House of Lords Speaker Hustings 2021

Events

House of Lords Speaker Hustings 2021

The Hansard Society hosted two online hustings for the candidates in the 2021 Lord Speaker election. The first event, on 25 March, was chaired by the BBC's parliamentary correspondent Mark D'Arcy; and the second, on 13 April, was chaired by Jackie Ashley, former political correspondent and broadcaster.

Watch the hustings

First hustings – 25 March 2021

Second hustings – 13 April 2021

About this event

All three candidates standing to be Lord Speaker took part in both events:

Each candidate had previously produced a statement and a video setting out why they were seeking the role.

Questions from Members of the House put to the candidates across the two hustings covered a range of themes including governance and the role of the Speaker; membership of the House (including the position of hereditary Peers); the future of virtual proceedings after the pandemic; communications and public engagement; relations with the devolved legislatures; and the Restoration and Renewal of Parliament.

In accordance with the election timetable published by the House of Lords, voting took place between 13 and 15 April.

On 21 April, it was announced that Lord McFall had won the election and been elected Lord Speaker, and that the Queen had confirmed the result in accordance with Standing Order No. 18.

The full election results (PDF) were published on the House of Lords website.

Lord McFall took office on 1 May 2021, for a five-year term. Owing to the prorogation of Parliament on 29 April, he will sit on the Woolsack for the first time on the first day of the new parliamentary session, on 11 May.

The 2021 hustings events continued the Hansard Society's involvement in Speaker hustings, after the Society previously hosted the official hustings for the Lord Speaker in 2011 and 2016. The Society also hosted the first-ever hustings for the Speakership of the House of Commons in 2009, and co-hosted hustings with the House Magazine for the most recent election of the Commons Speaker, in 2019.

Latest / Highlights

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 1-5 September 2025

Four Cabinet ministers will face questions in the Commons on pressing issues, including Gaza, the Chagos Islands, people smuggling, grooming gangs, employment numbers and rising water bills. In the Lords, peers will scrutinise the Government’s approach to the Palestinian Territories, gilt yields and implementation of the Football Governance Act 2025. MPs will debate three bills while peers take up four more, alongside four Commons Private Members’ Bills. On the committee corridor, Jesse Norman, Shabana Mahmood and Alex Chalk give evidence, while the new Bishop of Coventry, Sophie Jelley, is introduced to the House of Lords. ❓ We value your thoughts. Please click here to let us know what you think of the Parliament Matters Bulletin in our reader survey.

Careers / Treasurer and Trustees

We are currently recruiting for a new Treasurer and three new Trustees to join our Board. If you have experience in financial management, fundraising, digital communications and stakeholder partnerships we particularly want to hear from you!

Briefings / Delegated powers in the assisted dying bill: Issues for the attention of the House of Lords

Like many pieces of primary legislation, the assisted dying bill leaves much of the practical and policy detail to be worked out later by Ministers through regulations. After the Bill’s Second Reading in the House of Commons, we published a briefing which drew attention to two of its delegated powers. But since then the Bill has been heavily amended, prompting new questions: how have its delegated powers evolved, do these changes strengthen or weaken the approach to the delegation of ministerial power, and are further amendments needed and if so, why?

News / Prime Minister's Questions: Westminster's weekly gladiatorial combat - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 104

Every Wednesday at noon, the House of Commons chamber comes alive with Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), the loudest, most theatrical half-hour in British politics. To some it’s democratic accountability; to others, a raucous playground of yah-boo antics. Loved and loathed in equal measure, PMQs is Parliament’s weekly shop window, offering a revealing glimpse of how Britain does politics. In this episode, we explore its history, purpose, and international impact, including why France briefly trialled it last year only to drop the idea. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

News / Assisted dying bill: Special series #15 - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 103

On Friday 12 September, the House of Lords will debate the Bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. We explore what lies ahead for the Bill in the Upper House with Sir David Beamish, former Clerk of the Parliaments – the Lords’ most senior official. Sharing an insider’s guide to the Chamber’s unique, self-regulating procedures, Sir David explains how the legislative process differs from the Commons, and what that could mean for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill’s potentially long and contested passage. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.