Whip claims in contest for Speaker
Nominations have opened for the post of Speaker of the House of Commons, amid claims Labour whips are trying to swing the contest in favour of party grandee Margaret Beckett.
Leader of the Commons Harriet Harman denied a behind-the-scenes operation was being staged to make the former Foreign Secretary the third Labour Speaker in succession.
But one Labour backbencher called on whips to stop "touting" the Derby South MP, who has emerged as the 11th-hour favourite, as support for Conservative John Bercow apparently ebbed away.
Candidates to succeed Michael Martin in the famous green leather chair were required to register their nominations with the Commons authorities between 9.30 and 10.30am.
Each must be backed by the signatures of between 12 and 15 fellow MPs, at least three of whom must come from outside their own party.
Some 10 hopefuls are expected to be in the race when the final line-up is announced and each will be given the chance to make their case in a speech to the House.
The new Speaker will be chosen for the first time by secret ballot, with MPs taking part in a series of rounds of voting which will take up the whole of Commons business for Monday.
In each round, the candidate with the lowest level of support will be eliminated, along with any receiving less than 5% of the vote. The winner is the first to secure more than 50% of votes cast in any round. Whoever wins will be charged with restoring trust and confidence in Parliament in the wake of its battering over the expenses scandal.
The election will take place against the backdrop of criminal inquiries by the Metropolitan Police into a number of MPs' expenses claims.
Mr Martin, Speaker since 2000, officially vacated the position on Sunday after being forced out by MPs angry at his handling of the crisis.
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