Voice of London

Members of Parliament will elect a new Speaker on Monday following the resignation of John Bercow

The House of Commons is set to vote for a new Speaker at the start of next week.

John Bercow – who was elected MP for Buckingham in 1997 – held the role from June 2009 until he stepped down yesterday.

Mr Bercow was considered a controversial Speaker – particularly by those from his own party.

Tory eurosceptic MPs often accused him of disregarding the convention of “impartiality” with regards to Brexit.

And the 56-year-old parliamentarian also faced claims of bullying and misogyny – which he denied.

But he was also viewed by many as a progressive and modern Speaker.

Towards the end of his tenure, he did away with some of the traditions of the House viewed as being out-of-date, such as the requirement for clerks to wear wigs and for male MPs to wear ties.

These were moves Mr Bercow believed would make the Commons “less marginally stuffy”, according to the BBC.

He was known for his mastery of the English language and extensive use of vocabulary.

The London-born MP’s shouts of “Order!” and “Division! Clear the lobby!” earned him an international reputation.

Infographic by Scott Mathew

Standing to replace him on Monday are:

Sir Lindsay Hoyle (Labour, Chorley) – current Deputy Speaker

Eleanor Laing (Conservative, Epping Forest) – current Deputy Speaker

Harriet Harman (Labour, Camberwell & Peckham) – currently “Mother of the House” – the longest serving female MP (first elected in 1982)

Chris Bryant (Labour, Rhondda) – current Chair of the House Finance Committee

Rosie Winterton (Labour, Doncaster Central) – current Deputy Speaker

Sir Edward Leigh (Conservative, Gainsborough) – former Chair of Public Accounts Committee

Sir Henry Bellingham (Conservative, North West Norfolk) withdrew from the race before being nominated by any MPs

Bookmaker Ladbrokes currently has Mr Hoyle as the favourite with odds of 1/5.

The process to elect a new Speaker will be led by Father of the House Ken Clarke MP (Conservative, Rushcliffe).

Words: Scott Mathew | Subbing: Michelle Del Rey | Featured image credit: Parliament.uk

Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament