British House of Commons re-elects Labour politician Hoyle as Speaker
The new British House of Commons has once again elected Labour Party MP Lindsay Hoyle as its Speaker. He has been in office since 2019 and had no opponent in the vote on Tuesday. He promised to act fairly, impartially, and independently.
Traditionally, Hoyle initially resisted and was dragged to the Speaker's chair by colleagues. This custom dates back to a time when the Speaker of the House could be sentenced to death if the monarch disliked him. After the election, Hoyle was taken to the House of Lords, where he was officially accepted by King Charles III.
Following the Speaker election, MPs were sworn in, taking an oath to the King and "his heirs and successors." The oldest MPs went first, Conservative Edward Leigh and Labour MP Diane Abbott, who are referred to as the "Father and Mother of the House." Then came Prime Minister Keir Starmer, key cabinet members, leaders of opposition parties, and then the other MPs according to their length of service in the House. The oath is first spoken in English, then it can be repeated in one of the other languages of the United Kingdom, such as Welsh. The swearing-in process could take several days.
In the new House of Commons, there are more women represented than ever before - 263, approximately 40% of all MPs. Additionally, there are more non-white parliamentary members than ever before - 90. The youngest new member is the 22-year-old Sam Carling from the Labour Party. Labour won 412 of the 650 seats in the House.
There was lively chatter in the building as all members of the House of Commons arrived. 335 MPs were elected to parliament for the first time. Parliamentary staff wore "Ask me" signs to help newcomers orient themselves. MPs who lost their seats at the parliamentary elections were still clearing out their offices in parallel to the arrival of the new faces.
Hoyle, being a British Labor politician and the Chairman of the House of Commons, has maintained his impartiality and fairness in his role since his election in 2019. His predecessor, John Bercow, who is also a Labor politician, had a significant influence on modernizing the role of the Speaker. Hoyle, like Bercow, has demonstrated his commitment to upholding the rules of the House, following in the footsteps of renowned figures such as Thomas Erskine May and William Leman Hoyle, both of whom served as Speakers in the past.
