SNP land grab as Commons meets for first time

The Commons is meeting for the first time to vote in Speaker Bercow and then swear in MPs.

The SNP have bagged the front rows of the Labour benches and nearly nabbed Dennis Skinner’s much-prided place. There were in at 8 trying to finesse their land grab.

Labour MP Kevan Jones spotted them and plonked himself in Mr Skinner’s seat, refusing to budge even when the police came in to do a security swoop of the chamber.

Dennis Skinner now sits like a Labour Gibraltar clinging on at the edge of the SNP  land mass.

No sign of Nick Clegg or Ed Miliband for this moment. But both will have to show their faces (tanned presumably in Mr Miliband’s case) in the next few days to be sworn in.

David Cameron struggled with his short speech welcoming the Speaker back to his chair. I understand Mr Cameron has a bug and had to postpone some meetings today.

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