British parliament chooses first Catholic Speaker

By Robin Oakley, CNN.com European Political Editor

Outgoing speaker Betty Boothroyd kept the House in order

The 658 MPs in the British House of Commons have chosen Michael Martin, Labour MP for Glasgow Springburn, as the new Speaker to preside over their proceedings.

A non-drinking Scot, who was brought up by a single mother in a poor home in Glasgow, Martin becomes the first Roman Catholic to hold the office.

He is the 187th Speaker in a line stretching back to 1376.

With Labour MPs making up two-thirds of the House of Commons, Martin had been favourite to win the post.

His own party backers disregarded suggestions from the Labour leadership that MPs should respect the tradition built up over the past 30 years that the job should alternate between the two major parties.

His predecessor Betty Boothroyd was a Labour MP too.

In a complicated series of votes presided over traditionally by the Father of The House -- the longest serving MP and in this case the former Conservative Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath -- Martin beat off challenges from 11 other MPs.

His closest challengers were the former Conservative Minister Sir George Young, the Transport Select Committee Chairman Gwyneth Dunwoody (Labour) and Deputy Speaker Sir Alan Haselhurst.

Before the series of mini-debates on each of the candidates began, many MPs, led by former Labour minister Tony Benn, protested that the traditional process of selecting a Speaker was undemocratic, confusing and desperately in need of reform.

There was no secret ballot for the 12 candidates. There was no provision for them to hold public meetings -- although a few did attend one unofficial hustings meeting -- and the issuing of manifestoes has traditionally been considered bad form.

Many MPs agree that while the old method had caused few problems in the past with the normal two candidates it proved woefully inadequate on this occasion with a dozen.

CNN.com Europe

The Speaker
Michael Martin MP
Betty Boothroyd - People and Politics
Gwyneth Dunwoody - People and Politics
The Rt Hon Sir George Young MP
Members of Parliament

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