John Bercow Elected Speaker

Reluctant Hero · John Bercow Elected Speaker

He may not wear a wig, but he wears a typical Tory smug smile Laughing

Tory MP Bercow is elected Speaker

Tory backbencher John Bercow has been appointed as the new Commons Speaker after beating nine other candidates.

The Buckingham MP received 322 votes to his rival and fellow Conservative MP Sir George Young's 271.

He has been formally declared Speaker in a ceremony in the Lords chamber. Mr Bercow told MPs it was the "greatest honour" of his political life.

He will replace Michael Martin, who stepped down after nine years in the job amid the furore over MPs' expenses.

After the result was announced, Mr Bercow was "dragged" to the chair, a tradition for the new Speaker, and pledged to cast aside his political views and be "completely impartial". He also congratulated his nine rivals.

He said MPs felt "very sore and very vulnerable" in the wake of the expenses scandal but added "large sections of the public also feel angry and disappointed".

"We do have to reform but I just want to say that I continue to believe that the vast majority of members of this House are upright, decent, honourable people who have come into politics, not to feather their nests, but because they have heeded the call of public service," he said.

He was welcomed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Conservative leader David Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, in short speeches in the Commons chamber.

However BBC political editor Nick Robinson said many Conservatives were unhappy about the result as Mr Bercow was disliked by many on his own side.

Political views

A former right winger who has moved towards the centre ground, Mr Bercow angered many in his own party when he agreed to act as an adviser to Gordon Brown on support for children with learning difficulties.

There were some laughs as Mr Bercow pledged "permanently to cast aside all of his or her previous political views", however, some Tory MPs did not clap him.

Mr Brown congratulated the new Speaker and said his election meant the House of Commons had taken an important step in the "process of change".

"Undoubtedly the road ahead will not be easy. But with your leadership and integrity this House has begun the path to renewal," he said.

Mr Cameron told him: "We share a collective responsibility for what went wrong, we share a collective responsibility for putting it right."

And Mr Clegg, who had publicly called for Mr Martin to step down, said the need for change was "unprecedented", but he warned: "You know as we all do that change does not come easily to this place, where old habits die hard.

"So you must be different from every Speaker that has ever come before you. No longer just another pillar of the establishment - we urge you to reinvent the role of Speaker as a catalyst for radical change."

The new Speaker formally took up the role in an "approbation" ceremony - the process of Royal approval. Accompanied by Black Rod, Mr Bercow led MPs from the Commons to the Lords chamber for the ceremony where he was approved in the role.

Mr Martin became the first Speaker to be forced from office in modern times following widespread public anger at the number of MPs who were seen to take advantage of the Commons' expenses rules.

His replacement will inherit the role of adjudicating MPs' debates, representing Parliament to outside bodies, as well as overseeing the administration of the House of Commons.

As the candidates prepared for the ballot, Mr Martin formally stepped down as an MP, paving the way for a by-election in his constituency of Glasgow North East.

The Treasury announced that he had been appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead - a procedural device which allows MPs to resign between elections.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8111887.stm

malcolmtucker

he's a good guy.

Aventinian

He's certainly not a typical Tory.

Dave Coull

Those who want to rescue the reputation of the Westminster parliament will welcome the election of this new speaker. As for those who think all parliamentary "reforms" are mere window dressing - I don't make a habit of cussing, but...........