Chairman of Ways and Means explained

Post:

Chairman of Ways and Means

Deputy Speaker
of the House of Commons
Insignia:House of Commons of the United Kingdom logo 2018.svg
Insigniasize:240
Insigniacaption:Logo used to represent the House of Commons
Incumbent:Nus Ghani
Incumbentsince:23 July 2024
Style:
  • Madam/Mr. Deputy Speaker (whilst presiding)
Appointer:Elected by the House of Commons
Inaugural:Sir Alexander Grant
Formation:1826
Deputy:Judith Cummins
(First Deputy Chairman)Caroline Nokes
(Second Deputy Chairman)

In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of Ways and Means is a senior member of the House of Commons who acts as one of the Speaker's three deputies. The current holder is Nusrat Ghani, following her election to the position on 23 July 2024. Ghani is the first ethnic minority MP to sit in the Speaker's chair.

History and functions

The Chairman of Ways and Means is the principal Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, presiding over the House in the Speaker's absence.[1] The chairman also takes the chair of the Committee of the Whole House. The chairman's title is derived from their role in the former Committee of Ways and Means, which was abolished in 1967.

The chairman's connection with the financial responsibilities of this committee gave rise to the tradition that the chairman presides over the annual budget debate, although there is no reason why the Speaker cannot do so if he or she chooses. The chairman is always a senior Member of the House, often with experience of chairing standing committees, and sometimes also of being a government minister.

The deputy chairmen also deputise for the Speaker in the chair or by chairing committees of the Whole House, although the chairman has certain additional and distinct responsibilities (for instance, in relation to private bills and overseeing the Panel of Committee Chairs).

The chairman is also chair of the Court of Referees, established in 1865.[2]

Once elected, both the Chairman of Ways and Means and the deputy chairmen follow the same tradition of neither speaking nor voting on any matter before the House (unless a casting vote is required). Unlike the Speaker, though, they remain members of their political party and campaign in general elections as party politicians.

Election

Before 2010, the chairman was appointed by the Leader of the House or another government minister,[3] with the first and second deputy chairmen being appointed by the House of Commons from 1902 and 1971 respectively, but in November 2009, a report was published by the Procedure Committee which made the chairman, first deputy and second deputy chairmen all elected[4] which was approved in January 2010, with the election process further detailed in a report published by the Procedure Committee in February 2010[5] and approved the following month.[6]

This election takes place after the election of the Speaker, and uses the Single Transferable Vote voting system, with the first candidate reaching the quota being elected as the chairman, the second candidate reaching the quota being elected as first deputy chairman and the third candidate reaching the quota being elected as second deputy chairman, but there are some rules on who can be elected.

The chairman and second deputy chairman are elected from the opposite side of the House to the (former) party of the Speaker, while the first deputy chairman comes from the same side, which can lead to some situations where only the chairman and second deputy chairman are actually elected and the first deputy chairman is effectively appointed to the role if there was only one candidate in the election from the (former) party of the Speaker. This is because, in this situation, the candidate from the (former) party of the Speaker would automatically be elected to be the first deputy chairman without appearing on the ballot paper.

There is usually a gap between the election of the Speaker and the election of the chairman and deputy chairmen of anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, which has led to the House of Commons nominating members to temporarily serve in these roles until elections could be held. A report from the Procedure Committee published in October 2011 recommended that a new standing order be created to give the Speaker the power to appoint a temporary chairman and temporary deputy chairmen to serve between the start of a Parliament and the election of these positions, but as of the present day, this standing order has not been created, which has led to the House agreeing to appoint temporary chairman and deputy chairmen in various different ways.[7]

For example, after the 2010 general election, the House agreed on 25 May that the Speaker could nominate people to serve as temporary chairman and deputy chairmen, while after the 2015 general election, the process was broadly the same, with the only difference being that the House agreed to the appointment of temporary chairman and deputy chairmen on 26 March, which is before the general election had taken place. After the 2017 and 2019 general elections, the Leader of the House put forward a motion on the day of the Queen's Speech which provided for the appointment of temporary chairman and deputy chairmen. The major difference between these is that, after the 2017 election, the motion put forward then was for the Speaker to nominate temporary chairman and deputy chairmen (like what had happened in 2010 and 2015), but after the 2019 election, the motion put forward was to itself appoint the temporary chairman and deputy chairmen.[8]

The Speaker (or the Leader of the House in 2019) didn't necessarily have to appoint people to fill all the roles. In fact, after every election where the chairmen and deputy chairmen were elected except 2019, the Speaker only appointed two people as Deputy Speakers, not as chairmen and deputy chairmen. Only in 2019 were there people appointed to all three roles and as chairmen and deputy chairmen.

Because the Speaker, chairman and deputy chairmen do not vote (except to break a tie), this effectively pairs the occupants of the chair (their presumed support for their side cancelling each other out), which means no party loses a voting advantage on account of having one of the four drawn from its ranks.

List of Chairmen of Ways and Means since 1826

Bold type and light grey colour indicates a chairman who was later elected as the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Light blue colour indicates where a deputy chairman was promoted.

Light green colour indicates where a deputy chairman reached.

FromUntilNamePartyConstituencyRetirement honour
18261831Sir Alexander Grant, BtConservativeNone
18311841Ralph BernalWhigNone
18411847Thomas GreeneConservativeLancasterNone
18471852Ralph BernalWhigRochesterNone
18521853John Wilson-PattenConservativeNorth LancashireBaron Winmarleigh (1874)
18531855Hon. Edward Pleydell-BouverieWhigKilmarnock BurghsNone
18551859Henry FitzRoyConservativeLewesNone
18591864William Nathaniel MasseyLiberalSalfordNone
18651872John George DodsonLiberalEast SussexBaron Monk Bretton (1884)
18721874John Bonham CarterLiberalWinchesterNone
18741880Henry Cecil RaikesConservativeChesterNone
18801883Lyon PlayfairLiberalEdinburgh and St Andrews UniversitiesBaron Playfair (1892)
18831885Sir Arthur Otway, BtLiberalRochesterNone
18861893Leonard CourtneyLiberalBodminBaron Courtney of Penwith (1906)
18931895John William MellorLiberalSowerbyNone
18951905James LowtherConservativePenrithViscount Ullswater (1921)
19051906Sir John Lawson, BtConservativeThirsk and MaltonBaronetcy (1905)
19061911Alfred EmmottLiberalOldhamBaron Emmott (1911)
19111921John Henry WhitleyLiberalHalifaxNone
19211924James HopeConservativeSheffield CentralBaron Rankeillour (1932)
Feb 1924Oct 1924Robert YoungLabourNewtonKnighthood (1931)
19241929James HopeConservativeSheffield CentralBaron Rankeillour (1932)
19291931Robert YoungLabourNewtonKnighthood (1931)
19311943Dennis HerbertConservativeWatfordBaron Hemingford (1943)
Jan 1943Mar 1943Douglas Clifton BrownConservativeHexhamViscount Ruffside (1951)
19431951James MilnerLabourLeeds South EastBaron Milner of Leeds (1951)
19511959Sir Charles MacAndrewUnionistBute and Northern AyrshireBaron MacAndrew (1959)
19591962Gordon ToucheConservativeDorkingBaronetcy (1962)
19621964Sir William Anstruther-GrayUnionistBerwick and East LothianBaron Kilmany (1966) for Life
19641965Horace KingLabourSouthampton ItchenBaron Maybray-King (1971) for Life
19651966Sir Samuel Storey, BtConservativeStretfordBaron Buckton (1966) for Life
19661968Sir Eric FletcherLabourIslington EastBaron Fletcher (1970) for Life
19681970Sydney IrvingLabourDartfordBaron Irving of Dartford (1979) for Life
19701974Sir Robert Grant-FerrisConservativeNantwichBaron Harvington (1974) for Life
19741976George ThomasLabourCardiff WestViscount Tonypandy (1983)
19761979Oscar MurtonConservativePooleBaron Murton of Lindisfarne (1979) for Life
19791983Bernard WeatherillConservativeCroydon North EastBaron Weatherill (1992) for Life
19831992Harold WalkerLabourDoncaster CentralBaron Walker of Doncaster (1997) for Life
19921997Michael MorrisConservativeNorthampton SouthBaron Naseby (1997) for Life
19972010Sir Alan HaselhurstConservativeSaffron WaldenBaron Haselhurst (2018) for Life
20102019LabourChorleyStill a Member of the House (Speaker)
20202024ConservativeEpping ForestBaroness for Life (announced)
2024IncumbentNus GhaniConservativeSussex WealdIncumbent

List of Deputy Chairmen of Ways and Means (1902–1971)

FromUntilNamePartyConstituencyRetirement honour
19021905Arthur Frederick JeffreysConservativeBasingstokeNone
19051906Laurence HardyConservativeAshfordNone
19061910James CaldwellLiberalMid LanarkshireNone
19101911John Henry WhitleyLiberalHalifaxNone
19111918Sir Donald MacleanLiberalPeebles and SelkirkKnighthood (1917)
19191923Sir Edwin Cornwall, BtLiberalBethnal Green North-EastBaronetcy (1918)
Feb 1924Oct 1924Cyril EntwistleLiberalKingston upon Hull South WestNone
Dec 19241928Edward FitzRoyConservativeDaventryNone
19281929Dennis HerbertConservativeWatfordBaron Hemingford (1943)
19291931Herbert DunnicoLabourConsettKnighthood (1938)
19311938Robert BourneConservativeOxfordNone
19381943Douglas Clifton BrownConservativeHexhamViscount Ruffside (1951)
Jan 1943Mar 1943James MilnerLabourLeeds South EastBaron Milner of Leeds (1951)
19431945Charles WilliamsConservativeTorquayNone
19451948Hubert BeaumontLabourBatley and MorleyNone
19481950Frank BowlesLabourNuneatonBaron Bowles (1964) for Life
19501951Sir Charles MacAndrewUnionistBute and Northern AyrshireBaron MacAndrew (1959)
19511956Rhys Hopkin MorrisLiberalCarmarthenKnighthood (1956)
19561959Gordon ToucheConservativeDorkingBaronetcy (1962)
19591962Sir William Anstruther-GrayUnionistBerwick and East LothianBaron Kilmany (1966) for Life
19621964Sir Robert Grimston, BtConservativeWestburyBaron Grimston of Westbury (1964)
19641965Sir Samuel Storey, BtConservativeStretfordBaron Buckton (1966) for Life
19651966Roderic BowenLiberalCeredigionNone
19661968Sydney IrvingLabourDartfordBaron Irving of Dartford (1979) for Life
19681970Harry GourlayLabourKirkcaldyNone

List of First Deputy Chairmen of Ways and Means (since 1971)

FromUntilNamePartyConstituencyRetirement honour
19701973Betty Harvie AndersonConservativeEast RenfrewshireBaroness Skrimshire of Quarter (1979) for Life
19731974Lance MallalieuLabourBriggKnighthood (1979)
19741976Oscar MurtonConservativePooleBaron Murton of Lindisfarne (1979) for Life
19761979Sir Myer GalpernLabourGlasgow ShettlestonBaron Galpern (1979) for Life
19791982Sir Bryant Godman IrvineConservativeRyeKnighthood (1986)[9]
19821987Ernest ArmstrongLabourNorth West DurhamNone
19871992Sir Paul DeanConservativeWoodspringBaron Dean of Harptree (1993) for Life
19921997Geoffrey LofthouseLabourPontefract and CastlefordBaron Lofthouse of Pontefract (1997) for Life
19972000Michael MartinLabourGlasgow SpringburnBaron Martin of Springburn (2009) for Life
20002010Sylvia HealLabourHalesowen and Rowley RegisDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (2022))
20102013Nigel EvansConservativeRibble ValleyNone
20132019Dame Eleanor LaingConservativeEpping ForestBaroness for Life (announced)
20202024Dame Rosie WintertonLabourDoncaster CentralBaroness Winterton of Doncaster (2024) for Life
2024IncumbentJudith CumminsLabourBradford SouthIncumbent

List of Second Deputy Chairmen of Ways and Means since 1971

FromUntilNamePartyConstituencyRetirement honour
19711973Lance MallalieuLabourBriggNone
19731974Oscar MurtonConservativePooleBaron Murton of Lindisfarne (1979) for Life
19741976Sir Myer GalpernLabourGlasgow ShettlestonBaron Galpern (1979) for Life
19761979Sir Bryant Godman IrvineConservativeRyeNone
19791981Dick CrawshawLabourLiverpool ToxtethBaron Crawshaw of Aintree (1985) for Life
19811982Ernest ArmstrongLabourNorth West DurhamNone
19821987Sir Paul DeanConservativeWoodspringBaron Dean of Harptree (1993) for Life
19871992Betty BoothroydLabourWest Bromwich WestBaroness Boothroyd (2001) for Life
19921997Dame Janet FookesConservativePlymouth DrakeBaroness Fookes (1997) for Life
19972010Sir Michael LordConservativeCentral Suffolk and North IpswichBaron Framlingham (2011) for Life
20102015Dame Dawn PrimaroloLabourBristol SouthBaroness Primarolo (2015) for Life
20152017LabourNorth East DerbyshireNone
20172019LabourDoncaster CentralBaroness Winterton of Doncaster (2024) for Life
20202024ConservativeRibble ValleyNone
2024IncumbentCaroline NokesConservativeRomsey and Southampton NorthIncumbent

See also

External links

References

Citations

  1. Web site: Chairman of Ways and Means - Glossary page. UK Parliament. en. 2019-11-06.
  2. Web site: The Court of Referees . . 18 October 2021 .
  3. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmproced/1080/1080.pdf
  4. Web site: 2009-11-02 . Election of the Deputy Speakers: Principles . 2024-01-13.
  5. Web site: 2010-02-03 . Election of the Speaker and of the Deputy Speakers . 2024-01-13.
  6. Web site: Kelly . Richard . 2020-01-09 . The election of Deputy Speakers . 2024-01-13.
  7. Web site: 2011-10-31 . 2010 elections for positions in the House . 2024-01-13.
  8. Web site: Kelly . Richard . 2020-01-09 . The election of Deputy Speakers . 2024-01-13.
  9. UK list: