Labour veteran Sir Lindsay Hoyle has won the race to succeed John Bercow in the Speaker’s chair.
The Chorley MP, who served as Mr Bercow’s deputy for nine years, was triumphant after four rounds of voting in the Commons.
Sir Lindsay secured 325 votes in the final ballot to see off fellow Labour MP Chris Bryant, who finished on 213 votes.
Going into the contest Sir Lindsay vowed to “tame the Commons bear pit” by cracking down on hectoring and aggressive language.
He used a short Commons speech, prior to the ballot opening, to pay tribute to a “great hero” of his, former speaker Betty Boothroyd – who watched on from the side gallery.
Sir Lindsay said the Commons was “not a club” where length of service takes priority, adding: “The person who walked through that door yesterday is just as important to their constituents – their voice must be heard as well – and the pecking order ought not to be there, it is about equality.”
Sir Lindsay saw off seven candidates in all, the only Scot to enter the race Dame Eleanor Laing was eliminated in the third round of voting.
All the candidates pitched themselves in contrast to Mr Bercow, whose time in the Speaker’s chair has been viewed as one of reform but also controversy.
Lindsay Hoyle's very moving speech remembering his daughter after winning #SpeakerElection pic.twitter.com/GvoZDJzufi
— dave ❄️ ? (@davemacladd) November 4, 2019
Mr Bercow, 56, entered parliament in 1997 and held several shadow ministerial positions before taking the Speaker’s chair in 2009, promising to serve “no more than nine years in total”.
He abandoned that commitment ahead of the 2017 snap election, but allegations of bullying by former members of his staff led to continued calls for him to quit.
In recent months he also came under fire for a series of controversial Brexit rulings in the chamber, which were widely considered to favour Remain supporters.
