British Labour MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle elected Speaker of Parliament

The British Labour Party's Sir Lindsay Hoyle has been elected Speaker of Parliament following the resignation of John Bercow.

Bercow - the conservative known for his famous "orders" and whose international profile grew exponentially as the British Parliament became a site of Brexit chaos - stepped down from the role last week after 10 years in the job.

On Tuesday (NZ Time), British politicians voted in secret for who they wanted in charge of the debating chamber. After four rounds, Sir Lindsay beat fellow Labour MP Chris Bryant for the job with 325 votes to 213.

As is customary, Sir Lindsay was 'dragged' to the Speaker's chair. That tradition came from when the Speaker had to convey the House of Commons' opinion to the ruling monarch. Often the monarch was emotive and angry, meaning the Speaker had to be persuaded, and metaphorically dragged, to meet with them.

The Speaker's current role is primarily to keep order in the House of Commons and decide who will speak on what.

Sir Lindsay has been the deputy Speaker to Bercow and promised upon his election to be "neutral" and "transparent".

By convention, Speakers separate themselves completely from the party they come from. Bercow had previously been a Conservative Party MP.

But Sir Lindsay's promise was particularly notable following Bercow's reign during the Brexit period. The former Speaker was regularly accused of hurling roadblocks in the way of the Government trying to leave the European Union.

"Some of the decisions that John Bercow has made in the chair have been quite unprecedented. They've been very unexpected. Some MPs have loved them. Some MPs have loathed them," Reuters reported Alice Lilly, a senior researcher at the Institute of Government think tank said.

With an election set down for December 12, what sort of Parliament Sir Lindsay will preside over is yet to be determined. But he's promising it will move away from the boisterous antics that have defined the last few years.

"This House will change, but it will change for the better," the new Speaker said on Tuesday. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson quickly welcomed Sir Lindsay's election, saying he knows the new Speaker will show his "signature kindness and reasonableness" in the role.

"Over the years I have observed that you have many good qualities, and I'm sure you will stick up for backbenchers in the way that you have proposed," Johnson said.

Among Sir Lindsay's upcoming challenges will be to keep control over the Brexit process and deal with widespread accusations of bullying in the institution.

Newshub.