2009 Speaker of the British House of Commons election explained

Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2000 Speaker of the British House of Commons election
Previous Year:2000
Next Election:2019 Speaker of the British House of Commons election
Next Year:2019
Election Date:22 June 2009
1Blank:Constituency
2Blank:First round
3Blank:Second round
4Blank:Final round
Candidate1:John Bercow
Party1:Conservative Party (UK)
1Data1:Buckingham
2Data1:179
3Data1:221
4Data1:322
Candidate2:Sir George Young
Party2:Conservative Party (UK)
1Data2:North W. Hampshire
2Data2:112
3Data2:174
4Data2:271
Candidate3:Margaret Beckett
Party3:Labour Party (UK)
1Data3:Derby South
2Data3:74
3Data3:70
4Data3:Withdrew
Candidate4:Sir Alan Haselhurst
Party4:Conservative Party (UK)
1Data4:Saffron Walden
2Data4:66
3Data4:57
4Data4:Withdrew
Candidate5:Sir Alan Beith
Party5:Liberal Democrats (UK)
1Data5:Berwick-upon-Tweed
2Data5:55
3Data5:46
4Data5:Withdrew
Candidate6:Ann Widdecombe
Party6:Conservative Party (UK)
1Data6:Maidstone and
The Weald
2Data6:44
3Data6:30
4Data6:Eliminated
Speaker
Before Election:Michael Martin
Before Party:Labour Party (UK)
After Election:John Bercow
After Party:Conservative Party (UK)
Election Name:2009 Speaker of the British House of Commons election
Flag Image:File:Crowned_Portcullis.svg

The 2009 election of the Speaker of the House of Commons occurred on 22 June 2009 following the resignation of Michael Martin as Speaker during the parliamentary expenses scandal. Martin was the first Speaker since Sir John Trevor in 1695 to be forced out of office.[1] It was the first Speaker election since 11 May 2005, and the first contested election of a Speaker since 23 October 2000.[2]

Conservative MP John Bercow was elected as the new speaker, after three rounds of voting.

Rules

Voting took place in the House of Commons of the Fifty-Fourth Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Under the new rules for the election of the Speaker, introduced in 2001,[3] candidates needed to be nominated by at least twelve Members of Parliament, at least three of them members of a party different from that of the candidate. Each member was allowed to nominate only one candidate. After the candidates' speeches, the House voted by secret ballot, with an absolute majority required for victory. If no candidate won a majority, then the individual with the fewest votes was eliminated, as were any candidates who received less than five per cent of the votes cast. The House continued to vote until one member received the requisite majority under a voting system known as the exhaustive ballot. Then, the House voted on a formal motion to appoint the member in question to the Speakership.[2] The Father of the House, Alan Williams, was the presiding officer of the Commons during the election process.[4]

The final stage of appointment of a new Speaker is a formality but has constitutional significance. The monarch must signify their approval of the new Speaker, which is done by the appointment of a Royal Commission.

Candidates

Announced

The following individuals all confirmed their intention to stand for election to the office of Speaker, and were all in turn confirmed as nominated candidates by the Parliamentary authorities on the morning of the election:[5]

All 10 of the above candidates appeared at a Hansard Society hustings on 15 June. This was the first full hustings to take place for a Speaker election,[14] although there was a hustings for the 2000 speaker election, which several of the candidates did not attend.[15]

Withdrew prior to nomination

The following candidate withdrew before the election was held:

Nominations

No official list of MPs who nominated candidates was publicly released. A partial list of nominations[17] is as follows:

Results

The result of the first secret ballot was announced at 17:10 on 22 June 2009, after the nominated candidates had all addressed the House of Commons. The result of the second ballot was announced at approximately 18:55. Following the result of the second ballot, Beckett, Haselhurst and Beith withdrew their candidacies after their support fell, leaving a straight runoff in the third round between two Conservative MPs, John Bercow and George Young. The result of the third ballot was announced around 20:30.[18] [19] Bercow won, with 54% of the final vote.

CandidateFirst ballot[20] Second ballot[21] Third ballot[22]
Votes%Votes % Votes%
John Bercow 17930.122136.932254.3
Sir George Young11218.917429.027145.7
Margaret Beckett7412.57011.7Withdrew
Alan Haselhurst6611.1579.5Withdrew
Sir Alan Beith559.3467.7Withdrew
Ann Widdecombe447.4305.0Eliminated
Parmjit Dhanda264.4Eliminated
Richard Shepherd152.5Eliminated
Patrick Cormack132.2Eliminated
Michael Lord91.5Eliminated
Spoilt/rejected ballots1[23] [24] 0.210.200
Turnout[25] 59493.159993.959392.9

Following the final vote, the question was put "That John Bercow do take the Chair of this House as Speaker", which was carried without any audible opposition. After this, Bercow was dragged to the Chair (as per House custom) by Charles Walker and Sandra Gidley, and gave an inaugural speech as Speaker-Elect.

Later that evening, Bercow was formally appointed Speaker by receiving the Queen's approbation through a Royal Commission in the House of Lords.[26]

Notes

  1. News: Under-fire Speaker to step down . BBC News . 19 May 2009 . 19 May 2009 .
  2. News: How will new Speaker be chosen? . BBC News . 19 May 2009 . 19 May 2009 .
  3. Web site: Standing Orders of the House of Commons – Public Business 2001 . publications.parliament.uk . 12 June 2001 . 20 May 2009.
  4. News: Who is 'Father of the House'? . BBC News . 22 June 2009 . 22 June 2009 .
  5. News: Speaker candidates announced . parliament.uk . 22 June 2009 . 22 June 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090625150736/http://news.parliament.uk/2009/06/speaker-candidates-announced/ . 25 June 2009 . dead .
  6. News: Beckett joins race to be Speaker . BBC News . 10 June 2009 . 10 June 2009 .
  7. News: Beith responds to resignation of Speaker Martin . Rt Hon Sir Alan Beith MP . 19 May 2009 . 19 May 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090525100706/http://www.alanbeith.org.uk/news/000369/beith_responds_to_resignation_of_speaker_martin.html . 25 May 2009 . dead .
  8. News: Nicholas Watt . John Bercow says he is ready for the Speaker's role . The Guardian . UK . 20 May 2009 . 20 May 2009 .
  9. News: David. Hencke. British Asian MP puts himself forward to be first ethnic-minority Speaker of Commons . The Guardian . UK . 10 June 2009 . 10 June 2009 .
  10. News: Lucy Ward & Paul Owen . Sir Alan Haselhurst enters race to become Commons Speaker . The Guardian . UK . 22 May 2009 . 22 May 2009 .
  11. News: Commons Speaker hustings – live blog. The Guardian . UK . 15 June 2009. 15 June 2009. Andrew . Sparrow.
  12. News: Ann Widdecombe seeks Speaker role . BBC News . 11 June 2009 . 11 June 2009 .
  13. News: Sir George throws his hat into the ring for the Speakership . Sir George Young MP . 9 June 2009 . 10 June 2009 .
  14. News: Hansard Society Speaker Hustings . . 22 June 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090701095905/http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blogs/hansard_in_the_media/archive/2009/06/02/submit-your-questions-to-the-hansard-society-speaker-hustings.aspx . 1 July 2009 . dead .
  15. News: Speaker candidates issue electoral statements. 17 October 2000. 22 June 2009 . The Guardian . London.
  16. News: Frank Field MP: Speakership Statement . frankfield.co.uk . 12 June 2009 . 22 June 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090628162801/http://www.frankfield.co.uk/blog/q/date/2009/06/12/speakership-statement/ . 28 June 2009 . dead .
  17. Web site: The Speakership nominations so far . PoliticsHome . https://web.archive.org/web/20090623052511/http://page.politicshome.com/uk/speakership_nominations_so_far.html . 20 June 2009 . 23 June 2009 . 21 May 2020 . live .
  18. News: An insider's guide to the election of The Speaker . The Times . UK . 22 June 2009 . 22 June 2009 . https://archive.today/20100602172347/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6552788.ece . dead . 2 June 2010 .
  19. News: Andrew . Sparrow . Commons Speaker contest: election day blog – live . The Guardian . UK . 22 June 2009 . 22 June 2009 .
  20. Web site: Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons. Westminster. 28 March 2018. House of Commons Hansard Debates for 22 Jun 2009 (pt 0003). publications.parliament.uk.
  21. Web site: Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons. Westminster. 28 March 2018. House of Commons Hansard Debates for 22 Jun 2009 (pt 0004). publications.parliament.uk.
  22. Web site: Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons. Westminster. 28 March 2018. House of Commons Hansard Debates for 22 Jun 2009 (pt 0004). publications.parliament.uk.
  23. Labour MP John Mann said he had spoilt his ballot due to the candidates being "dismal"
  24. News: Adam . Boulton . Speaker Race – Round One . . 22 June 2009 . 22 June 2009 .
  25. At the time of the election, the full house had 646 seats. Two of these were vacant, five Sinn Féin MPs do not take their seats, and Alan Williams was not eligible to vote. Turnout is thus based on 638 possible voters.
  26. Web site: House of Commons Hansard Debates for 22 Jun 2009 (pt 0005) . publications.parliament.uk.

See also

External links

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