Election of Deputy Speakers
22 July 2024
The House of Commons has elected its Deputy Speakers on Tuesday 23 July 2024
Due to the start of the new Parliament, MPs have elected three Deputy Speakers.
Elected Deputy Speakers
- Nusrat Ghani has been elected as Chairman of Ways and Means. The Chairman of Ways and Means is the principal Deputy Speaker in the House of Commons.
- Judith Cummins has been elected First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.
- Caroline Nokes has been elected Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.
The election for the three Deputy Speakers of the House of Commons took place on Tuesday 23 July.
The result was announced by the Speaker in the Chamber.
Who can the Deputy Speakers be?
Two of the Deputy Speakers must come from the opposite side of the House to the Speaker. These are the Chairman of Ways and Means and the Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.
One of the Deputy Speakers must come from the same side of the House as the Speaker and they are the First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.
At least one man and at least one woman must be elected across the four posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
How are the Deputy Speakers elected?
The Deputy Speaker election is done by private ballot.
MPs number candidates according to preference, with 1 being the most preferred candidate and representing their vote. The rest are optional.
Only the candidates may watch the count and the results are announced by the Speaker in the Chamber.
What do the Deputy Speakers do?
The principal Deputy Speaker is also the Chairman of Ways and Means. The other two Deputy Speakers are known as the First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means and the Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.
The main role of the Chairman of Ways and Means is to take the Chair during the Speaker's absence and perform their duties. The Chairman of Ways and Means is also chairman of any Committee of the whole House.
The Chairman of Ways and Means also has three roles that the Speaker does not perform: supervision of arrangements for sittings in Westminster Hall, general oversight of matters connected with private bills and Chair of the Panel of Chairs.
The two Deputy Chairmen of Ways and Means may take the Chair in the absence of the Chairman of Ways and Means.
The candidates in this election are listed below. You can also find a link to a booklet listing the candidates’ nominees, and setting out any supporting statement the candidate has provided.
- Find out more about the election of the Deputy Speakers
- Read the Commons Library Research Briefing: The election of Deputy Speakers
The candidates and their sponsors:
Dame Karen Bradley, Staffordshire Moorlands, Opposition side
Sponsors: Gareth Snell, Adam Jogee, Tonia Antoniazzi, David Davis, Chris Law, Dame Diana Johnson, Mr Alistair Carmichael, Sir Jeremy Wright, Dan Carden, Emma Foody
Judith Cummins, Bradford South, Government side
Sponsors: Peter Dowd, Steve Barclay, Carolyn Harris, Jess Phillips, Tom Gordon, Sir Alec Shelbrooke, Michael Shanks, Gareth Snell, Chris Webb, Harpreet Uppal
Sir Roger Gale, Herne Bay and Sandwich, Opposition side
Sponsors:Andrew Bowie, Kim Leadbeater, Esther McVey, Gavin Robinson, Mr Alistair Carmichael, Mary Glindon, Jim Shannon, Paulette Hamilton, Peter Dowd, Uma Kumaran
Ms Nusrat Ghani, Sussex Weald, Opposition side
Sponsors: Mr Andrew Mitchell, Jess Phillips, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Layla Moran, Mark Pritchard, Preet Kaur Gill, Alison Griffiths, Chi Onwurah, Graham Leadbitter, Rachel Hopkins
Helen Grant, Maidstone and Malling, Opposition side
Sponsors: Mr Andrew Mitchell, Dame Meg Hillier, Valerie Vaz, Layla Moran, Joy Morrissey, Kit Malthouse, Jeremy Hunt, Chi Onwurah, Debbie Abrahams, Dawn Butler
Mrs Sharon Hodgson, Washington and Gateshead South, Government side
Sponsors: Dame Siobhain McDonagh, Sir Christopher Chope, Sir Edward Leigh, Matthew Patrick, Layla Moran, Graeme Downie, Natasha Irons, Baggy Shanker, Liam Byrne, Lewis Atkinson
Wendy Morton, Aldridge-Brownhills, Opposition side
Sponsors: Mr Tom Morrison, Dave Doogan, Sir John Whittingdale, Saqib Bhatti, Mary Glindon, Ruth Jones, George Freeman, Peter Dowd, Gareth Snell, Jim Shannon
Caroline Nokes, Romsey and Southampton North, Opposition side
Sponsors: Melanie Onn, Mims Davies, Mark Garnier, Sir Julian Lewis, Alison Griffiths, Dame Caroline Dinenage, Bill Esterson, Matt Western, Carolyn Harris, Wera Hobhouse
- Read more about the candidates (pdf, 3MB)
- Read more about the candidates in large print (pdf, 102KB)