Roles of the Houses of Parliament

The Speaker

The Basic

A Member of Parliament elected by other members to chair the proceedings of the House of Commons and manage the business of the House.

The In-Depth

The Speaker of the House of Commons is elected to the post by fellow MPs. They chair the debates in the Commons Chamber. The Speaker is the chief officer and has the highest authority in the Commons.

They are expected to be politically impartial after they are elected to the chair. They are called Mr or Madam Speaker. They're not normally opposed at the General Election by the other major parties. The Speaker interprets the rules of the House. 

Their powers include being able to bar members, decide who gets to speak, and they can call ministers to the House to make statements. The Speaker also represents the Commons to the monarch.

Commons Deputy Speakers

The Basic

Members of Parliament elected by other MPs to chair sittings of the House and supervise certain other parts of the House (that the Speaker of the House of Commons is not in charge of).

The In-Depth

There are three Deputy Speakers - they can also chair sittings of the House. They're elected by their fellow MPs and are known as the:

• Chairman of Ways and Means
• First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means
• Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means

When they're elected, the MPs withdraw from active political roles, but they do enter elections under their party colours. 

The Chairman of Ways and Means is chairperson of any committee of the whole House. S/he has 3 distinct roles from the Speaker-

• Supervising arrangements for sittings in Westminster Hall
• General oversight of matters to do with private bills
• Chair of the Panel of Chairs - general responsibility for the work of general committees

Lord Speaker

The Basic

The Speaker of the House of Lords, with similar but slightly less power than the Speaker of the House of Commons.

The In-Depth

The Lord Speaker is elected by members of the House of Lords (NOT MPs!). They're politically impartial and their responsibilities include chairing the debates in the Lords chamber, offering advice on procedure, chairing daily business, chairing House of Lords committees, and more.

The Lord Speaker has less authority than the Speaker of the House of Commons. They don't…