When the House of Commons meets for the first time, MPs are summoned to the House of Lords where they are directed to elect their Speaker.
They return to the House of Commons to make their selection, with the longest continuously serving MP – the so-called Mother or Father of the House, now Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh – temporarily seated in the Speaker’s chair.
If the former Speaker has been re-elected in the general election and wishes to continue in their post, a secret ballot is not necessary.
They can be reappointed if a majority of MPs vote in their favour, at which point they become the Speaker-elect.
As part of the process, the successful candidate pretends to be reluctant to take up the role and is physically dragged to the Speaker’s chair by other MPs.
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