Lara Bird raised her right hand, crossed her fingers, and recited the oath of allegiance to King Charles without a Bible or any sacred text — a gesture that has drawn accusations of “childish petulance” from a former Conservative MP and calls for her removal from a Reform UK member.
The newly elected SNP MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, who won last Thursday’s by‑election with a majority of more than 5,000 over the Conservatives, was one of three new members sworn into the House of Commons on Monday. Before taking the oath, she told the chamber: “I take this oath only so that I can serve the people of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry. My first allegiance is, and always will be, the sovereign people of Scotland.”
“New SNP MP Lara Bird crossed her fingers while swearing allegiance to King Charles, sparking backlash from former and current politicians.”
Her gesture — crossing her fingers as she swore to be “faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law” — prompted immediate backlash on social media. Bob Seely, a former Conservative MP, wrote on X: “If you don’t want to serve in a UK Parliament, don’t. But don’t make a fool of yourself doing so.” Ben Graham of Reform UK said she “made herself look like an immature, stroppy, teenager”, adding: “If an MP shows this level of disrespect to the Monarch, Parliament and the oath they swore, they shouldn’t be an MP.” Ben Habib, leader of the Advance UK party, described her behaviour as “contempt for Parliament. Contempt for her office. Contempt for the constitution.”
Under UK law, MPs must take the oath of allegiance to the Crown before they can take their seats, vote or receive a salary. Failure to do so can result in a £500 fine and the seat being declared vacant “as if they were dead”. An SNP spokesman defended her, saying: “Lara made clear that her allegiance is to her constituents and to the people of Scotland.”
Bird, 28, gave up studying for a PhD in international law and legal studies at King’s College London to enter politics. She has written articles and spoken at panel events about Palestine, and was a representative of The Balfour Project, an initiative that promotes peace with justice for Palestinians and Israelis. On X, she wrote that she took the oath “in order to serve the people of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry — and declared that my loyalty will always be to the people of Scotland.”
The question now is whether her crossed fingers will have any lasting consequence beyond the social media storm.