SNP MP Pete Wishart is to launch a bid to be the next House of Commons Speaker.
Mr Wishart, Scotland’s longest serving MP having held his seat since 2001, will release his manifesto later today.
If elected, he’d be the first post-war Speaker from outside the two main parties.
Mr Wishart said his manifesto would be “substantial & far reaching” and “based on a solid agenda of reform seeking to secure equality of all MPs.”
Tomorrow I will release my manifesto to become the next Speaker of the House of Commons. The first post war Speaker to emerge from beyond the 2 main parties. It will be based on a solid agenda of reform seeking to secure equality of all MPs. It will be substantial & far reaching
— Pete Wishart (@PeteWishart) April 30, 2019
Current Speaker John Bercow is expected to stand down in the summer after almost ten years in the role.
Dame Eleanor Laing, currently one of three Deputy Speakers, will also be in the running to take on the position, while Labour’s Harriet Harman is also thought to be considering putting herself forward.
Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh and Labour’s Chris Bryant have announced their intentions to run.
The role of Speaker is mainly to preside over proceedings in the House of Commons, determining which members get to speak and when, as well as maintaining order.
The Speaker is non-partisan, and therefore gives up party affiliation upon taking the role, while still serving as a constituency MP.
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