Members of the House of Keys will be able to choose if they wish to sit in on prayers at the start of each sitting from now on.

This was an amendment by Sarah Maltby to a motion presented by Garff MHK Daphne Caine to the House.

It moved that prayers be removed from the beginning of each House of Keys sitting in favour of thoughts for the day or a moment’s silence.

Mrs Maltby’s amendment stated: ’As a matter of principle every member should be free to participate in prayers or not according to their individual conscience; and the Management and Members’ Standards Committee should consider and report on how to give effect to this principle.’

A division was called after a vote on the original motion and then there were 20 members for and three against the proposed amendment.More in this week's Manx Independent.