Deputy Speaker election: Eleanor Laing elected
16 October 2013
Eleanor Laing, MP for Epping Forest, has been elected as the new Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.
Eleanor Laing will take up the post of Deputy Speaker immediately.
Breakdown of results
551 votes were cast. There were no spoilt ballot papers. The breakdown of election results shows the details of the votes cast for each candidate at each stage of the count.
The candidates
The seven candidates that stood in the ballot were:
- David Amess, Conservative MP for Southend West
- Henry Bellingham, Conservative MP for North West Norfolk
- Brian Binley, Conservative MP for Northampton South
- Simon Burns, Conservative MP for Chelmsford
- Nadine Dorries, Conservative MP for Mid Bedforshire
- Eleanor Laing, Conservative MP for Epping Forest
- Gary Streeter, Conservative MP for South West Devon
To maintain the party balance between the Deputy Speakers, only MPs of parties represented in Her Majesty’s Government – Conservative and Liberal Democrats – were eligible for nomination.
Related documents
A booklet was produced that lists all the candidates for the Deputy Speaker election in alphabetical order, together with their sponsors and personal statement.
- Booklet: Election of a Deputy Speaker - 15 October 2013
- Election of a Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, 16 October 2013: Candidates and their sponsors
More details of the practical arrangements for the election to fill the vacant Deputy Speaker post by secret ballot are available:
Further information
As more than one nomination was received, the ballot was held between 11.30am and 2pm on Wednesday 16 October, using the Single Transferable Vote system.
The results were announced to the House by Mr Speaker, as soon as practicable after the votes had been counted.
The successful candidate will join Lindsay Hoyle MP and the Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP as Deputy Speakers.
Watching Commons proceedings from the public gallery
UK residents and overseas visitors can watch proceedings in the House of Commons by visiting the public gallery.
This article was produced by the Commons Digital Outreach Team. Follow the @HouseofCommons on Twitter for updates on the UK House of Commons Chamber.