There are 649 MPs , yet only room for 427  MPs to sit in the House of Commons Chamber.  On television we often see them standing during popular sessions, like the Budget and PMQs.  It’s not an ideal working arrangement, and I wonder what can be done to accommodate all our honourable ladies and gentlemen.

Could any changes could be made to the present historic chamber which would enable all MPs to be present – and seated – or is a new modern Chamber needed? Is it best to leave it unchanged because it is not used by all MPs on enough occasions to justify a major overhaul of some description?

Will they have to continue the tradition of pitching for a seat by requesting to join in prayers as a guarantee of a seat for the day?

I have been following a brief Twitter discussion about this between my local Cambridge MP Julian Huppert and his former excellent Conservative parliamentary rival, Nick Hillman, who works closely with David Willetts.

Julian commented how he had arrived in the Chamber on Wednesday for PMQs and the Budget, and that it was full. He was delighted to have found a seat, adding a  🙂 at the end of his tweet. He added that some MPs are forced to stand once a week for PMQs … “and the seats are booked up for prayers …”

He also said he felt that the Chamber needed to be expanded.  But how can that be done?

Nick joined in the discussion and asked Julian if he was a supporter of a modernised Chamber, what he would do with the old one, and how a new one could be paid for.  All good questions, though Julian hasn’t answered them yet. What are your thoughts on this? I would certainly like to see a Chamber which could seat all MPs, but I’m not sure how this can be achieved with the present layout, and I don’t know the answer to Nick’s last two questions in our present economic climate.

Nick recalled that Churchill was responsible for the present arrangement as he had opted to retain the present size of the Chamber when it was rebuilt after being bombed during the Blitz because it is mostly not full.

Although the present Chamber is considered adversarial, Churchill had his own firm views and insisted that the shape of the old Chamber was responsible for the two-party system which is the essence of British parliamentary democracy, stating: “We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us.”

BBC Democracy describes how MPs claim their seat on major parliamentary occasions, such as the Budget, when there is always a scramble for the best seats.

Ordinary backbench members can only guarantee a seat for themselves by using a prayer card.

Behind each seat on the green benches is a small, brass frame into which MPs can place a card with their name.

This card must be put in place before prayers take place each day and the MP must be in that seat during prayers.

The seat is then reserved for that MP for the rest of the day.

Our parliament has modernised to the extent that MPs can write tweets during Commons debates, yet it cannot offer them all a seat to tweet from! What would Churchill make of that….