Speaker of the British House of Commons
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.The speaker is elected by 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.
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
The Speaker wears a certain amount of formal wear however not as much as before 1992, when the first female Speaker (Betty Boothroyd) was elected who rejected the old wig, breeches and buckles formerly associated with the role.
Upon Michael Martin's election, he decided not to return to the old ceremonial wear feeling that it was no longer appropriate in light of the moves to reform the procedure of Parliament.
The Speaker is assisted by three deputies. The most senior deputy has the title of "Chairman of Ways and Means." 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.
Speakers of the House from 1701
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