Factbox: What does the speaker of Britain's parliament do, and who is John Bercow?
The speaker of Britain's House of Commons threw Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plans into further turmoil this week by ruling that she could not put her divorce deal to a new vote unless it was resubmitted in fundamentally different form.
FILE PHOTO: Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow (C) prepares for the State Opening of Parliament in central London, Britain June 21, 2017. REUTERS/Niklas Halle'n/Pool/File Photo
Below is an explanation of the speaker’s role in parliament, and information on the current speaker, John Bercow.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE SPEAKER?
The speaker of parliament’s lower chamber, the House of Commons, chairs debates, calling members of parliament to speak and keeping order. He or she can ask lawmakers to be quiet so members can be heard, direct lawmakers to withdraw their comments, and suspend lawmakers who are deliberately disobedient.
The speaker is the highest authority of the House of Commons and is required to remain politically impartial. Therefore he or she is not a member of a political party while in office. The speaker also represents the House of Commons to the monarch.
Speakers are elected by secret ballot. They do not take part in debates or votes in parliament, except in the event of a tie, when the convention is that they cast the deciding vote.
The speaker stands in national elections but is traditionally not opposed by the major parties.
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