Bells to ring out at Westminster after Sir Lindsay Hoyle re-elected as Speaker

Members of Parliament sat in the new Parliament on Tuesday, their first job being to select a Speaker for the House of Commons.

The longest-serving MP in Parliament, Sir Edward Leigh, who is known as the Father of the House, oversaw the process of electing the Speaker.

The ex-Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, as predicted, expressed his readiness to be selected once more.

Sir Edward asked Labour MP Cat Smith to propose a motion for him to become the Speaker.

The House approved the motion loudly with "yes" votes and no objections. As a result, Sir Lindsay took over as the Speaker-elect.

According to custom, the bells at St Margaret's Church, located across from Parliament, will chime from 6pm to 7pm on Wednesday to celebrate the Speaker's re-election.

Sir Lindsay stated that he will continue to be just, unbiased, and autonomous.

He said to the Parliament: "It has been an honor to work as the 158th speaker in this House. I must admit that four and a half years have gone by quickly."

Being the chairperson comes with a lot of responsibility, and I have always understood and respected that.

I have learned from my past choices that there are results that follow, but with time comes knowledge. If I am chosen again, I will use this wisdom to be just, neutral, and autonomous in my decisions.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle's speech was filled with humorous moments and contemplations as he mentioned the "Rees-Mogg conga", a reference to the line system organized by former Commons leader Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg during the pandemic.

He said: "It was a great privilege to represent this House at the ceremony for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, to give the speech to the new King in Westminster Hall, and to be present at his coronation."

It goes without saying that in this position, you need to have endurance. I have served as a speaker through the terms of three prime ministers, two monarchs, and one Jim Shannon.

If the proposal had been denied, there would have been a vote conducted in secret to decide the outcome.

The recent election for the House of Commons saw a record-breaking number of women elected, with 263 female members making up approximately 40% of the total representatives.

Facing them will be a reduced group of 121 Conservative members.

In the upcoming government, there will be a significant increase in the number of Liberal Democrats, totaling 72 members. Additionally, there will be a few representatives from other political parties such as the Green Party with four MPs, Reform UK with five MPs, and several independents including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. During the election, the conflict in Gaza was a major focal point for Corbyn.

As the incoming MPs were getting comfortable, the ex-MPs who had been defeated in the election were clearing out their offices.

The incoming speaker is escorted to the House of Lords by an official named Black Rod to receive the Royal Approval from King Charles III.

In the House of Commons, the winner will pretend to be hesitant and will be pulled to the Speaker's chair by their colleagues. This custom dates back to a time when speakers could be put to death if they made the monarch angry.

After the Speaker is chosen, Members of Parliament will be officially sworn in by taking an oath of loyalty to the king and "his heirs and successors."

Members have the option to affirm their commitment using a religious text or a non-religious statement of their choosing.

Individuals are required to recite the oath in English initially, and then have the option to repeat it in Welsh, Ulster Scots, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic or Cornish.

The longest-serving member of the House is inaugurated first, then the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his Cabinet, followed by key members of the opposing party, and finally the rest of the MPs based on how long they have been serving.

Once all MPs have taken their oaths, which is expected to happen over the course of several days, the House of Commons will adjourn until July 17th. This is when the new session will officially begin with the State Opening of Parliament.

The upcoming government will announce its proposed laws for the next year in a speech delivered by the King while sitting on a luxurious golden throne in the House of Lords.

The King is set to announce proposals to create a state-run eco-friendly energy company called Great British Energy, adjust regulations to enable the construction of additional housing units, and bring the country's trouble-ridden railway system under public ownership.