Senior Labour figures are urging the Liberal Democrats to rally round Sir Menzies Campbell as a candidate for Speaker of the House of Commons in an effort to stop a Tory replacing Michael Martin.

The Lib Dems have been urged to unite behind a single candidate for the post by a senior Labour backbencher close to the Prime Minister and Nick Brown, the Chief Whip. The backbencher has suggested that Labour MPs would accept Sir Menzies Cambell, the former Lib Dem leader, and Sir Alan Beith, the former Lib Dem deputy leader, as candidates. Mr Martin is expected to stand down within months but Labour realises that it will be unable to get the House to accept another one of its own in the chair.

Mr Martin has been Speaker since 2000 but he has had a torrid year. MPs called openly for his resignation over his handling of the arrest of Damian Green, and both David Cameron and Nick Clegg have refused to say that they have confidence in him. Labour MPs think it would be better to make the switch while they still have a majority, so as not to surrender the Speaker’s chair to the Tories.

When Sir Menzies stood against Mr Martin, after the Labour MP Betty Boothroyd vacated the chair, he received significant cross-party support. Among 44 Labour and 11 Tory MPs who backed him were David Blunkett, Charles Clarke, Sir John Major and Ken Clarke. Labour defied convention then by picking one of its own, but it is unlikely that it will be able to push a third Labour candidate through the House.

Sir Menzies is a strong candidate to replace Mr Martin but the Tories have favourites in Sir George Young, chairman of the Standards and Privileges Committee, and Sir Alan Hazelhurst, the deputy Speaker.

A Tory source said that talk of a Labour-Lib Dem pact was “silly games” and suggested that any attempt at one would be made more difficult by changes in the voting rules. The selection is now by secret ballot, which would allow MPs to defy party managers more easily.

Vince Cable, the deputy Lib Dem leader, told The Timesthat he supported Sir Menzies’s candidacy. “I think he would be a very good Speaker,” he said in an interview to be published tomorrow. But not all Liberal Democrats are prepared to back Sir Menzies, even in private saying that Sir Alan Beith, with his constitutional affairs background as chairman of the Justice Committee, is a strong contender. One Lib Dem source said: “It is vital that the party is not officially seen to swing behind one candidate. If Nick [Clegg] backs one candidate, that goes against the entire spirit of Speaker selection. Both candidates have good qualities.” The source said that a Tory Speaker may be acceptable to some Lib Dems and the party has rejected suggestions that the job of Speaker could form part of a future coalition deal with Labour. Mr Clegg’s spokesman refused to comment. Nick Clegg, reshuffled his front-bench team yesterday. Simon Hughes is the new energy and environment spokesman, David Howarth takes over as justice spokesman and David Heath, who quit the front bench last year over the EU treaty, is charged with taking on Harriet Harman, the Commons Leader. Jenny Willott becomes families spokeswoman, replacing Susan Kramer, who is leaving the front bench to lead the party’s campaign against the expansion of Heathrow. Ms Willott’s previous role in work and pensions will be taken on by Steve Webb, who was energy and climate change spokesman. Mr Clegg has asked Lynne Featherstone to oversee the party’s online campaigning and John Sharkey, Mr Clegg’s adviser on strategic communications, is the new deputy chairman of the party’s general election campaign.

Impartial observer who presides over the Commons

It is the Speaker’s job to keep order in the House of Commons, chair debates and call MPs who wish to speak. This requires impartiality, and a newly elected Speaker must resign from his or her party

The Speaker wears a black suit and a black silk robe with train. Michael Martin, bottom right, wore black trousers rather than knee breeches or silk stockings. Unlike Douglas Clifton Brown in 1945, top right, he does not wear a wig

The Speaker receives a salary equivalent to that of a Cabinet Minister, £141,866 (which includes an MP’s salary of £63,291) The position of Speaker dates back to 1377 when Sir Thomas Hungerford was appointed. A similar role was performed by the “parlour” or “prolocutor” since at least 1258

Until after the Civil War the Speaker was usually an agent of the monarch. After the Restoration in 1660 the Speaker was associated with a party. Only by the mid-19th century was the idea of impartiality common

Nine Speakers have died a violent death, including Edmund Dudley and Sir Richard Empson, both executed by Henry VIII in 1510. The most recent was Sir Thomas More, also executed by Henry VIII, in 1535.

Source: UK Parliament

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