Speaker’s Office doubles under Hoyle

When John Bercow finally left the Speakership at the end of 2019, MPs breathed a sigh of relief. At last, they thought, no more endless partisan showboating from the Speaker’s chair. Yet, over time, his replacement has faced a mounting chorus of criticism. Lindsay Hoyle’s interruptions at PMQs seemed to become more frequent, prompting sketch writers to accuse him of ‘headline-hoggery’. He then became embroiled in a row over ‘Speaker-led diplomacy’ after a leaked email suggested he would fly the Palestinian flag at parliament.

Next there was the debacle of last February, when Hoyle was accused of bending the rules to let Labour off the hook on a Gaza motion in the chamber. A cry of ‘Bring back Bercow!’ was even heard on the floor of the House. And now, there is increasing focus on Hoyle’s use of the office for travel. His decision to open the headquarters of Betfred prompted