An SNP MP has been filmed crossing his fingers while pledging his allegiance to the Queen.

Steven Bonnar, the newly elected MP for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill, was sworn into the House of Commons on Wednesday.

As part of the process, all MPs are legally obliged to swear an oath, which references God, or make a solemn affirmation.

However, both statements pledge allegiance to ‘Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors’, and MPs cannot speak in debates, vote or receive their salary until they’ve said those words.

Bonnar chose to make an affirmation, but crossed his index and middle fingers as he made the declaration.

Steven Bonnar appeared to cross his fingers during the affirmation (Picture: Parliament.TV)

He said: ‘I do solemnly, sincerely, and truly declare and affirm, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according to law.

‘I take this oath to ensure that I can represent the people of Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill in Scotland.’

Bonnar later took to Twitter to share a picture of himself pledging allegiance – but cropped the image so that his crossed fingers could not be seen.

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He captioned the photo: ‘That’s us all official now.’

Bonnar was not the only SNP MP whose pledge caused a stir, with former Baby of the House Mhairi Black stating that she was making her affirmation to the Queen ‘for the purpose of the job’.

She said: ‘My allegiance, first and foremost, is to Paisley and Renfrewshire South, but for the purpose of the job, I solemnly, sincerely, and truly declare and affirm, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according to law.’

After completing the affirmation, she turned to other waiting MPs and said: ‘I didn’t get chucked out!’

SDLP MP Claire Hanna, representing Belfast South, also raised a ‘respectful protest’ against pledging allegiance to the Royal Family, stating that the affirmation did not reflect her outlook.

After making her pledge, she said: ‘My allegiance is to the people of South Belfast in order to serve them. I’ve made this affirmation.

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‘My political commitment is to the Good Friday Agreement, relationships in Northern Ireland, between north and south of Ireland and between these islands based on mutual respect and co-operation.’

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In a letter to Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, she explained: ‘I do not believe it serves trust in Parliament for MPs to be obliged to rehearse pledges that are not true for them.

‘I believe a better pledge would be one to parliamentary service on behalf of our constituents, with an allegiance pledge for those who wish to make one.’