Speaker Of The British House Of Commons Election Ceremony And

In the British House of Commons the Speaker of the House of Commons controls the day to day running of the house. It is he (or she) that decides who may speak and has the powers to discipline members who break the procedures of the house.

1 Election

The Speaker is elected by Members of Parliament (MPs) from amongst their own ranks. There are two methods for electing a speaker. One is used after a General election when the previous Speaker indicates that he or she wishes to continue in office. The other procedure is used when a Speaker does not choose to return to office, dies, or resigns.

If a new Speaker is to be elected, the Father of the House becomes the presiding officer. Candidates must be nominated by at least twelve members; at least three of these members must not share a party with the candidate being proposed. If there is only one candidate, then the House votes on a motion that the candidate be elected. If there are multiple candidates, the House votes by secret ballot. In the event that no candidate receives a majority, the House votes again, but the candidate who received the fewest votes and also any candidate who received less than five percent of the votes are immediately excluded. Even if the ballot yields a definitive result, the Speaker is officially elected only when the House formally approves a motion to elect that candidate.

If a Speaker seeks re-election after a general election, and this is confirmed by the presiding officer (again the Father of the House), then the House votes on a motion that the speaker be re-elected. If the motion fails, then the procedure of nominated candidates and secret ballots will be used.

When running in a general election it is the custom in Britain for the Speaker to not run under any party affiliation (on the ballot, his or her affiliation is listed as Speaker seeking re-election). It is also the custom among major parties not to run a candidate in the Speaker's constituency though this has not prevented minor parties and independents from running.

From time to time the suggestion is made that so as to ensure that the constituency does not feel disenfranchised and that the Speaker does not have to enter partisan politics, that a special constituency such as "St. Stephens" or "Palace of Westminster" should be created, thus making the Speaker the MP for Parliament itself. However this idea has not yet borne fruit.

After a Speaker is chosen, he must be formally granted the Queen's approval before he may take office. On the day after the election, the Speaker-elect leads the House of Commons to the House of Lords Chamber, where Lords Commissioners appointed by the Queen confirm the Speaker in the Queen's name. Thereafter, the Speaker symbolically requests "in the name and on behalf of the Commons of the United Kingdom, to lay claim, by humble petition to Her Majesty, to all their ancient and undoubted rights and privileges, especially to freedom of speech in debate, to freedom from arrest, and to free access to Her Majesty whenever occasion shall require." After the Lords Commissioners, on the behalf of the Queen, confirm the Commons rights and privileges, the Commons return to their Chamber.

If a Speaker is chosen in the middle of a Parliament due to a vacancy in the office, he must receive the Queen's approval as before, but does not again lay claim to the Commons rights and privileges.

The Speaker, upon election should break ties with his or her former party as it is essential that the Speaker is seen as completely impartial. In fact even after they leave office they will take no part in normal political life and if elevated to the House of Lords will normally sit as a crossbencher

A new Speaker is expected to show reluctance to resist being taken to the chair and is customarily "dragged" by colleagues to their new position. This is a relic of the era when the Speaker as representative of the Commons could have been required to bear bad news to the Sovereign.

2 Ceremony and formality

The Speaker has both a ceremonial and working uniform, his working uniform consisting of a black court suit with linen bands worn with a plain black robe with a train. On occasions of state, the black robe is replaced with a long gold-laced robe and the linen bands with a lace jabot. Previously the Speaker also wore breeches, silk stockings, buckled court shoes and a full-bottomed wig at all times. In 1992, when Betty Boothroyd became the first female Speaker of the House, she did not wear the wig, which owing to Miss Boothroyd's luxuriant white curls would have been both awkward and unnecessary. Her successor, Michael Martin, though lacking a similar coiffure, has continued to eschew the full-bottomed wig, and in addition has also decided to wear trousers and normal shoes instead of the traditional breeches, silk stockings and buckled shoes.

Each day, prior to the sitting of the House, the Speaker and other officials travel in a procession from the Speaker's official apartments in the Palace of Westminster to the House Chamber. At the front of the procession is a Doorkeeper of the House, who is followed by the Serjeant-at-Arms bearing the mace. Thereafter comes the Speaker and his trainbearer, and finally the Speaker's Chaplain and the Speaker's Secretary. The procession takes an indirect and elaborate route to the House of Commons. The route was adopted during World War II, when the Commons Chamber was bombed, thus requiring them to sit in the House of Lords Chamber. After the Commons Chamber was rebuilt in 1950,[1] the longer procession was retained, for it provides a ceremony that may be viewed by the general public.

3 The Speaker as presiding officer

The Speaker is much more powerful than his Lords counterpart, the Lord Chancellor. It is the Speaker who determines whom to call to speak. Traditionally, the Speaker alternates between members of the Government party and of the Opposition parties. Furthermore, the Speaker may declare time limits, subject to certain minimums set by the House's Standing Orders (rules), for speeches, prior to the commencement of debate. Also, the Speaker may decide to overrrule a closure motion, which seeks to end debate in the House. In addition, the Speaker may allow or disallow a debate on the breach of parliamentary privilegeParliamentary privilege is a legal mechanism employed within the legislative bodies of countries whose constitutions are based on the Westminster system. It allows members of the House of Lords and House of Commons to speak freely without fear of legal ac.

The Speaker may make a ruling on all points of order, or objections made by members asserting that a rule of the House has been broken. Furthermore, he has various powers that he may use against disruptive members. For instance, he may order a member to withdraw an offensive remark. If a member disobeys any of the Speaker's instructions, he may be ordered to leave the House for the remainder of the day's sitting. For further disobedience, the Speaker may "name" a member by saying "I name Mr ..." Then, the House may proceed to consider a motion to suspend the offending member for a number of days as provided for by the rules. In the case of "grave disorder," the Speaker may adjourn the entire sitting without the House having to vote on a motion for adjournment.

4 Other functions of the Speaker

In addition to his role as presiding officer, the Speaker performs several other functions on the behalf of the House. He represents the body in relations with the Sovereign, the House of Lords, and also with non-Parliamentary bodies. He also chairs the House of Commons Commission, which is responsible for controlling or overseeing services and benefits provided to members.

The Speaker is in charge of various proceedings relating to vacant seats in the House. Upon a vacancy occurring, the Speaker may, if the House is in session, issue a Warrant authorising the issue of writs of election, but only after the House passes a motion to the same effect. When the House is not in session, he may still issue the Warrant if any two members certify that the seat is vacant.

5 Deputies

The Speaker is assisted by three deputies. The most senior deputy has the title of "Chairman of Ways and Means", where Ways and Means is a defunct parliamentary committee associated with finance bills. The other two deputies are the First Deputy and Second Deputy Chairmen of Ways and Means. The Speaker does not preside during all House sessions; deputies take the chair for a very high proportion of the time, and if a Committee of the Whole House is meeting, which is the procedure for bills of special importance such as changes to the constitution or finance houses, the Speaker never presides.

6 The casting vote

The Speaker or Deputy that is chairing the House may not vote in divisionsA Division is a procedure by which the votes of the members of a legislature may be recorded, as opposed to a voice vote, wherein votes are unrecorded. The United Kingdom House of Commons In the House of Commons, the Speaker states "The Question is that…", except when a vote is tied, when the occupant of the Chair must cast the "casting vote." In exercising the casting vote, the Speaker should not vote in accordance with their own conscience, or the instructions of a party whip, but is expected to adhere to certain unwritten conventions:

The Speaker should vote so as not to decide the question. This means that, where possible, they should give the house the opportunity to consider the question further before coming to a final determination upon it. This gives the house further opportunity to come to a decision supported by a majority and means that the Speaker's vote will less likely determine the final outcome.

A motion should be approved by the majority. This means that the Speaker should usually vote against a motion when there is a tie.

The Speaker should vote to leave a bill in its existing form, and therefore should always vote against an amendment.

The very large membership of the House of Commons means that instances of an 'equality of votes' are very rare, and in recent times they have been growing even less common. From 1801-2000 there were only 49 ties (if one does not include votes erroneously recorded as such). As of 2003, the last true tie in the House of Commons occurred in 1980 (although in 1993 a vote on the Maastricht Treaty was initially believed to have been a tie, but this was quickly discovered to have been an error).

7 Speakers of the House from 1376

1376Events March The treaty between England and France is extended until April of 1377. April 28 The Good Parliament in England begins. June 7 The dying Prince Edward summons his father Edward III and brother John of Gaunt and makes them swear to uphold the c - 1377Events January 17 Gregory XI enters Rome. January 27 The Bad Parliament begins sitting. February 23 The Bad Parliament dissolved. May Continuous riots in Rome induce Gregory XI to remove temporarily to Anagui. May 22 Gregory XI issues five Bulls in which Sir Thomas Hungerford
1377Events January 17 Gregory XI enters Rome. January 27 The Bad Parliament begins sitting. February 23 The Bad Parliament dissolved. May Continuous riots in Rome induce Gregory XI to remove temporarily to Anagui. May 22 Gregory XI issues five Bulls in which Sir Peter de la Mare
1378Events March John Wyclif tried to gain public favour by laying his theses before parliament, and then made them public in a tract. He appeared before Simon of Sudbury at the episcopal palace at Lambeth to defend himself. April 9 Pope Urban VI (Bartolomeo - 1378 Sir James Pickering
1379 - 1380 Sir John Guildesborough
1381 - 1382 Sir Richard Waldegrave
1382 - 1383 Sir James Pickering
1383 - 1393 unknown
1393 - 1398 Sir John Bussy
1398 none
1399 Sir John Cheney
1399 John Dorewood
1400 - 1402 Sir Arnold Savage
1402 Sir Henry Redford
1403 - 1404 Sir Arnold Savage
1404 Sir William Esturmy
1405 - 1406 Sir John Tiptoft
1407 - 1411 Thomas Chaucer
1412 - 1413 unknown
1413 William Stourton
1413 John Dorewood
1414 Sir Walter Hungerford
1414 - 1415 Thomas Chaucer
1415 Richard Redman
1415 - 1416 Sir Walter Beauchamp
1416 - 1419 Roger Flower
1420 - 1421 Roger Hunt
1421 Thomas Chaucer
1421 - 1422 Richard Baynard
1422 Roger Flower
1423 - 1424 Sir John Russell
1425 Sir Thomas Walton
1425 - 1426 Sir Richard Vernon
1427 - 1428 Sir John Tyrell
1429 - 1430 William Alington
1430 - 1431 Sir John Tyrell
1432 Sir John Russell
1433 Roger Hunt
1435 John Bowes
1436 Sir John Tyrell
1437 William Burley
1439 - 1442 William Tresham
1444 - 1445 William Burley
1446 - 1447 William Tresham
1448 - 1449 Sir John Say
1449 Sir John Popham
1449 - 1450 William Tresham
1450 - 1451 Sir William Oldhall
1452 - 1453 Thomas Thorpe
1453 - 1454 Sir Thomas Charlton
1455 - 1456 Sir John Wenlock
1459 Sir Thomas Tresham
1460 John Green
1461 - 1462 Sir James Strangeways
1463 - 1468 Sir John Say
1469 - 1470 none
1472 - 1477 William Alington
1482 - 1483 John Wood
1483 - 1484 William Catesby
1485 - 1486 Sir Thomas Lovell
1487 - 1488 Sir John Mordaunt
1489 - 1490 Sir Thomas Fitzwilliam
1491 - 1492 Sir Richard Empson
1495 Sir Robert Drury
1496 - 1497 Sir Thomas Englefield
1503 Edmond Dudley
1509 Sir Thomas Englefield
1511 - 1513 Sir Robert Sheffield
1514 - 1515 Sir Thomas Nevill
1523 Sir Thomas More
1529 - 1533 Sir Thomas Audley
1533 - 1536 Sir Humphrey Wingfield
1536 Sir Richard Rich
1539 - 1540 Sir Nicholas Hare
1541 - 1544 Sir Thomas Moyle
1545 - 1552 Sir John Baker
1553 Sir James Dyer
1553 Sir John Pollard
1554 Sir Robert Brooke
1554 - 1555 Sir Clement Heigham
1555 Sir John Pollard
1558 Sir William Cordell
1559 Sir Thomas Gargrave
1562 - 1563 Thomas Williams
1566 - 1567 Richard Onslow
1571 Sir Christopher Wray
1572 - 1576 Sir Robert Bell
1580 - 1583 Sir John Popham
1584 - 1586 Sir John Puckering
1588 - 1589 Thomas Snagge
1592 - 1593 Sir Edward Coke
1597 - 1598 Sir Christopher Yelverton
1601 Sir John Croke
1603 - 1611 Sir Edward Phelips
1614 Sir Randolph Crewe
1620 - 1622 Sir Thomas Richardson
1623 - 1625 Sir Thomas Crewe
1625 - 1626 Sir Heneage Finch
1628 - 1629 Sir John Finch
1640 Sir John Glanville
1640 - 1647 William Lenthall
1647 Henry Pelham
1647 - 1653 William Lenthall
1653 Rev. Francis Rous
1654 - 1655 William Lenthall
1656 - 1658 Sir Thomas Widdrington
1658 - 1659 Chaloner Chute
1659 Sir Liselbone Long
1659 Thomas Bampfylde
1659 - 1660 William Lenthall
1660 Sir Harbottle Grimston
1661 - 1671 Sir Edward Turnour
1672 Sir Job Charlton
1673 Sir Edward Seymour
1678 Sir Robert Sawyer
1678 - 1679 Sir Edward Seymour
1679 Sir William Gregory
1680 - 1681 Sir William Williams
1685 - 1687 Sir John Trevor
1688 - 1689 Henry Powle
1689 - 1695 Sir John Trevor
1695 - 1698 Paul Foley
1698 - 1700 Sir Thomas de Littleton
1701 - 1705 Robert Harley
1705 - 1708 John Smith
1708 - 1710 Sir Richard Onslow
1710 - 1713 William Bromley
1714 - 1715 Sir Thomas Hanmer
1715 - 1727 Sir Spencer Compton
1728 - 1761 Arthur Onslow
1761 - 1770 Sir John Cust
1770 - 1780 Sir Fletcher Norton
1780 - 1789 Charles Wolfran Cornwall
1789 William Wyndham Grenville
1789 - 1801 Henry Addington
1801 - 1802 Sir John Mitford
1802 - 1817 Charles Abbot
1817 - 1834 Charles Manners-Sutton
1835 - 1839 James Abercromby
1839 - 1857 Charles Shaw-Lefevre
1857 - 1872 John Evelyn Denison
1872 - 1884 Henry Brand
1884 - 1895 Arthur Wellesley Peel
1895 - 1905 William Court Gully
1905 - 1921 James William Lowther
1921 - 1928 John Henry Whitley
1928 - 1943 Edward Fitzroy
1943 - 1951 Clifton Brown
1951 - 1959 William Morrison
1959 - 1965 Sir Harry Hylton-Foster
1965 - 1971 Dr. Horace King
1971 - 1976 Selwyn Lloyd
1976 - 1983 George Thomas
1983 - 1992 Bernard Weatherill
1992 - 2000 Betty Boothroyd
2000 - present Michael Martin

8 References

Dasent, Arthur Irwin. The Speakers of the House of Commons. London: John Lane, 1911.
"House of Commons: Tied Divisions" in Boothroyd, D, (2004). United Kingdom Election Results. Retrieved 17 Mar. 2004 from http://www.election.demon.co.uk/ties.html.

9 Related topics

10 External links

British Parliament Factsheet M2 about the Speaker (pdf document)

Politics of the UK

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