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HOUSE OF LORDS - United Kingdom Parliament

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announcement takes a standard form and is distinct from tributes, which<br />

are a matter for the Leader of the House and the usual channels. It is not<br />

debatable.<br />

The Lord Speaker 1<br />

Election of the Lord Speaker<br />

1.35 The House resolved on 12 July 2005 to “elect its own presiding<br />

officer”. 2 The first election was held on 28 June 2006 with the result<br />

announced on 4 July 2006.<br />

1.36 The process of election is governed by Standing Order 19. A new<br />

election is to be held no more than five years after the previous election,<br />

or within three months of the death of the Lord Speaker or her giving<br />

written notice of her resignation to the Leader of the House, if sooner.<br />

The result of the election is subject to the approval of the Queen; if the<br />

House passes a motion for an Address to Her Majesty seeking the Lord<br />

Speaker’s removal from office, the Lord Speaker shall be deemed to have<br />

resigned.<br />

1.37 All members of the House who have taken the oath and are not<br />

disqualified, suspended, or on Leave of Absence are entitled to stand and<br />

vote. 3 However, a member who has been successful in two previous<br />

elections is not entitled to stand.<br />

1.38 The election itself is conducted in accordance with arrangements<br />

made by the Clerk of the <strong>Parliament</strong>s. The Alternative Vote system is<br />

used, 4 according to which candidates are numbered in order of<br />

preference, and the first-preference votes for the least successful<br />

candidates are successively reallocated until one candidate has at least half<br />

the total number of valid votes.<br />

1 The decisions of the House with regard to the office of Lord Speaker are found in various<br />

sources, including Standing Orders; Report of the Select Committee on the Speakership of the<br />

House of Lords, HL Paper 92, 2005–06; resolutions of the House on 12 July 2005 and 31<br />

January 2006; Procedure 3rd and 4th Rpts 2005–06; and House Committee 1st Rpt 2005–06.<br />

2 LJ (2005–06) 152.<br />

3 Procedure Committee 2nd Rpt 2009–10.<br />

4 Report of the Select Committee on the Speakership of the House of Lords, HL Paper 92,<br />

2005–06.<br />

22

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