let me also thank my right honourable friend the member for rushcliffe for assuming the chair for this welcome his return as father of the house. he has, as you and others have said, had a long and distinguished career in his service to his constituents and to this country and if i may say to him it is very good to see him back here where he belongs. but it may not surprise him that i intend to be difficult today. and break with tradition. by not only welcoming him as the father of the house, but also welcoming the returning mother of the house. the right honourable member for camberwell and peckham has been a great advocate for increasing the number of women in parliament and i am sure she willjoin me in celebrating the fact there are now more women mps than ever before. and as we welcome new members on all sides of the house, we should also celebrate the fact that we now have a record number of mps celebrate the fact that we now have a record number of mp5 from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, including the first ever female sikh mp. we also have more disabled mps and more lgbt

can i start by adding michael leavitt congratulations to the right honorable member for rushcliffe. he took over this year we sadly lost another number of the 1970 intake. >> here, here. >> the leader of the opposition ,ays he loves life and politics and i can honestly say that could be said of you, too. having served in all of the departments of state, virtually, and all its great offices through a long and distinguished career, it is a tribute to your public recd of service and the resilience over the years in our proceedings of parliaments today and the election of a new speaker. while i am welcoming all my colleagues returning to the house who are speaker -- who are familiar with the speaker's role, we are all pleased to welcome new members across all sides of the house. >> here, here. >> however, they may not realize the speaker's office under this name goes back only a mere 640 years. [laughter] >> the speaker was then the agent of the kang, and was afforded little protection. is the agent of the kang offered bad news, -- of the king offered no less than seven were beheaded. [

may i also associate myself with the remarks -- generous remarks for rushcliffe and the remarks by -- she said that we have got rid of nearly all the whigs. i think there's 12 of us now, and that's a 50% increase. thank you very much. come on. i'm here always. and mr. speaker, mr. speaker, congratulations -- actually, it is quiet about 90 seconds. mr. speaker, congratulations on your re-election, which is of course utterly well deserved. you have the privilege of serving and presides over one over the most interesting parliaments in years. you're the first speaker to preside over not just one but now two balanced parliaments and between you and me we have to do something about the chaos, the chaos, and the absolute instability caused by the first electoral system. and we have every right to expect and every confidence you will continue with characteristics -- grace, and humor to preside over this place. you'reown for now fairness and willingness to ensure that voices, every corner of the united kingdom, and every party, are heard. i'm sure that my colleagues return here in greater num

there is no plan to keep britain in the single market, has the right honourable member for rushcliffe we will therefore seeks to amend the queen's speech to add in membership of the single market and of the customs union. both the remain and leave campaigns agreed we did not stay in the single market and customs union for a variety of good reasons. one, we want to do free trade agreements with other countries around the world. and you can't do it if you're in the single market and customs union. two, they made it very clear you'd have to pay budget contributions and accept freedom of movement, which we have no intention of doing. so, it's one of the few things the two campaigns agreed about. we all told the british public we would be leaving the single market and the customs union. we again will work with government in the course of the next period in this parliament to ensure that we do deliver prosperity, we do deliver greater spending on health, and education, and that we do see an end to the tunnel, the dark tunnel, of austerity. this queen's speech does not herald any hope for my

next sunday, you will mark 47 years continuous service to your constituency of rushcliffe, to this chamberre that i speakfor all colleagues of the house. and i am sure that i speak for all colleagues in wishing you well in your new role. if the house so permits, i shall be honoured to serve as speaker in this parliament. which, thankfully, across the parties is more richly diverse and representative of modern britain than in any of its predecessors. i will strive to ensure that all parts of the house i heard fully and fairly, and as always, i will champion the right of backbenchers to question, to probe, to scrutinise and to hold to account the government of the day. laughter. finally, mr clarke, i referred admiringly to your 47 year tenure. it may come as a relief to collea g u es it may come as a relief to colleagues to know that i have no pretensions to seek to serve for anything like so long. either... either as a parliamentarian or indeedin either as a parliamentarian or indeed in the chair as speaker. that said, we appearto indeed in the chair as speaker. that said, we appear to be d