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The former Conservative minister Lord Michael Forsyth of Drumlean has been announced as the new Speaker of the House of Lords.
Responsibilities of the top job include chairing debates between peers, performing ceremonial roles at events such as the State Opening of Parliament, and having the final say in summoning ministers to answer urgent questions.
Lord Forsyth will take over from Lord John McFall of Alcluith, who is stepping down to care for his wife following her recent Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.
Having beaten Baroness Deborah Bull to the role, Lord Forsyth will take his place on the famous Woolsack in February for a five-year term, following approval from King Charles.
His election pitch had promised “leadership for a more effective, respected and influential House” and had argued that “as the Commons continues to struggle to scrutinise legislation effectively, greater pressure will fall on this House”.
Speaking after the result was approved, Lord Forsyth thanked his supporters for their trust, as well as Baroness Bull, who he said had run a “vigorous, courteous, and friendly campaign”.
“I would also like to pay tribute to Lord McFall the outgoing Lord Speaker,” he said.
“He has made great strides in improving the governance of the House and the accountability of the administration to Members.
“I intend to build on that work as chair of the House of Lords Commission and Lord Speaker.”
With nearly 50 years of political service under his belt, Lord Forsyth was first elected to Westminster City Council in 1978, shortly after graduating from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
He became MP for Stirling in 1983 and served under the premierships of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major, holding several ministerial positions.
These included roles in the Home Office and as an employment minister before he became secretary of state for Scotland in 1995, until his majority was swept away in the 1997 Labour landslide.
His constituency included the town of Dunblane, where 16 primary schoolchildren and their teacher were massacred by a gunman in 1996, and Lord Forsyth said he still suffers from flashbacks of the school gym where they died.
He was made a Conservative peer in the Lords in 1999, where he has chaired a number of committees including the Financial Services Regulation Committee.
His candidacy for Lord Speaker was supported by former Labour Home Secretary Lord Blunkett and retired senior judge Baroness Butler-Sloss.
Peers had a choice between Lord Forsyth and ex-ballet dancer Baroness Bull in a vote earlier this month.
Baroness Bull was a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet for almost two decades and is a current deputy speaker.
