Sir Lindsay Hoyle joked there are “too many Keirs” as Selby’s new MP took his seat in the House of Commons today (Monday).
The Commons Speaker made the quip after Labour’s Keir Mather swore the oath of allegiance to the King as Parliament returned from its summer recess on Monday.
At 25, Mr Mather is now the youngest MP in the Commons – the Baby of the House – after overturning a 20,137 Conservative majority to win the Selby and Ainsty seat for Sir Keir Starmer’s party.
Mr Mather was followed by two other newcomers. The first was Conservative Steve Tuckwell, who held the seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip for the Tories after the dramatic resignation of former prime minister Boris Johnson.
Liberal Democrat Sarah Dyke also took her seat today after winning Somerton and Frome.
The three arrivals come at the start of a busy period in politics, with party conference season weeks away, the King’s Speech and two further electoral battles imminent.
Labour and the Lib Dems are both vying to flip a 24,664-strong majority in the Mid Bedfordshire seat of former Tory culture secretary and Johnson ally Nadine Dorries.
Government chief whip Simon Hart asked for the writ to trigger the by-election to be moved on September 12.