Speakers of the House of Commons

The Speaker of the House of Commons is an MP, elected by other Members of Parliament to chair debates in the Commons chamber. They have the highest authority in the Commons, determining which member may speak, with the right to suspend MPs. Arthur Onslow (Speaker 1728 – 61) is responsible for many of the practices that exist today. Before his appointment, many Speakers had political affiliations; today Speakers must remain politically impartial, resigning from their current political position once elected. The Speaker of the House of Commons is elected by the House at the beginning of each new parliamentary term, after a general election or after the resignation, retirement or death of the previous speaker. In 1992, the first female Speaker, Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd was elected and for the first time in 2009, the Speaker was elected using a secret ballot system.