The Speaker of the House of Commons is a very important figure in the UK Parliament and as presiding officer in the house, he ensures order in debates, adherence to parliamentary conduct and rules, and representation of the Commons to the monarch and other sources of authority. This paper is going to look at how the Speaker is elected, the importance of the job, and the surrounding issues of parliamentary procedure.
Importance of the Speaker
Role and duty
The house of commons is vital with the presence of the speaker. They moderate discussions, determine who will speak as MPs and do not decide on procedural issues. The Speaker has to be unbiased not voting in matters except when there is a tie. Such lack of bias is critical in ensuring the integrity of the parliamentary process.
Current Speaker
Sir Lindsay Hoyle has been Speaker of the House of Commons since July 4, 2024. He assumed this office on November 4, 2019 and this is his duty; to enforce traditions and rules of the House.
The Election Process for the Speaker
Initial Steps
Choosing of the Speaker takes place at the office opening of a new Parliament. When the Speaker of the House has been elected the process starts with the Royal commissioners, acting on behalf of the monarch, ordering the commons to choose a Speaker. This occurs as part of the State Opening of the Parliament when commons are summoned to the Bar of House of Lords.
Having been summoned and then met, the presiding Royal Commissioner delivers a message that it is the wish of the monarch that the Commons elect a Speaker. This is followed by the election in the House whereby one of the members of the house occupies the Speaker chair.
Re-election of a Former Speaker
In the event that the former Speaker is re-elected as an MP the relationship is clear. The Speaker relinquishes the chair to be briefly occupied by the Mother or Father of the House (the MP with the longest except the ministers juncture predecessor in such a way that they perhaps be ministers junior to others). They question the previous Speaker on whether they would like to be re-elected. In case of the previous speaker acceptance, a move towards electing them as a Speaker-elect gets moved followed by a verbal vote as cast by the MPs.
Should the motion pass the Speaker-elect takes his seat in the Chair, and subsequently (the following day) stands putative to the Royal Approbation.
Election of a New Speaker
In case the proposed motion to elect the former speaker again fails, then a new speaker should be elected. This is initiated on the following day of sitting, where the Mother or the Father of the House leads in the election. The candidates are expected to have been nominated by a minimum of 12 MPs, including at least three nominators who must hold a political party different from that of the candidate.
All the candidates address the House of Representatives, usually having self-depreciating words in their speeches. After such addresses, a secret ballot is undertaken. In case no candidate comes out with over 50 % of the voting, the least voted candidate is removed and further voting cycle is continued till a candidate gets majority.
Thereafter, when a question has been chosen and the election completed, the Mother or Father of the House takes the floor and puts the question to the House, asking the question whether the successful candidate is to be placed in the Chair as Speaker. In case of agreement, the Speaker-elect is escorted to the Chair where he or she thanks the honor given to him or her.
Royal Approbation
Presentation to the Monarch
Once the election is over, the Speaker-elect takes place to be presented to the King or Queen seeking Royal Approbation. This happens, a day after or in other cases the same day, following the election. The Speaker-elect adjourns the House and waits till he/she is called into the House of Lords by the Black Rod.
At the Bar of the House of Lords, the Speaker-elect pronounces that the decision of the Commons has fallen in Their hands, and thereupon submits it to the King, to be taken. The granting of this approval is signed by the Royal Commissioner who presides, and the elected Speaker addresses the Royal Commissioners, asserting the privileges and rights of the House of Commons.
As soon as the Royal Approbation is obtained, the Commons and the Royal Commissioners leave. The Speaker-elect re-enters the Commons through which the mace is laid on the table as a sign of the realization that the House is in full standing reputation and is consequentially upright in stature. The election of the Speaker of the House of Commons is an essential part of the parliament in the UK. It guarantees that the House has a grassroots senator who is able to preside over it and respect and enforce the rules of parliamentary procedure. The expertise of who is chosen as speakers is useful in gaining an insight into how the House or Commons works, and how pertinent the impartiality in judgment is. The role is a key one as the speakers are always present to lead the house on their legislative duties, and in this case, the incumbent speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyles, has been doing so.