SNP MPs have already sought to commandeer part of the House of Commons front bench and are taking it in turns to ensure their leader Angus Robertson secures a prime spot on the green benches for today's election of the Speaker and all future business in the chamber.
Pete Wishart, the Perth MP, said he had been organising an hourly rota whereby three Nationalist members each take their seats on the prized spot; it is the parliamentary equivalent of placing towels on poolside sunbeds.
"We are there. This is where we want to be; this is our space in the Commons," declared Mr Wishart. This morning, the SNP MPs on seat guard duty were Patrick Grady, the MP for Glasgow North, Margaret Ferrier, the MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, and Stewart McDonald, the MP for Glasgow South.
The front bench opposite the despatch box is, by convention, reserved for the official Opposition but the neighbouring front pews have in the past been taken up by the third party; now the SNP. In the parliament before the last one, Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats occupied the front seats with the party leader taking the highly prized aisle seat; this was before they joined with the Conservatives to form the Coalition government. When Labour was in government, it was taken up by former Prime Minister Ted Heath, and in the last parliament Dennis Skinner, the veteran Labour backbencher, took up the prized seat.
But Mr Wishart said the rota was an example of his party simply displaying "enthusiasm and energy" for the business of the House; the party intends to have all its spokesmen and women on the front pews . He explained: "We are the third party and we will make sure the House sees that."
Technically, once the House formally resumes next week after the Queen's Speech, in order to keep Labour MPs like Mr Skinner, the Derbyshire MP, off the front row, the SNP MPs will have to secure a "prayer card" for each seat they want every single day. Particularly for key set-piece events, like Prime Minister's Questions, MPs who want to reserve a particular place queue up from 7.30 in the morning to secure their spot.
However, Ronnie Campbell, the Labour MP for Blyth Valley in Northumberland, who sits on the opposition parties' front row, said the SNP were in for a fight for seats. He suggested the Nationalists had been put up to their attempt to commandeer seats by ex-First Minister Alex Salmond, the new MP for Gordon, who, it is thought will take either the seat next to Mr Robertson or the aisle seat behind him. "It's them trying to say - we're going to be the left wing now," added Mr Campbell.
Mr Wishart quipped that the SNP seat rota would become known as the "battle of the bench with the Beast of Bolsover".
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