Who could replace John Bercow as House of Commons Speaker?
Sky News takes you through the field of MPs hoping to take on one of the most senior and influential roles in parliament.
Monday 4 November 2019 23:18, UK
More than 10 years after John Bercow took the chair, the House of Commons is about to elect a new Speaker.
Seven candidates were announced on Monday ahead of a vote later in the day that will determine one of the country's most influential roles.
Mr Bercow announced his intention to retire from the role last month.
The chamber will be packed on Monday afternoon for a series of speeches before a secret ballot, when MPs will vote on who they would like to become one of the most senior and influential people in parliament.
Once Mr Bercow has formally resigned as an MP, his successor will be charged with keeping the parliamentary agenda running smoothly and maintaining order in the Commons chamber.
Here's a full list of all the runners and riders to take on the role:
Harriet Harman
The former deputy Labour Party leader is among the favourites.
As the longest-serving current female MP, having first been elected to parliament in 1982, she is known as the "Mother of the House".
Having held a number of roles in Tony Blair's government, she was later elected Labour's deputy leader under Gordon Brown.
She stepped up to lead the party during the 2015 leadership election to pick a successor to Ed Miliband.
Since then, the qualified solicitor has remained strictly on the Commons back benches, but played an important role as chair of a parliamentary committee on human rights.
She told Sky News she would be a "robust" Speaker.
"I've been there a long time and therefore they all know me and they know they can trust me and they know that I really care about our democracy," the Camberwell and Peckham MP said.
"I think it also needs a real firm hand on the tiller. It needs somebody who is really tough, with a bit of the hind of a rhino.
"Because the government, really, is always tempted to push parliament around."
Sir Lindsay Hoyle
Someone already familiar with the job is Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who has been the Commons deputy Speaker for more than nine years.
Elected to parliament in 1997 as the Labour MP for Chorley, he is used to telling colleagues off for bad behaviour or speeches that go on too long.
He threw his hat into the ring to replace Mr Bercow with a promise to provide "the stability and leadership the House of Commons requires in order to remain at the centre to our political system".
Sir Lindsay said there was "much more work to do" to build on Mr Bercow's efforts to make parliament more diverse and representative of the whole country.
He added: "I believe that I have proven myself to be independent and fair.
"I have ensured all MPs have been able to exercise their right to speak on behalf of constituents to hold the government to account - regardless of position or length of service."
Dame Eleanor Laing
Another MP who's been training for the top job for years is Dame Eleanor Laing, who has also been a deputy Speaker since 2013.
She also joined parliament in 1997, as the Conservative MP for Epping Forest, and often steps in for Mr Bercow during debates.
Ms Laing recently told The House magazine there is "a lot to be done to take our democratic system onto the next stage" and claimed there needs to be "less testosterone and less aggression" at events such as Prime Minister's Questions.
Declaring her intention to stand to replace Mr Bercow, she paid tribute to her "friend" of 32 years who had "achieved an enormous amount".
"There will be a vigorous campaign to succeed him and I am happy to confirm I will be a candidate," she added.
Rosie Winterton
Completing the trio, the third of the Commons' three deputy Speakers, Dame Rosie Winterton, is also running for a promotion.
She played an important role in Labour for six years as its chief whip from 2010, before being sacked by Jeremy Corbyn when he took over as leader.
Before then she was shadow leader of the Commons, so was well versed in its procedures, and served as a minister in numerous departments under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's governments.
Dame Rosie was the "protegee" of former deputy prime minister John Prescott, according to The Times, and was his head of office until 1997 until she became the MP for Doncaster Central.
She has promised as speaker to unify the Commons and "achieve a fair balance between the rights of the executive and the rights of parliament".
Sir Edward Leigh
A veteran backbencher, Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh has been in parliament since 1983.
Throughout his more than three decades' services, he only once held a junior ministerial role - for three years in the trade department under Sir John Major.
Sir Edward is well-known as an avid user of points of order to query parliamentary proceedings.
The committed Brexiteer told Sky News he is "strongly in favour of politicians keeping their word and letting everyone have their say".
"I will say firmly and strongly that parliament voted overwhelmingly to have this referendum," he said.
"Parliament cannot now stop it. When people talk about how terrible no-deal is, I agree with them.
"I voted for the deal three ties, but let's face it, many people in this parliament just want to block Brexit.
"We've got to be completely honest, avoid all the hypocrisy."
Chris Bryant
The Labour MP for Rhondda is a keen student of parliamentary history, and is often in the Commons chamber for friendly exchanges on procedure with the current Speaker.
He is a former shadow leader of the Commons and has published a multi-volume biography of parliament.
Included in his pitch to MPs is to return PMQs to a 30-minute event (as Mr Bercow often allows it to drag on much closer to an hour); call MPs to speak in debates according to their relevance to issues rather than their seniority; and respect the rights of minority parties.
In a veiled reference to allegations against Mr Becrow, Mr Bryant has also promised to "make sure every single person who works in parliament is valued and respected and can do their work without fear of bullying, abuse or intimidation".
Mr Bercow has denied claims of bullying from his former staff.
Meg Hillier
Labour MP Meg Hillier has made a name for herself as chair of the Commons' influential Public Accounts Committee, which scrutinises government spending and the delivery of public services.
Under her, the committee has recently held inquiries on issues such as Crossrail, the BBC's pay policies, and the government's spend on consultants to prepare for Brexit.
She has served as MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch since 2005 and was previously a junior minister under former prime minister Gordon Brown.
Her time in government was marked by an embarrassing episode where she forgot her own identity card at a photocall to promote identity cards.
She blamed the mistake on the demands of looking after her baby.
Ms Hillier also served in Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet as shadow energy and climate change secretary.
Prior to entering parliament, the former journalist was a local councillor, mayor of Islington and a member of the London Assembly.
Announcing her candidacy, she told the Hackney Gazette: "In these turbulent times, we need to defend our parliamentary democracy with ever-greater diligence and fortitude."