Speaker of the House of Commons: A look back

Sir Lindsay Hoyle celebrated the best of British motorsport ahead of the Silverstone Grand Prix with a display of famous F1, rally and race cars in Speaker’s Court.

Mercedes and Red Bull F1 motors - previously driven by Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, were on show with a British Touring Car, a 1963 Low Drag Jaguar E-Type, a fully electric Extreme E SUV and four other cars.

The Speaker said it was "an honour" to have F1 cars driven by world champions Hamilton and Verstappen in Parliament.

"I am sure British fans will be focused on this weekend’s legendary Silverstone Grand Prix to see if Hamilton’s podium finish in Canada is a sign of more to come from him and his Mercedes team," he said

"I am also eager to hear how motorsport engineers are introducing new technology to help the wider automotive world tackle climate change."

Sir Lindsay hosted a reception for British Motorsport Day with Motorsport UK and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Motorsport in Speaker’s House.

The Speaker was honoured to be invited as a keynote Speaker to the Muslim News Awards. The Awards highlight and celebrate the excellence and achievements in the Muslim community.

The Speaker welcomed Her Excellency Mrs. Laura Popescu, Ambassador from Romania to the House of Commons this morning. The meeting provided a good opportunity to discuss the relationship between the two nations, as well as the situation on the eastern border of Romania-Ukraine.

The Chairman of the Vietnam National Assembly used his first visit to the House of Commons to express his gratitude for the UK’s donation of three million doses of the Covid 19 vaccine to his country.

His Excellency Vuong Dinh Hue said he was also grateful for the UK’s donation of £500,000 to UNICEF to procure medical equipment for Vietnam.

As a result, Vietnam has vaccinated 98% of its population – and had been fully reopened to visitors since May, he said. It is now anticipating growth of 7-8% of GDP by the end of the year.

The Vietnamese Speaker, accompanied by a delegation from his Parliament, made the comments during a meeting initiated by Sir Lindsay Hoyle, as part of his Speaker-led diplomacy to establish enduring ties between countries and parliamentarians.

The two men talked about the importance of greater links and exchange visits between the two Parliaments – to deepen discussions on diplomacy, climate change, investment, education and security.

Mr Speaker asked His Excellency if he would consider using Vietnam’s historic ties with Russia to encourage the Kremlin to withdraw its forces from Ukraine.

He also stressed that his "heart went out" to the families of 39 Vietnamese migrants, who suffocated in a lorry trailer en route from Belgium to the UK in 2019, arguing that tragic events like these "must never happen again".

He said he hoped more Vietnamese students would consider studying in the UK – with more British students also taking up education in Vietnam.

The Speaker raised the flag of the Inter-Parliamentary Union today to mark the International Day of Parliamentarism. The day is celebrated every year on 30 June, the date in 1889, on which the IPU was founded.

The Speaker of the House of Commons has agreed to join a conference of his counterparts from across the UK and Ireland to strengthen ties between them.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle welcomed the summit plan, suggested by Seán Ó’Feargháil, Ceann Comhairle – Speaker of Dail Eireann - during a visit to the House of Commons.

The two men agreed that post-Brexit, parliamentary channels should be kept open between the UK and Irish Speakers, along with their colleagues in Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Mr Ó Fearghaíl said he was "on a mission to look at best practice", particularly on the recruitment of more women Members to the Dail.

"We don’t have enough young women Members and we do not have the diversity that we see in your Parliament," he said.

Currently, 40% of the Irish Upper House are women, while in the Lower House the figure is 23%. This compares to the UK Parliament, where 35% of MPs are women, while in the Lords, the figure is 28%.

Mr Speaker said he believed political parties had a big role to play in the recruitment and selection of more female candidates.

Mr Ó Fearghaíl, said he was "overjoyed" to see the Irish tricolour flag flying over the main entrance to Parliament, and hoped to convene the conference of Speakers later this year, or early next.

Sir Lindsay readily agreed, adding: "The fact that we are out of the EU means we have got to find other ways of bringing us together."

The meeting took place as part of Sir Lindsay’s Speaker-led diplomacy. Earlier this year, he addressed the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly – the first to be held in the Palace of Westminster.