Darren McCaffrey, political reporter
If you want to know how our politics have changed since last Thursday, today is the day.
As MPs gathered in the new House of Commons, it quickly proved to be a stark canvas for painting the new constituency map of Britain.
For the first time in more than 14 years, Government seats are filled with Labour MPs, meaning it is impossible to accommodate all 412 of them.
They sat on the steps, many standing at the back, while others were forced to go up into the gallery.
It was a different, more somber scene in Conservative seats, where at one stage MPs were told to bunch up to appear busier.
And the Liberal Democrats gained a record-breaking 72 MPs – the most for a third party in over 100 years – replacing the Scottish National Party (SNP), which had been relegated to the back of the parliament.
This Parliament is not only different in terms of party lines, but, as Keir Starmer pointed out in his first speech as Prime Minister, it is also arguably the most diverse when viewed from the platform.
Watch Starmer and Sunak address the new Parliament.
Of the 650 people elected last week, 335 have never served as an MP before, 263 are women and 90 are from ethnic minorities.
Of course, there are plenty of familiar faces, including an emotional Diane Abbott (now the mother of an MP) and a returned Jeremy Corbyn.
But it will take some getting used to – it’s a bit like watching Nigel Farage have a verbal exchange with the new Prime Minister on the floor of the House of Commons.
Today was a day filled with fun conversations, excitement, and sometimes confusion among the new members.
But it will surely not be long before the controversies and divisions that define this place emerge.
