No-nonsense new Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle signalled a break with the era of his predecessor John Bercow today as he warned party leaders returning to the Commons not to talk too much.
The direct Lancastrian took the chair after being re-elected unopposed, having been Speaker for just two days before Parliament was dissolved for the general election.
Mr Bercow, who stood down in October after 10 years, became known for allowing MPs to drone on for hours in the Commons.
But Sir Lindsay stamped his authority on he chamber this afternoon. After being ceremonially being dragged to the Speaker’s chair, to cheers from both sides of the house.
‘Before I call the Prime Minister can I just say we have a very busy day ahead of us,’ he said.
‘I therefore encourage short speeches from party leaders and discourage other members from trying to catch my eye.
The brisk Lancastrian took the chair after being re-elected unopposed, having been Speaker for just two days before Parliament was dissolved for the general election
He was ceremonially dragged to the Speaker’s chair by Labour’s Lisa Nandy and Tory Nigel Evans this afternoon
‘As much as I would like to bask in that, I think it is more important that we get people sworn in.
New Speaker is a Bolton fan who scolded SNP for singing the EU anthem and had strained relations with John Bercow
Lindsay Hoyle is an animal lover and names his animals after famous political figures
MPs and fans of Parliament TV will have a new voice to get used to after Sir Lindsay Hoyle was elected the new Speaker of the House of Commons.
With his lulling Lancastrian tones, the Labour MP’s appointment will mean a more regional English accent being heard guiding proceedings, rather than his predecessor John Bercow’s southern bark.
First elected MP for Chorley in 1997, he has been Mr Bercow’s most senior deputy – known by the formal title ‘chairman of ways and means’ – since 2010, when post-expenses scandal reforms saw the role elected by MPs rather than appointed by the Leader of the Commons.
But the Bolton Wanderers FC fan is no pushover, having memorably bellowed at one miscreant: ‘The panto season is not for another nine months.’
He also scolded the SNP for singing Ode to Joy – the EU’s anthem – during the vote to trigger Article 50.
Sir Lindsay was an immediate favourite for the role of Commons referee when Mr Bercow – with whom he had a strained relationship – announced he was stepping down after 10 years in the chair.
Following the terror attack on Parliament in March 2017 and the killing of PC Keith Palmer, Sir Lindsay won plaudits by taking responsibility for ramping up security provisions.
He was in the Commons chair at the time of the atrocity in which four people were killed and presided over the lockdown in Parliament.
Born in Adlington in Lancashire, where he still lives, he was elected for Labour on Chorley Borough Council where he became deputy leader and mayor during his near two-decade tenure.
Selected for the Chorley constituency, he won back the seat for the party after it had been in Tory hands for 18 years.
The son of MP Doug Hoyle, his cricket-addict father gave him his unconventional name after being particularly impressed with the showing of an Australian batsman during the Ashes tour of 1948.
There was heartbreak for the twice-married politician and his family when his daughter, Natalie Lewis-Hoyle, was found dead in her bedroom just before Christmas 2017.
Sir Lindsay said he was ‘truly devastated’ at the 28-year-old’s tragic passing.
The former textiles printing businessman paid tribute on Monday to a ‘great hero’ of his, former speaker Betty Boothroyd, who watched from the side gallery.
During the campaign to be the 158th Speaker, the 62-year-old said Parliament had a drinks and drugs problem and said MPs were telling him they can no longer stand for re-election as their family has to come first.
In an interview with The Sunday Times last week, he revealed he has a pet parrot called Boris and a tortoise called Maggie.
‘That is my commitment to you.’
The Speaker election marks the first day of the new Parliament, which welcomes 140 new MPs to the chamber – including 109 new Tories.
Many of them are part of his so called blue wall of new northern working class constituencies.
Seconding Sir Lindsay’s nomination, Labour’s Lisa Nandy said he represented ordinary voters.
The Wigan MP told the Commons: ‘What does it say about people in those communities, communities that have just sent shockwaves through the political system, many changing hands for the first time in 100 years.
‘What does it say that they see Parliament as a whole as a bastion of privilege where ordinary people like them cannot wield power?
‘So for all of us in this House whether we’ve won or we’ve lost we have done this place a service by electing someone to be our face, and our voice, who people – many miles distant from here – see as one of their own.’
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged Sir Lindsay, the MP for Chorley, to defend democracy which, the Labour leader warned, ‘is not a given’.
He told MPs: ‘Our democracy needs you, Mr Speaker, as a Speaker who will stand firm against abuse of power by the executive or by anybody else.
‘In doing so you’re not just defending the rights of this House but the rights of millions of people who put their faith in the democratic system to elect a Parliament and therefore a Government that is answerable to them.
‘Our rights and freedoms are always precious but also often precarious. Democracy is not a given, it’s something we have to extend and defend and I’m sure you in your role as Speaker-elect and, hopefully, Speaker very soon will do exactly that.’
Making his pitch to return to the post, Sir Lindsay said: ‘It’s been an absolute privilege to serve as deputy speaker for the last nine years and as Speaker for a full two days.’
He added: ‘It will be an honour to serve again in this Parliament but hopefully this time for a little longer.’
Sir Lindsay said the Speaker must be ‘trusted’, adding: ‘I’ve a proven track record of being impartial, independent and fair.
‘Allowing members to exercise their right to speak regardless of the length of service.’
Sir Lindsay joked he would have expected more cheers from newer MPs at this point.
He also said he understood how important it is for backbench MPs to hold the Government to account and promote causes dear to them.
Sir Lindsay concluded: ‘On that basis, I submit myself to the House as your Speaker and your champion, and ensuring my office is open to all.’
The next two days will be spent swearing in the 643 MPs who take their seats in Westminster.
Last night Mr Johnson and predecessor Theresa May celebrated with fresh-faced MPs, many of whom had travelled to Westminster from the North East after launching an assault on Labour’s Red Wall of traditional strongholds.
At a party on the House of Commons’ terrace to welcome the batch of new Tory MPs, the Prime Minister and his recent predecessor were pictured sharing a warm embrace.
Working-class Leave voters in previously unthinkable Tory seats such as Blythe Valley and Bishop Aukland swung behind the PM at the expense of Jeremy Corbyn, who resigned after leading his party to its worst defeat since the 1930s.
Ms May, whose spiral into political deadlock and eventual resignation was sparked by her disastrous election in 2017, appeared to enjoy the bitter sweet moment of Mr Johnson winning back the majority she had unsuccessfully gambled.
The mass of MPs stood behind Mr Johnson showed just how much his fortunes have changed with the PM now in control of 365 seats in the House of Commons
At a party on the House of Commons’ terrace to welcome the batch of new Tory MPs, the Prime Minister and his recent predecessor were pictured sharing a warm embrace