speaker

She wanted to give the Speakership as a sort of consolation prize to someone who she no longer wanted as a minister in her government rather than to Weatherill, who had been the senior Deputy Speaker in the previous parliament.

MPs-rejected the Conservative government's choice, Peter Brooke, who had been Northern Ireland Secretary, in favour of the Labour MP for West Bromwich West, Betty Boothroyd which resulted in two firsts for the Speakership: the first woman to hold the office and the first time ever that a Speaker had come from the Opposition benches.

In both cases, the British Speakership was playing catch up with its Canadian counterpart because the Federal Parliament in Ottawa had elected Jeanne Sauv6 in 1980.

The British Speakership election of 2000 witnessed an even greater change to the way in which the process was conducted and was the catalyst behind the adoption of the system used in Canada.

His election broke the tradition that had been building up during the post-war period that the Speakership should be alternated between the two main parties.

The British Speakership is no longer a swan song for a distinguished ex-minister and this has also emerged in Canada.