Lindsay Hoyle - New factor in the 'Brexit play'

Waiting for the difference

Over the past few months, the public has become all too familiar with the always “fiery” atmosphere in the British Parliament sessions, where MPs are ready to argue and fight fiercely, forcing Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow to repeatedly ring the bell and shout “Order!”.

So it was no surprise that when John Bercow resigned and Lindsay Hoyle was elected as his successor, it was said that Lindsay Hoyle would take on a “hot seat”.

Mr. Lindsay Hoyle delivered his inaugural speech as Speaker of the British House of Commons. Photo: ABC News

The profound changes in British politics in recent times have made the position of Speaker of the House of Commons more noticeable than ever, because this is the person who must reconcile all conflicting opinions, ensuring that the country's major decisions are implemented smoothly.

This is what has caused John Bercow to struggle in the final months of his term, and Lindsay Hoyle is expected to make a difference. Lindsay Hoyle himself is well aware of the huge challenge, so in his inaugural speech he pledged to bring “respect and tolerance” to the House of Commons, where all debates will be conducted in an orderly manner.

Many British MPs have expressed confidence in Mr. Lindsay Hoyle's commitment based on two important factors: calmness and objectivity - something that his predecessor John Bercow was assessed to lack.

Born in 1957 in Lancaster County, Lindsay Hoyle is no stranger to British politics. His political career began quite early when he was elected as a member of Chorley Town Council in Lancaster County at the age of 22. In 1997, he became a Labour MP in the House of Commons and has held the position of Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons since 2010.

Mr Lindsay Hoyle is known for his calm demeanor and love of animals. Photo: Sky News

Colleagues who know him describe him as a calm, affectionate man with a special love for pets. If John Bercow has made a deep impression with the image of ringing the bell and shouting “Order!” during debates in the House of Commons, people expect Lindsay Hoyle to bring that order to the House of Commons in a different – ​​and more moderate – way.

MPs have not forgotten an incident in 2017 when members of the Scottish National Party (SNP) sang the EU national anthem in protest against Brexit. Mr Hoyle quickly resolved the incident by saying, “It’s all very well listening to a choir, but not in this room, because someone might want to listen to a different tune!”

In terms of political stance, Mr. Lindsay Hoyle is also considered to have maintained a neutral spirit since being elected Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons - a factor that will be even more important when he officially becomes Speaker of the House of Commons. Therefore, British politicians believe that Mr. Lindsay Hoyle will make less controversial decisions than his predecessor.

Mr Lindsay Hoyle has never stated his personal stance on Brexit. Photo: BBC

Difficult mission

One very special thing about Mr. Lindsay Hoyle is that up until now, when the referendum on Britain's exit from the EU has been going on for more than 3 years, no one knows whether he voted "Remain" or "Leave" in his vote. This is completely opposite to Mr. John Bercow. Mr. John Bercow once announced that he voted "Remain", and he was heavily criticized for showing unfairness when running the sessions of Parliament in favor of the pro-EU faction, even though neither the Speaker nor the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons were allowed to participate in the voting sessions of Parliament.

Just a few days after resigning, Mr. John Bercow also frankly stated that leaving the EU was the worst decision of the UK since World War II. Mr. John Bercow's bias was shown through a series of decisions such as twice preventing Prime Minister Boris Johnson from putting his Brexit plan to a vote, allowing Parliament to take control of Brexit from the government within 1 day, something unprecedented in the history of the British Parliament.

So, at a time when all the UK's issues are revolving around Brexit, keeping his personal views private is a way for Mr. Lindsay Hoyle to carry out his duties more fairly and convincingly to MPs.

Panorama of the British House of Commons session in London. Photo: THX/TTXVN

Since the 2017 general election, the House of Commons has been without a majority in Parliament. The upcoming election is unlikely to change that, making the Speaker of the House of Commons a key player in future Brexit scenarios.

Many people believe that supervising and managing the activities of the British Parliament on the issue of Brexit is a truly difficult mission that Mr. Lindsay Hoyle must face right from the first days of taking office because the fierce debates will certainly not stop. In case Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party fails to regain the majority in the Parliament, the situation for Mr. Hoyle will be even more difficult because then, all parties will try to promote the scenarios according to their wishes, not excluding the possibility of holding a referendum again, or even canceling Brexit.

According to British regulations, Mr. Lindsay Hoyle will have to give up his membership of the Labour Party to show neutrality on all issues, including Brexit. At this time, when the British Parliament has been dissolved, when members of all parties are focusing on the big battle, the upcoming election on December 12, Mr. Lindsay Hoyle seems to be the most idle person, not tied to meetings or election campaigns.

But once the British Parliament resumes after the election results, the “hot seat” of the Speaker of the House of Commons will certainly be pushed to the “front line”. Therefore, behind the idle appearance, perhaps Mr. Lindsay Hoyle is actively preparing his own scenarios to be able to fulfill his promise “to make the British Parliament continue to be a model for other Parliaments in the world”.