1992 Speaker of the British House of Commons election willing nominee) since William Morrison defeated Major James Milner on 31 October 1951, although Geoffrey De Freitas had been nominated against his wishes in the 1971 election. The candidates were Betty Boothroyd (Labour), MP for West Bromwich West and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons from 1987 to 1992, and Peter Brooke (Conservative), MP for City of London and Westminster South and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1989 to 1992. The election was presided over by the Father of the House, Sir Edward Heath, and was conducted by means of a conventional parliamentary motion, originally to elect
2009 Speaker of the British House of Commons election under a voting system known as the exhaustive ballot. Then, the House voted on a formal motion to appoint the member in question to the Speakership. The Father of the House, Alan Williams, was the presiding officer of the Commons during the election process. The final stage of appointment of a new Speaker is a formality but has constitutional significance. The Queen must signify her approval of the new Speaker, which is done by the appointment of a Royal Commission. The following individuals all confirmed their intention to stand for election to the office of Speaker, and were all in