Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 11:59 am on 24 July 2025.
The Earl of Kinnoull
Deputy Chairman of Committees, Convenor of the Crossbench Peers, Deputy Speaker (Lords)
11:59,
24 July 2025
My Lords, on behalf of these Benches, I echo all the thanks expressed so far today. The noble Lord, Lord Kennedy, praised the Deputy Speakers who so ably guide us through proceedings but, as noble Lords know, they themselves are dependent on the Lord Speaker’s brief. This brief is prepared daily by the team in the Clerk of the Parliaments’ Office, which does its very best to cover every possible procedural eventuality or oddity that your Lordships can throw at it, whether described as “shenanigans” or not. I should say that I had to look up “shenanigans” and Google takes you straight to a theatre in Hoxton Square called Shenanigans Cabaret, which says it delivers “comedy and variety acts”—I felt that was rather appropriate. This team has helped us very expertly through some very challenging moments so far this year, and I thank them and indeed all the energetic office of the Clerk of the Parliaments at the heart of our House.
It is due to the organisational mastery of the Lord Speaker’s Office that Deputy Speakers are in the right place at the right time, and I can say, from embarrassed experience, that it is never the Lord Speaker’s Office at fault if they are not. Another thing that the office is particularly good at is gossip; it is said that a rumour started in the West Front corridor is already known in the Lord Speaker’s Office before one can sprint there. All this is only a small part of the Lord Speaker’s very busy office, who are always of good cheer and serve arguably the best coffee in our House, and I thank them as well.
One group of colleagues who are constant, and with us on that late shift, are the clerks at the Table and in the Table Office. They are a very loyal and stable band; indeed, Chloe Mawson remarked to me yesterday that she joined the House as an assistant clerk and, 20 years on, has moved up to being Clerk Assistant. Since the General Election, the Table Office clerks have helped to draft nearly 10,000 Written Questions and well over 600 Oral Questions, a pace that I fear will not let up in September. I thank them all as well.
Finally, there to capture it all is the Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit. Theirs is no easy task, carried out with total professionalism across the Chamber, Moses Room and our committee rooms. Even when speeches are not quite hitting the mark, somehow their camera operators always manage to find a good angle. Indeed, they capture the essence and many moods of our House so well, and I thank them.
In closing, I add my thanks to my colleagues in the usual channels for the many kindnesses they have extended to the Cross Benches, which are numerous and we are very grateful for them. I have learned about Jaffa cakes and now get offered them when I go and see the Shadow Chief Whip. I am worried that I am being buttered up in some way—but I do not mind, because I love Jaffa cakes.
I wish all the staff of the House and all noble Lords a restful and splendid summer.
The government chief whip, whose official title is parliamentary secretary to the Treasury, is appointed by the prime minister and is responsible to him.
The chief whip has to maintain party discipline and to try to ensure that members of the party vote with the government in important debates.
Along with the other party whips he or she looks after the day-to-day management of the government's business in Parliament.
The chief whip is a member of the Cabinet.
It is customary for both the government and the opposition chief whips not to take part in parliamentary debates.
The chief whip's official residence is Number 12 Downing Street.
In a general election, each constituency chooses an MP to represent it by process of election. The party who wins the most seats in parliament is in power, with its leader becoming Prime Minister and its Ministers/Shadow Ministers making up the new Cabinet. If no party has a majority, this is known as a hung Parliament. The next general election will take place on or before 3rd June 2010.
The Speaker is an MP who has been elected to act as Chairman during debates in the House of Commons. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the rules laid down by the House for the carrying out of its business are observed. It is the Speaker who calls MPs to speak, and maintains order in the House. He or she acts as the House's representative in its relations with outside bodies and the other elements of Parliament such as the Lords and the Monarch. The Speaker is also responsible for protecting the interests of minorities in the House. He or she must ensure that the holders of an opinion, however unpopular, are allowed to put across their view without undue obstruction. It is also the Speaker who reprimands, on behalf of the House, an MP brought to the Bar of the House. In the case of disobedience the Speaker can 'name' an MP which results in their suspension from the House for a period. The Speaker must be impartial in all matters. He or she is elected by MPs in the House of Commons but then ceases to be involved in party politics. All sides in the House rely on the Speaker's disinterest. Even after retirement a former Speaker will not take part in political issues. Taking on the office means losing close contact with old colleagues and keeping apart from all groups and interests, even avoiding using the House of Commons dining rooms or bars. The Speaker continues as a Member of Parliament dealing with constituent's letters and problems. By tradition other candidates from the major parties do not contest the Speaker's seat at a General Election. The Speakership dates back to 1377 when Sir Thomas Hungerford was appointed to the role. The title Speaker comes from the fact that the Speaker was the official spokesman of the House of Commons to the Monarch. In the early years of the office, several Speakers suffered violent deaths when they presented unwelcome news to the King. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M2 on the UK Parliament website.
The shadow cabinet is the name given to the group of senior members from the chief opposition party who would form the cabinet if they were to come to power after a General Election. Each member of the shadow cabinet is allocated responsibility for `shadowing' the work of one of the members of the real cabinet.
The Party Leader assigns specific portfolios according to the ability, seniority and popularity of the shadow cabinet's members.
