Who are the runners and riders to replace John Bercow as speaker?

Bookies suggests contest to replace speaker is a two-horse race between Harriet Harman and Lindsay Hoyle

MPs are gearing up in the race to replace John Bercow as speaker of the House of Commons, as former Labour minister Harriet Harman became the latest to announce her candidacy.

It comes after Mr Bercow made his surprise statement to step down by the 31 October Brexit deadline after more than a decade in the chair.

It means an election for the new speaker is now likely to take place ahead of any general election – scuppering any plans of installing a Brexiteer to the position in the event of Boris Johnson winning a healthy majority.

Each candidate vying to replace Mr Bercow must submit their nominations of between 12 and 15 cross-party MPs by the morning of the election when scheduled by the Commons authorities.

Here The Independent looks at the runners and riders for the next custodian of the Commons.

Harriet Harman

The former deputy leader of the Labour Party and “Mother of the House” confirmed she will stand for the role on Tuesday, as she vowed to continue with Mr Bercow’s tradition of standing up for parliament against the executive.

Speaking to the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme, Ms Harman, who was a prominent Remain campaigner during the EU referendum, said Mr Bercow has been “right to say to ministers ‘you have got to come to the House, you have got to account for yourself’”.

Harriet Harman is a prominent remain campaigner (PA)

She has been an MP since 1982 and served as a minister in Tony Blair’s Labour government.

The bookies Betway has suggested the race to replace Mr Bercow is a two-horse race between Ms Harman (6/4), and Sir Lindsay Hoyle (4/5).

Sir Lindsay Hoyle

Just hours after Mr Bercow’s decision to stand aside, his deputy, Lindsay Hoyle, announced he will run for the position. He has been Labour’s MP for Chorley since 1997 and is an early frontrunner.

He said: “As members of parliament we are clearly in unprecedented times and it will be vital to have an experiences speaker who can provide the stability and leadership the House of Commons requires in order to remain at the centre of our political system.”

Lindsay Hoyle is an early frontrunner for the speaker role (House of Commons)

Dame Eleanor Laing

Another current deputy speaker, Dame Eleanor Laing, a Conservative MP for Epping Forest, said he intended to run for the job earlier this year.

Speaking to the House magazine, she said: “I will try to become speaker when he [Mr Bercow] finally decides to go. I am fortunate to have had five years’ experience in the speaker’s chair. There is a lot to be done to take back our democratic system.”

Dame Rosie Winterton

The third of Mr Bercow’s deputies is also said to be considering a bid for the speakership. Dame Rosie Winterton has been the Labour MP for Doncaster Central since 1997 and was the party’s chief whip for six years until October 2016. She was elected deputy speaker the following year.

Chris Bryant

The Labour MP for Rhondda has previously signalled his intention to run for speakership, and told the House magazine he would “do everything in my power not to belittle or diminish or lecture MPs from the chair”. He also chairs the Finance Committee overseeing the restoration of the renewal of the Houses of Parliament.


 Chris Bryant has previously stated his desire to become speaker (Rex)
 (Rex Features)

“I think we’ve all been a bit bloodied and bruised of late, and the next speaker has got to be somebody who is going to tend to those wounds a bit more,” he added.

Pete Wishart

The SNP’s Pete Wishart paid tribute to Mr Bercow as an “amazing” speaker on Monday, but added: “He will ensure that this ‘Remainer’ parliament that will choose his successor as his last finger up to the Brexit cult”. He said earlier this year he would throw his hat into any contest, and called for radical reforms to the Commons, including an electronic voting system for MPs.

Sir Edward Leigh

The Brexiteer is a definite outsider, but has previously outlined his intention to replace Mr Bercow as the new speaker of the Commons. He said earlier this year he had “no illusions about winning”, but added: “I obviously will try to win.”