Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom) and 2005. At the 2010 general election, Speaker John Bercow faced ten opponents, including Nigel Farage, former leader of UKIP, who obtained 17.4% of the vote, and John Stevens, from the Buckinghamshire Campaign for Democracy party, who obtained 21.4%. Bercow won with 47% of the vote. The Speaker's primary function is to preside over the House of Commons. Traditionally, the Speaker when presiding wore court dress—a black coat with white shirt and bands, beneath a black gown, with stockings and buckled shoes, and a full-bottomed wig. But in 1992 Betty Boothroyd, the first female Speaker, eschewed the wig. Her successor,
1971 Speaker of the British House of Commons election 1971 Speaker of the British House of Commons election The 1971 election of the Speaker of the House of Commons occurred on 12 January 1971, following the retirement of the previous Speaker Dr Horace King. The election resulted in the election of Conservative MP Selwyn Lloyd, formerly Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary. It was the first election with more than one nominee since William Morrison defeated Major James Milner on 31 October 1951. However, under the rules at the time, any MP could be nominated for Speaker with or without their consent or knowledge. Labour MP Geoffrey de