Hundreds of new UK lawmakers are sworn in as Parliament returns after a dramatic election

Hundreds of newly elected lawmakers are gathering in Britain's Parliament after the election that brought a Labour government to power. Among the 650 members of the House of Commons, 335 are arriving for the first time. The new House of Commons includes the largest number of women ever elected — 263, some 40% of the total. It also has the most lawmakers of color, at 90. The first task for lawmakers was electing a speaker to oversee the business of the House of Commons. Lindsay Hoyle has held the speaker’s post since 2019 and was reelected unopposed. After that lawmakers were sworn in one by one, taking an oath of allegiance to the Crown.