 1905 to 1906, and for Norfolk North 1910 to 1918 and 1922 to 1930 when he was raised to peerage as Baron Noel-Buxton, following which his wife Lucy, Baroness Noel-Buxton served as MP for Norfolk North from 1930 to the 1931 general election, and for Norwich from 1945 to 1950, making a span of nearly 45 years.

(Concurrent) -Aneurin Bevan was MP for Ebbw Vale from 1929 (until his death in 1960), while his wife Jennie Lee, served from 1945 to 1970 as MP for Cannock, making a span of 41 years and 18 days. The latter had been MP for North Lanarkshire from 1929 to 1931, prior to their marriage in 1934.

Although differing in that the husband's service preceded and outlasted the wife's, the Bevans' span has been surpassed by Sir Peter Bottomley who has served in the Commons since 26 June 1975 and his wife Virginia, who sat as MP for South West Surrey from by-election on 4 May 1984 to the 2005 General Election - a period of 7009131744880000000♠41 years, 273 days.

Representation of a constituency by a couple

The establishment of single-member seats by the 20th century as the norm for parliamentary constituencies means there have been no concurrent representations of a constituency by a couple but successive representations by one spouse after the other has died or relinquished the seat have been relatively commonplace in parliament.

Hemel Hempstead was represented the longest, for nearly 39 years, by John Davidson from a by-election in November 1920 until he was elevated to the House of Lords as Viscount Davidson in 1937, when the seat was represented by his wife Frances Davidson, Viscountess Davidson from the subsequent by-election until her retirement at the October 1959 general election.

Louth, Lincolnshire was represented for the shortest time, a total of 4 years and 3 months, by Thomas Wintringham from June 1920 to his death in August 1921, then by his widow, Margaret, from the by-election in September 1921 to the general election in October 1924.

Couples who served separately as MPs before marriage but not together after

Campbell Stephen, MP for Glasgow Camlachie 1922–31 and 1935 to his death in 1947, who married in 1945 Dorothy Jewson, who had been MP for Norwich in 1923–24.

Nigel Fisher, MP for Hitchin 1950–55 and Surbiton 1955–83, who married in 1956 Patricia Ford who had been MP for North Down 1953-55.

Jim Sillars, MP for South Ayrshire 1970–79 and Glasgow Govan 1988–92, who married in 1981 Margo MacDonald who had been MP for Glasgow Govan in 1973–74

Sir Alan Beith, MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed 1973–2015, who married in 2001 Diana Maddock, Baroness Maddock, who had been MP for Christchurch 1993-97.

Couples who married serving as MPs

Andrew MacKay, MP for Birmingham Stechford 1977–79, East Berkshire 1983–97 and Bracknell 1997–2010, who married in August 1997, Julie Kirkbride, MP for Bromsgrove 1997–2010, when both had been returned in the general election in May 1997.

Frank Doran, MP for Aberdeen South 1987–92, Aberdeen Central 1997–2005, and Aberdeen North 2005–15, who married in 2010 Dame Joan Ruddock, MP for Lewisham Deptford 1987–2015.

Duncan Hames, MP for Chippenham 2010–15, who married in 2011 Jo Swinson, MP for East Dunbartonshire 2005–15.

Nick Raynsford, MP for Fulham 1983–87, Greenwich 1992–97 and Greenwich & Woolwich 1997–2015, who married in 2012 Alison Seabeck, MP for Plymouth Devonport 2005–10 and Plymouth Moor View 2010–15.

Mark Lancaster, MP for North East Milton Keynes 2005–10 and Milton Keynes North since 2010, who married in 2014 Caroline Dinenage, MP for Gosport since 2010.

Couple who divorced before one partner became an MP

Shirley Summerskill, MP for Halifax 1964–83, who divorced in 1971 from her husband John Ryman, who later became MP for Blyth 1974–83, and Blyth Valley 1983–87.

Couple who divorced when one partner had ceased to be an MP

John Dunwoody, MP for Falmouth and Camborne 1966–70, and Gwyneth Dunwoody, MP for Exeter 1966–70 and Crewe 1974–83 and Crewe and Nantwich 1983–2008, who divorced in 1975.

Couple who divorced while serving as MPs

Gordon Prentice, MP for Pendle 1992–2010 and Bridget Prentice, MP for Lewisham East 1992–2010, who divorced in 2000. They were married to each other when both were returned at the same 1992 general election.

Currently serving MP couples

Harriet Harman, MP for Peckham 1982–97 and Camberwell and Peckham since 1997, married since 1982 to Jack Dromey, MP for Birmingham Erdington since 2010.

Mark Lancaster, MP for North East Milton Keynes 2005–10 and Milton Keynes North since 2010, married since 2014 to Caroline Dinenage, MP for Gosport since 2010.

Nick Smith, MP for Blaenau Gwent since 2015, married since 2014 to Jenny Chapman, MP for Darlington since 2010.

Couples with one spouse still serving in the Commons

Sir Peter Bottomley, MP for Woolwich West 1975–83, Eltham 1983–97, and Worthing West since 1997, whose wife Virginia (now Baroness Bottomley) was MP for South West Surrey 1984–2005

Yvette Cooper, MP for Pontefract and Castleford 1997–2010, and for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford since 2010, whose husband Ed Balls was MP for Normanton 2005–10 and Morley and Outwood 2010–15

First UK MP married to a foreign head of government

Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberavon since May 2015, is married to Helle Thorning-Schmidt, member of the Danish Parliament since 2005 and Prime Minister of Denmark from 2011 until 2015 (resigning shortly after Kinnock's election).

Mother- and child-in-law sets

(Not as commonplace as those of fathers- and children-in-law.)

Gwendolen Guinness, Countess of Iveagh, MP for Southend 1927–35, was mother-in-law to two sons-in-law serving as MPs in her lifetime:

Sir Henry Channon, MP for Southend 1935–50 and Southend West 1950–58

Alan Lennox-Boyd, MP for Mid Bedfordshire 1931–60

Edith Summerskill, MP for Fulham West 1938–55 and Warrington 1955–61, was mother-in-law (prior to his divorce from her daughter Shirley) to John Ryman, MP for Blyth 1974–83 and Blyth Valley 1983–87

Patricia Ford, MP for North Down 1953–55, was mother-in-law to Sir Michael Grylls, MP for Chertsey 1970–74 and North West Surrey 1974–97

Winnie Ewing, MP for Hamilton 1967–70 and Moray and Nairn 1974–79, was mother-in-law to Margaret Ewing, MP for East Dunbartonshire 1974–79 and Moray 1987–2001

Children elected before parents

This is not as commonplace as children following parents into the Commons.

Thomas Davis Lamb, elected in 1802, and father Thomas Phillipps Lamb, elected in 1812.

Robert Williams (1767-1847), elected in 1802, and father Robert Williams (1735-1814), elected in 1807.

William Miles, elected in 1818, and father Philip John Miles, elected in 1820.

Raymond Greene, elected in 1895, and father Sir Edward Greene, Bt, elected in 1900.

Walter Runciman, elected in 1899, and father Sir Walter Runciman, Bt, elected in 1914.

Children serving alongside parents

It is rarer for parents and children to serve in the Commons simultaneously than consecutively (frequent cause of latter being death, retirement or promotion to House of Lords of the father). In most cases given below the sons entered parliament in latter stages of the father's service.

David Mitchell, MP between 1964 and 1997, and son Andrew Mitchell, MP 1987–97 and since 2001.

Tony Benn, MP 1950–2001, and son Hilary Benn, MP since 1999.

Thomas Galbraith, MP between 1940 and 65, and son Tam, MP 1948–82.

Harold Macmillan, MP 1924–64, and son Maurice Macmillan, MP 1955–83.

Arthur Greenwood, MP 1922–54, and son Tony Greenwood, MP 1946–70.

Isaac Foot, MP 1922–35, and son Dingle, MP 1931–70.

William Adamson, MP 1910–31, and son William Murdoch Adamson, MP 1922–45.

Stanley Baldwin, MP 1908–37, and son Oliver, MP 1929–47.

Sir Francis Acland, MP 1906–39, and son Richard, MP 1935–55.

Ramsay MacDonald, MP 1906–37 and son Malcolm MacDonald, MP 1929–45.

Arthur Henderson, MP 1903–35, and sons Arthur, junior, MP 1923–66 and William, MP 1923–31.

Winston Churchill, MP 1900–64, and son Randolph, MP 1940–45.

Sir Edward Greene, 1st Baronet, MP 1900–06, and son Sir Raymond Greene, 2nd Baronet, MP 1895–1923.

John Fitazalan Hope, MP 1900-29, and son Arthur, MP 1924-39.

Sir Walter Runciman, MP 1914–18, and son Walter, MP 1899–1937.

Alexander Henderson, MP 1898-1916, and son Harold Henderson, MP 1910-16.

Wentworth Beaumont, MP 1895–1907, and son Hubert, MP 1906–10.

Sir Frederick Cawley, MP 1895-1918, and son Harold Thomas Cawley, MP 1910-15.

Alfred Hopkinson, MP 1895-98 and 1926–29, and son Austin Hopkinson, MP 1918-29 and 1931-45.

John Benn, MP 1892–1910, and son William Wedgwood Benn, MP 1906–42. (Latter father of Tony Benn.)

David Lloyd George, MP 1890–1945, son Gwilym Lloyd George, MP 1922–57, and daughter Megan Lloyd George, MP 1929–51 and 1957–66. First concurrent father and son and daughter set of MPs when returned at 1929 General Election.

Sir John Brunner, 1st Baronet, MP 1885-1910, and son Sir John Brunner, 2nd Baronet, MP 1906-24.

John Redmond, MP 1881-1918, and son William Redmond, MP 1910-22.

Justin McCarthy (1830–1912), MP 1879–1900, and son Justin Huntly McCarthy, MP 1884–92.

Joseph Chamberlain, MP 1876–1914, and son Austen, MP 1892–1937.

William Vernon Harcourt, MP 1868–1904, and son Lewis, MP 1904–17 (the latter was elected in March 1904, before his father died serving in October same year).

Samuel Morley, MP 1866-85, and son Arnold, MP 1880-95.

Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease, 1st Baronet, MP 1865–1903, and sons Sir Alfred Edward Pease, 2nd Baronet, MP 1885–1902, and Joseph Albert Pease, MP 1892–1916.

George Goschen, MP 1863–1900, and his son George Goschen, jnr, MP 1895–1900.

Sir Bernhard Samuelson, MP 1859–95, and son Henry, MP 1868–85.

John Hubbard, MP 1859-87, and son Egerton, MP 1874-89.

Sir Edward Watkin, MP 1857-95 and son Alfred Mellor Watkin, MP 1877-80.

Abel Smith (1829–1898), MP 1854–98, and son Abel Henry Smith, MP 1892–1910.

Samuel Whitbread, MP 1852–95, and son Samuel Howard Whitbread, MP 1892–1910.

Michael Thomas Bass, MP 1848–83, and sons Michael, MP 1865–86, and Hamar Alfred Bass, MP 1878–98.

John Bright, MP 1843–89, and son William, MP 1885–90.

Walter Long, MP 1835–65 and son Richard, MP 1859–68.

Lionel de Rothschild, MP 1847–74, and his son Nathan Rothschild, MP 1865–85.

Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 11th Baronet, MP 1837-86, and sons Thomas, MP 1882-92, and Anthony, MP 1885-99.

William Ewart Gladstone, MP 1832–95, and sons William Henry, MP 1865–85, and Herbert, MP 1880–1910.

Thomas Langlois Lefroy, MP 1830–41, and son Anthony, MP 1830–70.

Daniel O'Connell, MP 1828–46, and sons John, MP 1832–57, Maurice, MP 1832–53, and Morgan, MP 1832–40. (Possibly greatest number of sons returned alongside their father in 1832 General Election.)

Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 5th Baronet, MP 1820–56, and son Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 6th Baronet, MP 1852–67.

Philip John Miles, MP 1820-37, and son William Miles, MP 1818-65.

Hussey Vivian, MP 1820–41, and son Charles Vivian, MP 1835–42.

Ralph Bernal, MP 1818–52, and son Ralph Bernal Osborne, MP 1841–74.

Luke White, MP 1818-24, and son Henry White, MP 1823-61.

George Tennyson, MP 1818-19, and son Charles Tennyson d'Eyncourt, MP 1818-52.

John Maberley, MP 1816-32, and son William Leader Maberley, MP 1819-34.

Wilbraham Egerton, MP 1812-31, and son William Egerton, MP 1830-58.

Henry Lowther, MP 1812–67, and son Henry, jnr, MP 1847–72.

Sir Thomas Frankland Lewis, MP 1812–55, and son George Cornewall Lewis, MP 1847–63.

Sir George Philips, 1st Baronet, MP 1812–35, and son Sir George Philips, 2nd Baronet, MP 1818–52.

Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, MP 1809–50, and son Frederick Peel, MP 1849–65.

Richard Hart Davis, MP 1807-31, and his son Hart Davis, MP 1812-18.

Alexander Baring, MP 1806-35, and sons Bingham Baring, MP 1826-48, and Francis Baring, MP 1830-57.

William Ormsby-Gore, MP 1806–57, and son John, MP 1837–76.

Sir John Shelley, MP 1806-31, and son John Villiers Shelley, MP 1830-67.

Henry Grattan, MP 1803–20, and son James, MP 1817–29.

Robert Haldane Bradshaw, MP 1802–32, and son James, MP 1825–32. (They represented the same, two-member seat, of Brackley.)

Charles Chaplin the elder, MP 1802-16, and son Charles Chaplin the younger, MP 1809-31

John Smith, MP 1802–35, and son John Abel Smith, MP 1830–59.

Charles Grant, MP 1802–18, and son Charles, jnr, MP 1811–35.

Sir Robert Wigram, 1st Baronet, MP 1802-07, and son Sir Robert Wigram, 2nd Baronet, MP 1806-30.

Robert Williams (1735-1814), MP 1807-12, and his son Robert Williams (1767-1847),MP 1802-34.

Henry Bankes, MP 1801-31, and sons William John Bankes, MP 1810-34, and George Bankes, MP 1816-56.

John Blackburne (1754–1833), MP 1801–31, and son John Ireland Blackburne (1783–1874), MP 1807–47.

John Calcraft, MP 1801-31, and son John Hales Calcraft, MP 1820-59.

John Calvert (1726-1804), MP 1801-02, and son John Calvert (died 1844), MP 1801-31.

Lord George Cavendish, MP 1801-31, and sons William Cavendish, MP 1804-12, George Henry Compton Cavendish, MP 1806-09, Henry Frederick Compton Cavendish, MP 1812-34, and Charles Compton Cavendish, MP 1814-57. (Largest number of sons serving during their father's service in the Commons.)

Sir Henry Dashwood, 3rd Baronet, MP 1801-20, and son George Dashwood, MP 1814-18.

Sir William Lemon, 1st Baronet, MP 1801–24, and son Sir Charles Lemon, 2nd Baronet, MP 1807–57.

John Fownes Luttrell (1752-1816), MP 1801-16, and son John Fownes Luttrell (1787-1857), MP 1812-32. (Both sat together for same two-member seat, Minehead.)

Andrew Foley, MP 1801–18, and son Thomas, MP 1805–22.

Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 4th Baronet, MP 1801–41, and son Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 5th Baronet, MP 1820–56.

Michael Hicks-Beach (1760-1830), MP 1801-18, and son William Hicks-Beach (1783-1856), MP 1812-17.

Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet, MP 1801–20, and sons Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, MP 1809–50, and William Yates Peel, MP 1817–47.

Samuel Smith (1754–1834), MP 1801–32, and son Abel Smith (1788–1859), MP 1810–47. (On two occasions they sat together for the same two-member seat, Wendover, in 1812–18 and 1830–32.)

Sir Matthew White Ridley, MP 1801-12, and son Nicholas Ridley-Colborne, MP 1805-37.

Thomas Drake Tyrwhitt-Drake, MP 1801-10, and son Thomas Tyrwhitt-Drake, MP 1805-32. (Both sat for same two-member seat, Amersham.)

John Beresford, MP 1801–05, and son John Claudius Beresford, MP 1801–11.

Sir Mark Wood, 1st Baronet, MP 1801-18, and son Mark Wood, jnr., MP 1816-18. (They sat together for same two-member seat, Gatton.)

Largest set

Six brother sets:

Francis Seymour-Conway, Viscount Beauchamp (later 2nd Marquess of Hertford) served 1766–94; Lord George Seymour-Conway 1784–90 and 1796–1801; The Honourable Henry-Seymour-Conway (later Lord Henry Seymour) 1766–84; Lord Robert Seymour 1771–90 and 1794–1820; Lord William Seymour 1783–84 and 1785–96; and Lord Hugh Seymour 1784–86 and 1788 to his death in 1801. All began serving in the pre-1801 Parliament of Great Britain and their service in the Commons totaled 126 years.

Henry Paget, Lord Paget (later 1st Marquess of Anglesey) served 1790–1804 and 1806–10; The Honourable Arthur Paget 1794–1807; The Honourable Berkeley Paget 1807–26; Sir Charles Paget 1804–26 and 1831–33 and 1833–34; Sir Edward Paget, 1796–1806 and 1810–20; and The Honourable William Paget 1790 to his death in 1794. Four of the brothers began serving under the pre-1801 Parliament of Great Britain and their service in the Commons totaled 79 years.

Longest span of service in the Commons by brothers

Probably the longest (though not continuous) all time span of service by brothers in the Commons, in the Parliament of England, was 85 years from 1562, when Sir Henry Knollys was elected MP for Reading, until the death in 1648 of his brother Sir Francis Knollys (above, aged reputedly 97) also representing Reading, although there were intervals of years when parliament did not meet. They were part of another set of six brothers who all sat at various times.

Since regular parliamentary government was established by the start of the UK Parliament, contenders for longest span of continuous service include the four brothers Sir Robert Peel (also twice Prime Minister), William Yates Peel, Jonathan Peel and Edmund Peel, with a span of 59 years from Robert's by-election return on 15 April 1809 as MP for Cashel, to the retirement of Jonathan at the 1868 general election as MP for Huntingdon. Their collective service totaled 115 years and all four were simultaneously in Parliament when Edmund was sitting in 1831–32 and 1835–37 for Newcastle-under-Lyme. Another 59 year service span was enjoyed by two brothers, William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale (when Viscount Lowther before entering the House of Lords in 1841) and Henry Cecil Lowther, from the former's election as MP for Cockermouth in 1808 until the death of the latter as MP for Westmorland (which he had represented since 1812) and Father of the House on 4 December 1867.

Thomas Hyde Villiers and his brother Charles Pelham Villiers (above) had a span of nearly 72 years service from the former's first election as MP in 1826 to the latter's death as a serving MP and Father of the House in 1898, but this was broken by an interval when the former was out of parliament in 1831, and the gap between Thomas' death on 3 December 1832 and Charles' first election in 1835. Their consecutive service thus totaled 69 years.

Representation of same constituency by brothers

Where seats were in the patronage of territorial magnates, it was commonplace into the 19th century for brothers in (usually landowning) families to hold seats successively or (before the advent of single member seats) even concurrently, before the system of choosing candidates by local party associations became organised on a competitive selection basis. Two brothers successively represented North Derbyshire for a total span of nearly 48 years. Lord Cavendish of Keighley was MP from the 1832 general election until succeeding his father and going to the House of Lords as Earl of Burlington in 1834. He was succeeded by Lord George Henry Cavendish from 1834 until the latter's death on 23 September 1880.

The last set of brothers to represent the same constituency were Frederick and Henry Guest, who did so in connection with two successive constituencies:

East Dorset. Frederick was first elected at the January 1910 General Election but was unable to take his seat due to irregularity by an election agent, causing a by-election in June 1910 when he stepped aside in favour of Henry, who held the seat until the December 1910 General Election when Henry in turn stepped aside in favour of Frederick who was elected, to hold the seat until the 1922 General Election.

Plymouth Drake, of which Frederick was MP from 1931 to his death in 1937 when Henry succeeded him at the by-election and held the seat until the 1945 General Election.

Currently serving brother sets

Complete set - Boris Johnson, MP for Henley 2001–08 and Uxbridge and South Ruislip from May 2015, and Jo Johnson, MP for Orpington from 2010.

Set with one brother still serving - David Miliband, MP for South Shields 2001–13, and Ed Miliband, MP for Doncaster North from 2005.

Brother-sister sets of MPs

The Honourable Gwilym Lloyd George (later 1st Viscount Tenby), MP for Pembrokeshire 1922–24 and 1929–50 and Newcastle upon Tyne North 1951–57, and sister Lady Megan Lloyd George, MP for Anglesey 1929–51 and Carmarthen 1957–66.

Victor Cazalet, MP for Chippenham 1924–43 and his sister Thelma Cazalet-Keir, MP for Islington East 1931–45.

Currently serving brother-sister set

Keith Vaz, MP for Leicester East from 1987, and sister Valerie Vaz, MP for Walsall South from 2010.

Twins

James Grenville and Richard Grenville sat together as MPs for Buckingham from 1774 to 1780.

Edward John Stanley, MP for North Cheshire, sat alongside his brother William Owen Stanley, MP for Anglesey, from 1837 to 1841.

Currently serving Angela Eagle and Maria Eagle, mentioned above, are the only twin sisters to have sat in the Commons together.

First general election victors by religious affiliation

When the UK Parliament was established in 1801, non-Anglicans were prevented from taking their seats as MPs under the Test Act 1672. However, Methodists took communion at Anglican churches until 1795, and some continued to do so, and many Presbyterians were prepared to accept Anglican communion, thus ensuring that members of these creeds were represented in the Parliament. Some Unitarians were also elected.

The first Roman Catholic general election victors in the UK Parliament were at the 1830 general election. They included Daniel O'Connell and James Patrick Mahon in Clare.

The first Quaker general election victor was Joseph Pease, at the 1832 general election.

The first Moravian general election victor was Charles Hindley, at the 1835 general election.

Lionel de Rothschild was the first Jewish general election victor, at the 1847 general election. He was not permitted to take his seat until 1858.

The first declared atheist to win a general election was Charles Bradlaugh at the 1880 general election. He was not permitted to take the oath until January 1886, although he sat briefly in 1880–81 when permitted to affirm allegiance; a legal action later held that affirmation had no effect.

Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Parsi general election victor at the 1892 general election.

Piara Khabra became the first Sikh general election victor, at the 1992 general election.

Terry Rooney became the first Mormon general election victor at the 1992 general election, after being initially elected for his seat at a by-election in 1990.

The first Muslim general election victor was Mohammad Sarwar at the 1997 general election.

The first Hindu general election victor was Shailesh Vara at the 2005 general election.

Heaviest

The heaviest MP of all time is believed to be Sir Cyril Smith, MP for Rochdale between 1972 and 1992, who weighed 189.6 kg (nearly 30 stone) at his peak in 1976.

Tallest

The tallest MP of all time is believed to be Daniel Kawczynski at 6 feet 8 ¹⁄₂ inches (204.5 cm) in 2007, later stated to be 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) in 2014. Before Kawczynski's election for Shrewsbury and Atcham in 2005, the record was held by Louis Gluckstein, MP for Nottingham East between 1931 and 1945, who measured 2.02 metres (6 feet 8 inches).

Among pre-20th-century MPs, Sir John Cheyne (c. 1442 – 1499), known among contemporaries as the "Vigorous Knight" and MP for Wiltshire between 1471 and 1481, has been estimated to have been 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) tall, based on analysis of his femur (measuring 21 inches / 53 cm) found in his tomb.

Shortest

Not counting MPs who served as minors, adult contenders for this record in modern times include Sarah Teather, MP for Brent East 2003–10 and Brent Central 2010–2015, who in 2014 was held to be the shortest MP then sitting, at 4 feet 10 inches (1.47 m). Hazel Blears, MP for Salford 1997–2010 and Salford and Eccles 2010–15 was also reportedly (2014) the same height.

Physically disabled MPs

The following were all known to be disabled when serving as MPs:

Sir Francis Bryan, MP for Buckinghamshire in 1529, 1539, 1542 and 1545, who lost an eye in a tournament in 1526.

William Page, MP for Bridport in 1559, Oxford 1562–67, and Saltash 1571–81, who had a hand cut off in lieu of execution for distributing a political pamphlet in 1579.

John Stubbs or Stubbe, MP for Great Yarmouth 1588–89, who also had right hand cut off in lieu of execution for publication of the same pamphlet in 1579.

Hugh Bethell, MP for East Riding of Yorkshire 1654–56 and Hedon 1660–79, who lost an eye at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644.

John Hewson, MP for Guildford 1656–58, who lost an eye in action in Ireland in 1650.

Sir Frescheville Holles, MP for Grimsby 1667–72, who lost an arm in a sea battle in 1666.

Thomas Erle, MP for Wareham 1679–98 and 1701–18, and Portsmouth 1698–1702 and 1708, who lost his right hand (by some reports) at Battle of Almanza in 1707.

Sackville Tufton, MP for Appleby 1681–89, who lost some use of his right hand after being wounded at the Battle of Schooneveld in 1673.

Sir James Lowther, MP for Carlisle 1694–1702, Appleby 1723–27, and Cumberland 1708–22 and 1727–55, who had his right leg amputated due to gout in 1750.

John Richmond Webb, MP for Ludgershall 1695–98, 1699–1705, 1706–13 and 1715–24, and for Newport, Isle of Wight 1713–15, who was lame after being severely wounded at the Battle of Malplaquet in 1709.

John Mordaunt, Viscount Mordaunt, MP for Chippenham 1701–05 and 1705–08, who lost his left arm at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704.

George Clarke, MP for Winchelsea 1702–05, East Looe 1705–08, Launceston 1711–13, and Oxford University 1717–36, who by 1734 lost his left eye and was losing sight in the other.

Galfridus Walpole, MP for Lostwithiel 1715–21, who lost his right arm by a sea battle in 1711.

William Windham, MP for Sudbury 1720–27 and Aldeburgh 1727–30, who lost a leg at the Battle of Blenheim.

Charles Stewart, MP for Malmesbury 1723–27 and Portsmouth 1737–41, who lost his right hand in a sea battle in 1697.

Frederick North, Lord North, MP for Banbury 1754–90, and Prime Minister 1770–82, who was increasingly blind from 1786.

Isaac Barré, MP for Wycombe 1761–74 and Calne 1774–90, who became blind in one eye at the Battle of Quebec in 1759 and totally blind in 1784.

John Sawbridge, MP for Hythe 1768–74 and City of London 1774–95, who was paralysed from about 1792.

James Murray, MP for Perthshire 1773–94, who was permanently disabled in 1761 by a battle wound that left him unable to lie down.

Pinckney Wilkinson, MP for Old Sarum 1774–84, who was incapacitated by a stroke from 1782.

Sir William Middleton, MP for Northumberland 1774–95, who was lame for life after severe wounding at Battle of Minden in 1759.

Brook Watson, MP for the City of London 1784–93, who lost his right leg after a shark attack while swimming at Havana in 1749.

Francis Mackenzie, MP for Ross-shire 1784–90 and 1794–96, who became deaf and almost dumb from scarlet fever at about age of 12.

Sir John Call, MP for Callington 1784–1801, who became blind in about 1794.

Sir Lawrence Palk, MP for Ashburton 1787-96 and Devon 1796-1812, who was severely crippled by gout by 1809.

Banastre Tarleton, MP for Liverpool 1790–1806 and 1807–12, who sustained a crippled right hand, losing two fingers, in action during the American War of Independence in 1781.

John Theophilus Rawdon, MP for Appleby 1791–96, and Launceston 1796–1802, who lost a leg at the Battle of Brandywine during the American War of Independence in 1777.

Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, MP for Beaumaris 1794–96 and Denbighshire 1796–1840, who became deaf after contracting erysipelas in 1826, and had a large tongue which impeded speech.

Alexander Hope, MP for Dumfries Burghs 1796–1800 and Linlithgowshire 1800–34, who lost an arm and was left permanently lame after being wounded in the Flanders Campaign in 1795.

Sir Robert Abercromby, MP for Clackmannanshire 1798–1802, who became increasingly blind in office due to an eye disease contracted in India by 1797.

John Horne Tooke, MP for Old Sarum 1801–02, who lost sight of right eye in a boyhood fight and was reportedly "lame" when he took his seat.

Robert Haldane Bradshaw, MP for Brackley 1802–32, who lost use of his left limbs after a stroke in 1831.

Mervyn Archdall, MP for County Fermanagh 1802–34, who lost his right arm in battle in Egypt in 1801.

James Paull, MP for Newtown (Isle of Wight) 1805–06, who was left disabled in his right arm from a duel in 1795.

Sir William Maxwell, MP for Wigtownshire 1805–12 and 1822–30, who lost his left arm at the Battle of Corunna and was badly wounded in the knee in the Walcheren Expedition in 1809.

James Mingay, MP for Thetford 1806–07, who lost his right hand in childhood accident at a mill.

Sir Samuel Hood, MP for Westminster 1806–07 and Bridport 1807–12, who lost an arm in action at sea in 1806.

Thomas Thompson, MP for Rochester 1807–18, who lost a leg at the Battle of Copenhagen (1801).

Fulk Greville Howard, MP for Castle Rising 1808–32, who lost the sight of one eye during the Helder Expedition in 1799.

William Beresford, MP for County Waterford 1811–14, who was blinded in one eye by an accident with a musket on military service in 1786.

Coningsby Waldo-Sibthorpe, MP for Lincoln 1814–22, who was left paralysed in his lower back in carriage accident in 1821.

Lord Fitzroy Somerset, MP for Truro 1818–20 and 1826–29, who lost his right arm at the Battle of Waterloo.

Thomas Henry Hastings Davies, MP for Worcester 1818–34 and 1837–41, who became increasingly paralysed since a carriage accident while contesting the 1835 general election.

Sir Henry Hardinge, MP for Durham 1820–30, St Germans 1830–31, Newport (Cornwall) 1831–32, and Launceston 1832–44, who lost his left hand at the Battle of Ligny in 1815.

Lord John Hay, MP for Haddingtonshire 1826–31 and Windsor 1847–50, who lost his left arm in a sea battle in 1807.

Lord William Lennox, MP for King's Lynn 1831–34, who lost the sight of one eye in a horse riding accident in 1815.

William Ewart Gladstone, MP for Newark 1832–45, Oxford University 1847–65, South Lancashire 1865–68, Greenwich 1868–80, and Midlothian 1880–95, four times Prime Minister between 1868 and 1894, who lost the forefinger of his left hand in a shotgun accident in 1842.

George Julius Poulett Scrope, MP for Stroud 1833–67, who became increasingly blind later in office.

Admiral Sir Charles Napier, MP for Marylebone 1841–47 and Southwark 1855–60, who walked with a limp and stoop due to leg and neck wounds received in the Napoleonic Wars.

Henry Fawcett, MP for Brighton 1865–74 and Hackney 1874–84, who was blind since a field shooting accident when he was 25.

Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh, MP for County Wexford 1866-68 and County Carlow 1868-80, who was born with no arms, and no legs. Or more precisely, no arms below the lower third of his upper arm, nor legs below mid thigh. And in consequence, no hands and no feet.

Joseph Chamberlain, MP for Birmingham 1876–85 and Birmingham West 1885–1914, whose sight, speech and use of right hand were impaired by a stroke in 1906.

Walter Wren, MP for Wallingford in 1880, who was crippled by spinal disease since age of 18.

Arthur Elliot, MP for Roxburghshire 1880–92 and City of Durham 1898–1906, who had a leg amputated at age of four after a fall.

Michael Davitt, MP for Meath in 1882, North Meath in 1892, North East Cork in 1893, and South Mayo 1895–99, who lost his right arm in an industrial accident at a textile mill in 1857 aged 11.

Sir William Tindal Robertson, MP for Brighton 1886–89, who became blind from glaucoma in 1873.

William Archibald Macdonald, MP for Queen's County Ossory 1886–92, who was totally blind from age of 13.

Sir William Hornby, MP for Blackburn 1886–1910, who became deaf in 1908.

George William Palmer, MP for Reading 1892-95 and 1898-1904, who became increasingly deaf in office, causing his resignation.

Sir Winston Churchill, MP for Oldham 1900–06, Manchester North West 1906–08, Dundee 1908–22, Epping 1924–45 and Woodford 1945–64, twice Prime Minister between 1940 and 1955, who became increasingly deaf from 1949 and a wheelchair user after a series of strokes towards the end of his service.

Joseph Patrick Nannetti, MP for Dublin College Green 1900–15, who was paralysed by illness from 1913.

Daniel Desmond Sheehan, MP for Mid-Cork 1901–18, who became deaf due to shellfire and ill-health while serving in World War I by 1917.

Philip Snowden, MP for Blackburn 1906–18 and Colne Valley 1922–31, who was paralysed by illness from waist down in 1891 and walked with aid of sticks.

Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, MP for Ripon 1910–25, who was born with a withered left arm and without a left hand.

Duncan Frederick Campbell, MP for North Ayrshire 1911–16, who lost his left arm at the First Battle of Ypres in 1914.

Aubrey Herbert, MP for South Somerset 1911–18 and Yeovil 1918–23, who was near blind from youth, becoming totally blind in his last year of life and service.

Cathal Brugha, MP for County Waterford 1918–22, who was left with a permanent limp after being wounded in the Easter Rising 1916.

Dan Irving, MP for Burnley 1918–24, who had lost a leg in an industrial accident as a railway worker.

Sir Oswald Mosley, MP for Harrow 1918–24 and Smethwick 1926–31, who was left with a permanent limp after fracturing his right leg in a plane crash during World War I.

Jack Cohen, MP for Liverpool Fairfield 1918–31, who lost both legs at the Third Battle of Ypres.

Frederick Martin, MP for Aberdeen and Kincardine East 1922–24, who was blinded during military training in 1915.

Douglas Pielou, MP for Stourbridge 1922–27, who was severely disabled by wounds at the Battle of Loos in 1915.

John Jacob Astor V, MP for Dover 1922–45, who lost his right leg in battle in World War I in 1918.

Herbert Morrison, MP for Hackney South 1923–24, 1929–31 and 1935–45, Lewisham East 1945–50 and Lewisham South 1950–59, who lost sight of his right eye due to babyhood infection.

Ian Fraser, MP for St. Pancras North 1924–29, 1931–37 and for Lonsdale 1940–58, who was blinded at the Battle of the Somme.

Robert Bourne, MP for Oxford 1924–38, who lost sight of one eye in schooldays game of rounders and sustained a crippled hand at Suvla Bay during World War I.

Harold Macmillan, MP for Stockton-on-Tees 1924–29 and 1931–45 and for Bromley 1945–64, Prime Minister 1957–63, who was left with a slight limp and weak right hand, affecting handwriting, by a series of wounds in World War I.

Charles Simmons, MP for Birmingham Erdington 1929–31, Birmingham West 1945–50 and Brierley Hill 1950–59, who lost a leg at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917.

Richard Austen Butler, MP for Saffron Walden 1929–65, who was left with a poorly functioning right hand after a childhood riding accident.

Joseph Leckie, MP for Walsall 1931–38, who became increasingly deaf in office.

Cecil Manning, MP for Camberwell North 1944–50, who lost his right arm serving in World War I.

Michael Foot, MP for Plymouth Devonport 1945–55, Ebbw Vale 1960–83 and Blaenau Gwent 1983–92, who walked with aid of a stick since car crash injuries in 1963 and was blinded in one eye by an attack of shingles in 1976.

Geoffrey Stevens, MP for Portsmouth Langstone 1950–64, who became increasingly deaf from 1962.

Iain Macleod, MP for Enfield West 1950–70, who permanently limped due to a Second World War wound in 1940 and later ankylosing spondylitis.

Richard Frederick Wood, MP for Bridlington 1950–79, who lost both legs in battle in the Middle East in World War II (son of Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, above).

William Rupert Rees-Davies, MP for Isle of Thanet 1953–74 and Thanet West 1974–83, who lost his right arm in action in World War II.

William Yates, MP for The Wrekin 1955–66, who lost a leg at the knee in the First Battle of El Alamein.

John Montagu Douglas Scott, Earl of Dalkeith, MP for Edinburgh North 1960–73, who was left paralysed chest down after a fox hunting accident in 1971.

Jack Ashley, MP for Stoke-on-Trent South 1966–92, who became profoundly deaf in 1967 after a routine operation.

Roland Boyes, MP for Houghton and Washington 1983-97, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease from 1993.

Terry Dicks, MP for Hayes and Harlington 1983–97, who has cerebral palsy.

Gordon Brown MP for Dunfermline East 1983–2005 and Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath 2005–15, Prime Minister 2007–10. Blind in left eye since a rugby accident in 1967.

David Maclean, MP for Penrith and The Borders 1983–2010, who has had multiple sclerosis since 1996 (own account).

Emma Nicholson, MP for Devon West and Torridge 1987–97, who has been deaf since age 16.

David Blunkett, MP for Sheffield Brightside 1987–2010 and Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough 2010–15, who has been blind since birth.

Anne Begg, MP for Aberdeen South 1997–2015, who has used a wheelchair since 1984 due to a degenerative disease.

Fiona Mactaggart, MP for Slough since 1997, who suffered from multiple sclerosis as early as 2006.

Stephen Lloyd, MP for Eastbourne 2010–15, who is deaf in one ear and has partial hearing in another since measles at age of six.

Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow since 2010, who has cerebral palsy.

Paul Maynard, MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys since 2010, who has cerebral palsy and a congenital speech defect.

Alec Shelbrooke, MP for Elmet and Rothwell since 2010, who is partially deaf.

First World War

Died after end of hostilities but listed as First World War casualty by Commonwealth War Graves Commission:

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Mark Sykes, 6th Baronet (5th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment); born 1879: died 1919 of Spanish influenza at Paris while attending peace negotiations. MP (Conservative Party) for Hull Central (1911-death).

Second World War

Died after end of hostilities but listed as Second World Casualty by Commonwealth War Graves Commission:

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Keyes, 1st Baronet, later 1st Baron Keyes of Zeebrugge (Royal Navy); born 1872; died 1945 of effects of smoke inhalation sustained in a Japanese aircraft attack when visiting USS Appalachian during a government goodwill tour over 1944–45. MP (Conservative Party) for Portsmouth North (1934–43).