Sir Lindsay Hoyle wins race to become House of Commons Speaker
3 min read
Sir Lindsay Hoyle has won the race to take over from John Bercow as Speaker of the House of Commons.
The Labour MP, who was Deputy Speaker under his predecessor, took 325 votes in the final ballot of MPs, taking him over the 50% threshold following four rounds of voting.
As is traditional, he was then "dragged" to the Speaker's chair by supporter Caroline Flint and Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans.
Sir Lindsay, who becomes the 158th Speaker of the Commons, said: "I hope this House will be once again a great respected House not just in here but across the world.
"We've got to make sure that tarnish is polished away, that the respect and tolerance that we expect from everyone who works in here will be shown."
Welling up with emotion, Sir Lindsay also paid tribute to his late daughter Natalie, who died last year.
He said: "There is one person who's not here, my daughter Natalie. I wish she'd been here. We all miss her as a family, none more so than her mum Miriam. She was everything to all of us. She will always be missed, she will always be in our thoughts."
Sir Lindsay added: "This House will change, but it will change for the better."
In the final round of voting Sir Lindsay, who is the MP for Chorley, beat his Labour colleague Chris Bryant, who received 213 votes.
Deputy leader Eleanor Laing was defeated in the third round of voting, with Rosie Winterton and Harriet Harman dropping out in the second.
Tory veteran Sir Edward Leigh and Meg Hillier were eliminated in the first round.
Making his pitch to MPs ahead of voting on Monday afternoon, Sir Lindsay said: "These are the backbenches that matter, these are the backbenches that hold the executive to account.
"It is about making sure, whoever’s in power, that these benches have the right to question and hold to account, that’s what matters. It’s about having an accountable Speaker to back that up.”
He also insisted that newer MPs should be given the same opportunities to speak in the Chamber as their longer-serving colleagues.
"The person who walked through that door yesterday is just as important to their constituents," he said. "Their voice must be heard as well and the pecking order ought not to be there. It is about equality,”
On the security of MPs, he added: "I promise you I will continue to fight so that we’re safe, our families are safe, our staff are safe and the House as well is safe and that’s what matters.”
Sir LIndsay is the first new Speaker of the Commons since 2009 and follows Mr Bercow's decision to quit on 31 October.
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