A wellbeing pledge and a reputation for impartiality

THE election of Sir Lindsay Hoyle to the Speaker’s chair marks an astonishing triumph of spirit for a man who, less than two years ago, suffered the devastating loss of a daughter who took her own life.

Natalie Lewis-hoyle was found hanged, aged 28, at home in Essex in December 2017 amid a relationship her mother described as “very toxic”.

“We’ve lost a daughter and it’s affected us in ways I’ve never expected,” he told a newspaper this weekend. “It’s coming up to that anniversary, so it’s the hardest thing.”

Yet in the shadow of family tragedy, Sir Lindsay, as Deputy Speaker, has quietly consolidated his reputation for fairness among MPS

“People don’t want to remember a referee, they want to remember the game – and it’s all about making sure that game flows,” the Labour MP for Chorley said recently.

It is arguably thanks to him that the general election is even taking place. As chairman of Ways and Means, it was Sir Lindsay, 62, who thwarted attempts to allow EU nationals and 16- and 17-year-olds to take part, amendments over which the Government said it would call off the legislation to allow an election. It is understood he acted on the advice of impartial Commons clerks, in contrast to his predecessor, John Bercow, in recent months.

Sir Lindsay’s strong cross-party support has doubtless not been hurt by his decision not to disclose how he voted in the 2016 referendum.

His esteem within the House rose due to his firm but humorous marshalling of the raucous budget debates of the George Osborne years.

Away from the chamber, he maintains a menagerie of pets including a parrot named Boris – it has perfected the Speaker’s cry of “order, order” – a Patterdale terrier named Betty, after former speaker Betty Boothroyd, and a rottweiler called Gordon, after Gordon Brown.

An MP since 1997, Sir Lindsay aims to tame a House of Commons which he believes has become a “bear pit”. The welfare of MPS was central to his pitch for the speakership, including taking on the “nastiness” of political discourse, something a number of MPS have cited as their reason for standing down.

Allied to this will be extensions to the system of proxy voting, which lets MPS nominate others to vote on their behalf, as well as a greater availability of pastoral care.

He also wants to crack down on what he sees as Westminster’s drink and drug problems, but from a sympathetic standpoint – introducing counselling for troubled MPS.

Despite maintaining a reputation for impartiality, he has spoken out against Tory policies in his constituency including railing against proposed closure of a Lancashire A&E department and magistrates’ court, as well as criticising the Tory-run county council over private healthcare contracts.

Sir Lindsay’s father, Doug Hoyle, served as an MP for many years and is now a Life Peer. Sir Lindsay’s second wife, Catherine Swindley, succeeded him as Labour councillor for Adlington when he joined the House of Commons in 1997.