2000 Speaker of the British House of Commons election for electing a Speaker were changed the following year to a use a secret and exhaustive ballot. This procedure was first used in the Speaker election of 2009. Under the old system for electing Speakers of the House of Commons, a candidate would be nominated and seconded, and alternative candidates would be offered as 'amendments' to that initial motion. In 2000, 11 candidates stepped forward, leading Sir Edward Heath, presiding in his capacity as Father of the House, to have the candidates voted on two at a time. He called Michael Martin to be nominated first. In the event, no
Next Speaker of the British House of Commons election 2017 general election, and the last contested election of a Speaker was held on 22 June 2009. The current rules for the election of the Speaker were introduced on 22 March 2001 and are set out in section 1 of the Standing Orders of the House of Commons. A candidate for Speaker must be a sitting Member of Parliament and be nominated by at least twelve and at most fifteen Members of Parliament, at least three of whom must be from a political party different to that of the candidate. Each MP may only nominate one candidate. The Father of