MPS are voting on a new speaker after Remainer John Bercow retired from the chair.
Seven candidates delivered speeches to the Commons this afternoon following Mr Bercow’s departure with Labour MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle the bookies favourite.
ORDER ORDER
Mother of the House Harriet Harman – the current longest continuously serving female MP is also predicted to do well.
The other four candidates are Dame Rosie Winterton and Dame Eleanor Laing, who also both served as Mr Bercow’s deputies, Labour’s Meg Hillier and Chris Bryant (Rhondda), plus Conservative Sir Edward Leigh.
Shailesh Vara and Sir Henry Bellingham have both withdrawn from contention.
SPEAKER SPEECHES
Ken Clarke opened proceedings and invited MPs to keep their speeches short – much to cheers in the Chamber.
Dame Rosie was the first to speak and told the House that as Speaker she would “douse the flames – not put petrol on them”.
She also added that the Speaker should “change the tone and lower the temperature when it gets heated”.
Chris Bryant said it is important the chamber revitalises parliamentary democracy and returns to the rule book.
Mr Bryant added that a good Speaker should be an umpire not a player.
Sir Edward Leigh told MPs that the House should be proud of what it has achieved in the past three years – rather than argue over the Brexit impasse.
The veteran Tory backbencher also said that if he becomes Speaker he would encourage back-benchers who hold the government to account.
Dame Eleanor Laing said that if voted to the chair she would have the “courage to defend members of Parliament not just inside this house but outside as well.
She also said that MPs need to rebuild confidence in trust in our politics.
Meg Hillier told MPs Ive got your back in her speech to be Speaker.
She also reassured the chamber I would not seek self publicity but speak up only for MPs and Parliament in our democracy.”
Sir Lindsay Hoyle said if he became Speaker he would ensure there is no pecking order.
The bookies favourite said were all equal in this House when we speak.
While Harriet Harman vowed to appoint a fourth deputy from the minority parties if she becomes Speaker.
The Mother of the House told the chamber: I would want a fourth deputy in my team drawn from members of minority parties so I would have that perspective right by my side.
REPLACING BERCOW
MPs can only vote for one candidate and the result will be announced in the chamber.
Any candidate who receives more than 50 per cent of the votes will be proposed to the House as Speaker, although MPs will be asked to vote again if no candidate meets the threshold.
In the second round of voting, candidates who either came last or received fewer than 5% of the votes will not be on the ballot paper.
There is also a 10-minute period after each round for candidates to withdraw.
Ballots will continue until either one MP wins more than 50 per cent of the votes or only one remains.
A motion is then put to the Commons proposing the winner as Speaker and they will take the chair if this is agreed. If not, a vote takes place.
Speeches of congratulation are expected to follow the votes.
Mr Bercow departed the Speaker’s chair on October 31.
The 56-year-old entered Parliament in 1997 and held several shadow ministerial positions before taking the Speaker’s chair on June 22 2009, promising to serve “no more than nine years in total”.
He abandoned that commitment ahead of the 2017 snap election, but allegations of bullying by former members of his staff, denied by the Speaker, led to fresh calls for him to quit.
In recent months he also come under fire for a series of controversial Brexit rulings in the chamber which were widely considered to favour Remain supporters.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle Deputy Speaker of the Commons and MP for Chorley in Lancashire, since 1997
Harriet Harman is Labour MP for Camberwell and Peckham, since 1982
