Runners and riders to be the new Commons Speaker
- 00:01:45
- ITN
Runners and riders to be the new Commons Speaker
Ten MPs are hoping to be elected as Speaker of the Commons in a secret ballot. MARGARET BECKETT - 7/4 The former foreign secretary, 66, is the only candidate to have held one of the great offices of state. If elected, the MP for Derby South would be the third Labour Speaker in succession. SIR GEORGE YOUNG - 5/2 Known as the bicycling Baronet for his habit of riding his bike to the Commons long before it became fashionable among the Tory top brass, Sir George's Old Etonian background could count against him. A Conservative MP, for North West Hampshire, the 67-year-old was transport secretary in John Major's government, stood for the Speaker's job in 2000 and is the chairman of the Common Standards and Privileges Committee. JOHN BERCOW - 4/1 The 46-year-old has been seen as a preferred candidate of many Labour MPs who recognise it is time for a Tory Speaker after two in succession from their party. Suspected by some Tories of being too close to Labour, the Buckingham MP's candidacy is opposed by many on his own benches. ANN WIDDECOMBE - 10/1 Probably the candidate best known to the public, the MP for Maidstone and the Weald has appeared on programmes including Celebrity Fit Club and Have I Got News For You. Formerly a hardline Home Office minister, the 61-year-old is respected in the Commons for her plain-speaking, no-nonsense style. SIR ALAN BEITH - 12/1 A former Liberal Democrat deputy leader, the MP for Berwick-on-Tweed was the first candidate to put his name forward after Mr Martin announced his resignation. Sir Alan, 66, stood unsuccessfully in 2000 and has served on the Commons constitutional affairs and justice committees. SIR ALAN HASELHURST - 12/1 A deputy speaker since 1997, Sir Alan's experience and sure touch might in any other year have made him an automatic choice for Speaker. He stood for the job in 2000. PARMJIT DHANDA - 33/1 At 37, the Labour MP for Gloucester is the youngest candidate in the race. He would also be the first ethnic minority Speaker, if elected. He has admitted he is not "an obvious choice", but says MPs should be brave and pick a candidate able to communicate with modern Britain. SIR PATRICK CORMACK - 40/1 An MP since 1970 and one of the grandest examples of the old-school Tory to be found on the opposition benches. Respected for his long service and his love of the Commons, he may be seen as too tied to the old ways of doing things to be an effective reformer. The 70-year-old Tory MP for Staffordshire South also stood unsuccessfully in 2000. RICHARD SHEPHERD - 40/1 A former "Parliamentarian of the Year" and one of Westminster's most prominent Eurosceptics, he is the Conservative MP for Aldridge-Brownhills.The 66-year-old was one of the Maastricht rebels who had the Tory whip withdrawn after refusing to back their own leader John Major as he struggled to get the EU treaty onto the statute book in the early 1990s. SIR MICHAEL LORD - 50/1 A deputy speaker since 1997 who also stood for the Speaker's job in 2000, the 70-year-old might have expected to be a leading contender to succeed Mr Martin in less unusual circumstances.
ITN | June 22, 2009
