For the millions of people in the UK employed in industries where weekend working is the norm, the X feeds of MPs in Westminster may be a little hard to stomach.

For while doctors, nurses, hospitality workers and, yes, journalists regularly put in the hours while others are enjoying their weekends, they rarely feel the need to take a selfie on the commute to prove it.

But hardworking parliamentarians, recalled to the Palace of Westminster for a rare Saturday session to debate the future of British steel, couldn’t resist.

Looking flushed and slightly windswept, the Reform MP Richard Tice filmed himself marching across Lambeth Bridge on his way to the Commons, criticising the Labour government’s slow reaction to the crisis and urged them to have some “mettle” and “completely” renationalise British steel in the process.

“We urge the government to do the job properly and fully nationalise British Steel this weekend. Don’t do half a job,” Tice posted on X, adding: “This can be a great opportunity done well. Let’s go for it.”

Anna Turley, the Labour MP for Redcar and a government whip, posted a video from a sunny train platform saying she would have been on the terraces cheering on her local football team Redcar Athletic if she hadn’t been heading into work. “If I wasn’t going down for this important vote, I would have been at Green Lane to support the mighty Steelmen who could win the league today!”

Turley took the train down to the capital “for something that should have been done back in 2015 for the steelworkers and families of Redcar. So pleased to have a government that believes in steel and believes in our industrial future.”

The Labour MP Andy McDonald was also up bright and early. The member for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East also appeared in a video on X in front of Redcar train station and said it was “absolutely essential” that the government safeguards British Steel and “preserves our core industries”. He added that he’d “be delighted to be travelling down with colleagues”.

The Liberal Democrat MP for Surrey Heath, Al Pinkerton, posted a picture from onboard the train, where he was swatting up on the bill on his laptop. “Heading into Westminster for the first sitting of parliament on a Saturday since the Falklands War in 1982,” he said.

Sarah Sackman made the shorter journey to Westminster from her Finchley and Golders Green constituency on the tube.

Preet Kaur Gill jumped on the train from her constituency in Birmingham to race down for the big debate and posted a selfie on board.

Paul Waugh got very excited about the prospect of a weekend’s graft and evoked the spirit of the former prime minister Tony Blair when he posted: “A new dawn has broken, has it not?” on his X feed. This quote was taken from Blair’s maiden speech as prime minister all the way back in 1997, a day that sparks joy for those of a New Labour persuasion.

To be fair to the MPs showing themselves to be working overtime on their social media feeds, the recall of parliament is an unusual event to mark. Today’s session in the Commons was only the sixth time since the end of the second world war that MPs have held a sitting on a Saturday.

But the timely bout of presenteeism didn’t go unnoticed by constituents on X. “My goodness, all these MPs tweeting about their journey to the Commons today … you’d think no one ever works on a Saturday!” one said.