Watch: Labour MP stages anti-monarchy protest during oath to King

A Labour MP staged a protest against the monarchy as he reluctantly swore allegiance to the King on his return to Parliament.

Clive Lewis, who was re-elected as the MP for Norwich South at the general election, said he took the oath “under protest” and in the hope that one day his fellow citizens would decide to live in a republic.

All MPs are required by law to declare their allegiance to the Crown before taking their seats in the Commons. They have the option of either swearing on a sacred text or giving a non-religious, solemn affirmation.

Until they do so, they cannot speak in debates, vote or receive a salary. They could also be fined £500 and have their seat declared vacant “as if they were dead”. A small number of MPs choose to protest against the obligation when they are sworn in.

On Wednesday, Mr Lewis, an ardent republican, said: “I take this oath under protest, and in the hope that one day my fellow citizens will democratically decide to live in a republic.

“Until that time, I do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, according to law.”

Seamus Logan, the new SNP MP, also made a reluctant affirmation prefaced by the statement: “I’m a polite nationalist, and I will say these words to the people of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, who’ll know where my loyalties lie.”

Colum Eastwood, the leader of Northern Ireland’s Social Democratic and Labour Party, which is in favour of a united Ireland, made a similar statement as he took his seat. He said: “I’ll read out this empty formula in order to represent my constituents, but it’s under protest.

“My true allegiance is to the people of Derry and to the people of Ireland.”

Mr Lewis has previously argued that the “fundamental truth” about the monarchy was its role as a “distraction”.

In an article for The Guardian shortly after the late Queen’s death, he claimed the transition to a new monarch was “as much about coercion as consent,” criticising the arrest of anti-monarchy protesters and what he described as “gratuitous wall-to-wall media coverage” of the funeral.

The MP added: “Why, I asked, would so many people, often with so little, show such deference to an institution that is the very embodiment of the inequalities of wealth and power that permeate our country?

“Because until republicans can fully understand this sentiment, we will struggle to win the argument for transition from constitutional monarchy to constitutional democracy.”