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,
Next Speaker of the British House of Commons election Next Speaker of the British House of Commons election The next election of the Speaker of the House of Commons is due to take place at the first sitting of parliament after the next UK general election (currently scheduled for May 2022) or sooner should the incumbent Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow leave office before the next election. In October 2018, it was reported that Bercow had informed friends of his intention to step down as Speaker in summer 2019 (ten years after becoming Speaker). The last speaker election was held on 13 June 2017 following the