Mother of Parliament

Not to be confused with Mother of all Parliaments.

Mother of Parliament is an informal term for the most senior Member of a Parliament when that person is a woman.

The term was used to describe Dr. Winnie Ewing at the first meeting of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. However, in accordance with the standing orders of the Scottish Parliament she was referred to as the "Oldest Qualified Member" in the Scottish Parliament Official Report.

The term is equivalent to Father of the House, which is used to describe the longest continuously serving male member of the House of Commons in Westminster. So far, no woman has been the longest-serving member.

The Houses of Parliament are often described as the Mother of Parliaments because of the adoption of the Westminster Model of Parliamentary Democracy by many countries of the former Empire. This usage is a misquote of John Bright (16 November 1811 – 27 March 1889), who actually said: 'England is the mother of parliaments'.

See also

• Father of the House