Speaker of the House of Commons

Term length
 Inaugural holder

The **Speaker of the House of Commons** is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The office is currently held by TheQuipton, who was initially elected on 24 June 2016, following the promotion of Padanub to Head Moderator.

The Speaker presides over the House's debates, determining which members may speak. The Speaker is also responsible for maintaining order during debate, and may punish members who break the rules of the House. Unlike presiding officers of legislatures in many other countries, the Speaker remains strictly non-partisan, and renounces all affiliation with his or her former political party when taking office. The Speaker does not take part in debate or vote (except to break ties; and even then, the convention is that the speaker casts the tie-breaking vote according to Speaker Denison's rule). Aside from duties relating to presiding over the House, the Speaker also performs administrative and procedural functions, and remains a Member of Parliament (MP). The Speaker has the right and obligation to reside in Speaker's House at the Palace of Westminster.

## History

The office of Speaker is as old as the House of Commons itself. When Timanfya founded the Model House of Commons on 28 May 2014, he immediately assumed the office of the Speaker and his job was to ultimately organise how everything works and flows.

## Elections

*See also: Speaker of the House of Commons election, July 2015, Speaker of the House of Commons election, October 2015 and Speaker of the House of Commons election, January 2016*
Members of Parliament and Lords elect the Speaker from amongst their own ranks. The Houses must elect a Speaker once a vacancy has been opened following the resignation of the incumbent.

Upon the passage of the motion, the Speaker-elect is expected to show reluctance at being chosen; he or she is customarily "dragged unwillingly" by MPs to the Speaker's bench. This custom has its roots in the Speaker's original function of communicating the Commons' opinions to the monarch. Historically, the Speaker, representing the House to the Monarch, potentially faced the Monarch's anger and therefore required some persuasion to accept the post. The Speaker-elect must receive the Sovereign's approval, or the "approbation", before he or she may take office. On the day of the election, the Speaker-elect leads the Commons to the Chamber of the House of Lords, where Lords Commissioners appointed by the Crown confirm him or her in the monarch's name. Thereafter, the Speaker symbolically requests "in the name and on behalf of the Commons of the United Kingdom, to lay claim, by humble petition to Her Majesty, to all their ancient and undoubted rights and privileges, especially to freedom of speech in debate, to freedom from arrest, and to free access to Her Majesty whenever occasion shall require." After the Lords Commissioners, on the behalf of the Sovereign, confirm the Commons' rights and privileges, the Commons return to their Chamber. If a Speaker is chosen in the middle of a Parliament due to a vacancy in the office, he or she must receive the royal approbation as described above, but does not again lay claim to the Commons' rights and privileges.

## Non-partisanship

The Speaker, by convention, severs all ties with his or her political party, as it is considered essential that the Speaker be seen as an impartial presiding officer. In many cases, individuals have served in ministerial or other political positions before being elected Speaker. For example, Athanaton had previously served as a high-ranking Cabinet member, whilst RoryTime was previously in a Shadow Cabinet.

In the House, the Speaker does not vote on any motion, except in order to resolve ties. After leaving office, the Speaker normally takes no part in party politics; if elevated to the House of Lords, he or she would normally sit as a crossbencher.