Voting begins in Speaker election
Updated on 22 June 2009
The 10 candidates to be the next Commons Speaker make their case to a packed chamber of fellow MPs.
All stressed the need for radical reform after the expenses scandal rocked Parliament and forced Mr Martin out of office.
MPs now have 30 minutes to vote in the first secret ballot for the post before the result is announced to the House about an hour later.
With so many candidates there are expected to be several ballots before a winner emerges, who is able to command more than 50 per cent of the vote.
Frantic jockeying for the job continued right up until the last minute before Members massed in the chamber to hear the hopefuls set out their stalls.
Earlier, Commons Leader Harriet Harman denied a behind-the-scenes operation was being mounted by Labour whips trying to swing the contest in favour of former Cabinet minister Margaret Beckett.
Former foreign secretary Margaret Beckett was being tipped as the frontrunner after Conservative MP John Bercow, previously the hot favourite, appeared to lose ground. Labour whips were accused of promoting Mrs Beckett while Tories were said to be manoeuvring behind Sir George Young, the Tory chairman of the Standards and Privileges Committee.
But the combination of complicated election procedures and a secret ballot this afternoon could yet throw up a surprise winner from the 10-strong field. Whoever wins will be charged with restoring trust and confidence in Parliament in the wake of its battering over the expenses scandal.
Full videos of the candidates' speeches below:
Margaret Beckett
The former foreign secretary, 66, is the only candidate to have held one of the great offices of state. She bore the brunt of angry audience heckling on BBC1's Question Time in the wake of the expenses scandal. According to the Sunday Telegraph, she has spent almost £11,000 in gardening expenses. If elected, the MP for Derby South would be the third Labour Speaker in succession.
Sir George Young
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. He has claimed the maximum second homes allowance available for two years running, including mortgage interest payments of £1,428 per month.
John Bercow
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. He has claimed on his expenses for the cost of having an accountant complete his tax returns for the last two years, charging more than £480 to the public purse on each occasion.
He also "flipped" his second home from his constituency to a £540,000 flat in London and then claimed the maximum allowable amount for it.
Ann Widdecombe
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, she is respected in the Commons for her plain-speaking, no-nonsense style. The 61-year-old has declared she will step down at the next election, meaning she can serve no more than 11 months as effectively an interim speaker. According to the Sunday Telegraph, she has spent more than £9,000 for a cuttings service collating references to herself in the newspapers.
Sir Alan Beith
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. He has claimed £117,000 on his second home while his wife, Baroness Maddock, put £60,000 on her House of Lords expenses for the same property.
Sir Alan Haselhurst
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. But the Tory MP for Saffron Walden, 71, has been damaged by disclosures that he claimed £12,000 worth of taxpayers' money on his expenses for gardening at his Essex home. He stood for the job in 2000.
Parmjit Dhanda
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. The Sunday Telegraph reported that he had over-claimed twice for the cost of mortgage interest on his second home.
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. He has claimed expenses on both of his homes by designating part of his main residence as an office, thereby claiming £9,820 towards heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and council tax bills.
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. Another veteran of the 2000 contest, his chances may have been damaged this time around by the revelation that he claimed expenses of £6,223 on gardening, including an instruction to "prune plantation (conifer)".
Sir Michael Lord
A deputy speaker since 1997 who also stood for the speaker's job in 2000, he might have expected to be a leading contender to succeed Mr Martin in less unusual circumstances. The Conservative MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, 70, has attracted controversy for his gardening claims on expenses, costing more than £8,000.
Speaker election: background
Michael Martin, speaker since 2000, officially vacated the position yesterday after being forced out by MPs angry at his handling of the crisis.
The election is being run by the Father of the House Alan Williams. Nominations for the post closed this morning.
The nominated 10 were invited to make short speeches to the Commons this afternoon, before voting begins. Each candidate had to gain 12 to 15 nominations from MPs, at least three of which should be from a party other than their own.
The winner must secure 50 per cent of the vote in the "exhaustive secret ballot". There are expected to be several rounds of voting, with one or two candidates eliminated in each until a victor emerges - and is "dragged" to the speaker's chair.
Their new salary will be £146,041, including their MP's wages of £67,466 a year.
