House of Commons Standing Orders — Secret Ballot for Re-Election of a Former Speaker — 26 Mar 2015 at 13:18

David Davis MP, Haltemprice and Howden voted against holding a secret ballot when a vote is held on if a former speaker who has been re-elected to the House of Commons ought resume the chair as speaker at the start of a new Parliament.

The majority of MPs voted against holding a secret ballot when a vote is held on if a former speaker who has been re-elected to the House of Commons ought resume the chair as speaker at the start of a new Parliament.

The procedure for the re-election of a former speaker was left unchanged as a result of this vote. House of Commons Standing Order 1A sets out the process:[1]

  • If at the commencement of a Parliament the Member who was Speaker at the dissolution of the previous Parliament is returned to the House, the Member presiding in accordance with Standing Order No. 1 (Election of the Speaker: Member presiding) shall, when the House meets to proceed with the choice of a Speaker, ascertain whether the former Speaker is willing to be chosen as Speaker, and, the former Speaker having submitted himself to the House, shall call upon a Member to move that he do take the Chair of this House as Speaker; and the question thereon shall be put forthwith.

If the question was contested a normal division with details of how each MP voted recorded and published would be held.

The motion rejected by the majority of MPs taking part in this vote stated:

  • That this House notes the recommendation of the Procedure Committee in its Fifth Report of Session 2010-12, 2010 Elections for positions in the House, that the House should be invited to decide between a secret ballot or open division where the question at the start of a new Parliament that a former Speaker take the Chair is challenged, and accordingly makes the following change to Standing Orders, with effect from the beginning of the new Parliament:
  • Standing Order 1A (Re-election of former Speaker) Line 11, at end insert—
  • “(1A) If that question is contested, it shall be determined by secret ballot, to take place on the same day under arrangements made by the Member presiding, who shall announce the result of the ballot to the House as soon as is practicable.”

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Debate in Parliament | Source |

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Party Summary

Votes by party, red entries are votes against the majority for that party.

What is Tell? '+1 tell' means that in addition one member of that party was a teller for that division lobby.

What are Boths? An MP can vote both aye and no in the same division. The boths page explains this.

What is Turnout? This is measured against the total membership of the party at the time of the vote.

PartyMajority (No)Minority (Aye)BothTurnout
Con23 198 (+2 tell)073.6%
Lab189 (+2 tell) 0074.0%
LDem10 4025.0%
PC2 0066.7%
SNP2 0033.3%
UKIP2 00100.0%
Total:228 202069.1%

Rebel Voters - sorted by party

MPs for which their vote in this division differed from the majority vote of their party. You can see all votes in this division, or every eligible MP who could have voted in this division

Sort by: Name | Constituency | Party | Vote

NameConstituencyPartyVote
Sir David AmessSouthend WestCon (front bench)no
Bob BlackmanHarrow EastCon (front bench)no
Peter BoneWellingboroughCon (front bench)no
Graham BradyAltrincham and Sale WestCon (front bench)no
Conor BurnsBournemouth WestCon (front bench)no
Christopher ChopeChristchurchCon (front bench)no
Tracey CrouchChatham and AylesfordCon (front bench)no
Philip DaviesShipleyCon (front bench)no
David DavisHaltemprice and HowdenConno
Dame Cheryl GillanChesham and AmershamCon (front bench)no
Zac GoldsmithRichmond ParkCon (front bench)no
James GrayNorth WiltshireCon (front bench)no
Adam HollowayGraveshamCon (front bench)no
Bernard JenkinHarwich and North EssexCon (front bench)no
Jeremy LefroyStaffordCon (front bench)no
Edward LeighGainsboroughCon (front bench)no
Julian LewisNew Forest EastCon (front bench)no
Jack LoprestiFilton and Bradley StokeCon (front bench)no
David NuttallBury NorthCon (front bench)no
Jacob Rees-MoggNorth East SomersetCon (front bench)no
Richard ShepherdAldridge-BrownhillsConno
Martin VickersCleethorpesCon (front bench)no
Charles WalkerBroxbourneCon (front bench)no
Tom BrakeCarshalton and WallingtonLDem (front bench)aye
Edward DaveyKingston and SurbitonLDem (front bench)aye
Don FosterBathLDem (front bench)aye
John ThursoCaithness, Sutherland and Easter RossLDem (front bench)aye

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