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 the House (currently Kenneth Clarke) acts as presiding officer of the Commons during the election process. If there is only one candidate, a motion is put before the House asking if the candidate should take the Chair as Speaker. If the question is challenged the decision is made by division (vote). If there is more than one candidate the House then votes by secret ballot using the exhaustive ballot voting system, with each MP having one vote and an absolute majority required for victory. If no candidate wins a majority then the individual with the fewest votes is eliminated, as