History of the Lord Speaker's Role
The role of Lord Speaker was created in 2006, with a remit to preside over proceedings in the House of Lords chamber, to chair the House Committee (the predecessor of the Lords Commission) and to act as an ambassador for the Lords.
Until July 2006, the presiding officer in the House of Lords was the Lord Chancellor, who combined these duties with responsibilities as head of the judiciary in England and Wales and Minister of the Crown.
The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 broke up the Lord Chancellor’s duties, creating the separate office of Lord Speaker of the House of Lords and handing the role of head of the English and Welsh judiciary to the Lord Chief Justice. The Lord Chancellor retained his political position, sitting in the Cabinet with the new title Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (later Secretary of State for Justice).
Timeline:
June 2003: Prime Minister Tony Blair announces that the 1,400-year-old role of Lord Chancellor is to be abolished. The newly-appointed Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, takes on the additional title of Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (external link).
November 2003: House of Lords Committee on the Speakership of the House recommends the creation of the role of Lord Speaker, with very different responsibilities and powers from the Speaker of the House of Commons.
February 2004: Constitutional Reform Bill introduced in the House of Lords, proposing the abolition of the office of Lord Chancellor and the creation of a new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom to replace the system of Law Lords sitting in the Upper House. The Bill is amended in the Lords so that it does not abolish the Lord Chancellor, but removes the post’s responsibility for presiding over the second chamber of Parliament and heading the judiciary.
March 2005: Constitutional Reform Act receives Royal Assent.
June 2006: Nine candidates contest the first election of a Lord Speaker, with Baroness Hayman topping the ballot. An alternative vote system is used, requiring peers to number candidates in order of preference, with the least popular contender removed and their votes redistributed in each round. A total of 581 votes are cast and Lady Hayman leads the field throughout seven rounds.
July 2006: Lady Hayman takes her place on the Woolsack for the first time as Lord Speaker, taking over from Lord Falconer, who had continued to exercise the functions of presiding officer until this point.
June 2007: Jack Straw appointed Lord Chancellor, with the additional title Secretary of State for Justice. He is the first Lord Chancellor since the 16th century to be a member of the House of Commons.
March 2010: Former MI5 director-general Baroness Manningham-Buller delivers the first Lord Speaker’s Lecture.
July 2011: After Lady Hayman’s announcement in May that she will not seek a second term, an election is held under the alternative vote system to choose her replacement. Six candidates stand, and with 644 votes cast, crossbencher Baroness D’Souza is elected, having led in all four rounds.
September 2011: Lady D’Souza takes up her role as Lord Speaker.
November 2014: Tech pioneer Bill Gates delivers a Lord Speaker's Lecture in the Robing Room of the House of Lords. (external link)
February 2016: Former US President James Carter delivers a Lord Speaker's Lecture in the Robing Room.
June 2016: Former Cabinet minister Lord Fowler is elected the third Lord Speaker in a ballot of peers under the alternative vote system, with three candidates standing. Because Lord Fowler secures more than 50% of the 639 votes cast in the first count, there is no need for further rounds.
September 2016: Lord Fowler takes office as Lord Speaker.
January 2020: In a Lord Speaker’s Lecture in the Royal Gallery, environmentalist Sir David Attenborough speaks to peers about his fears over climate change, warning: “Now is the time to act. We cannot delay any more.” (external link)
March 2020: Days before the announcement of the first coronavirus lockdown, Lord Fowler announces that, in line with Public Health England advice for the over-70s, he will be working from home, with duties in the chamber conducted by his deputies.
February 2021: Lord Fowler announces he will stand down five months early from his role as Lord Speaker in order to allow the introduction of structural and organisational changes to the House to be "seen through by the team who will be implementing them".
April 2021: Lord McFall of Alcluith is elected the fourth Lord Speaker in a ballot of peers carried out under the alternative vote system. With three candidates standing and 639 votes cast, Lord McFall leads in both rounds of counting. The campaign and vote are conducted remotely because of restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
May 2021: Lord McFall takes up his duties as Lord Speaker.
September 2021: Lord McFall conducts a two-day visit to Northern Ireland, the first by a Lord Speaker.
February 2022: Lord Speaker launches the Interparliamentary Forum, bringing together representatives of both Houses of the UK Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd.
March 2022: Lord McFall becomes the first Lord Speaker to visit the Welsh Senedd in Cardiff.
October 2022: Lord McFall becomes the first Lord Speaker to make an official visit to the Irish parliament and address their senate, the Seanad Éireann, in Dublin.
February 2023: Launch of the Lord Speaker’s Corner podcast series of interviews with members of the House of Lords about their experience and expertise.
