# UK PM / Speaker Questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 25, 2019, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-pm-speaker-questions/831508 "2019-03-25T15:58:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-pm-speaker-questions/831508/21 "2019-03-26T15:39:34Z")
> [@ishamael69](#): > > What if they do something bad or become senile, is impeachment the only out? I don’t know of the behind the scenes machinations in past cases\*, but if they’re convicted of a sufficiently serious crime, like any other member they would be subject to an automatic recall petition (and all bets would be off as to whether other parties would field candidates against them in a by-election, most likely all parties including their own would do so). But more likely, in such a case, and likewise if they lose mental capacity to do the job, I don’t doubt a precedent and procedure would quickly be found to get them out, either by simple pressure on them to resign or a formal vote of confidence or some such. - Actually it doesn’t take long to find a case: [the last Speaker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Martin%2C_Baron_Martin_of_Springburn#Resignation) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-pm-speaker-questions/831508/22 "2019-03-26T16:28:18Z")
You have recall petitions now in the U.K.? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-pm-speaker-questions/831508/23 "2019-03-26T16:39:05Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > You have recall petitions now in the U.K.? It’s a recent development [Recall of MPs Act 2015](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recall_of_MPs_Act_2015) A recall can’t be initiated by constituents - it’s done by the Speaker if a Member 1. is suspended from the House for more than 10 sitting days, or 14 calendar days or 2. receives a custodial sentence of less than a year (more than a year is an auto-boot) or 3. is convicted of an expenses-related offence ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-pm-speaker-questions/831508/24 "2019-03-26T16:45:18Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > You have recall petitions now in the U.K.? [Yes](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/184324/Recall-Act-Factsheet.pdf). There is one serious such attempt currently underway. > **[Fiona Onasanya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiona_Onasanya#Criminal_conviction)** > > Fiona Oluyinka Onasanya (/ˌɒnəˈsænjə/; born 23 August 1983) is a former British Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) who was removed from that role as a result of a criminal conviction. She was elected in the 2017 United Kingdom general election for the constituency of Peterborough, which she represented from 8 June 2017 to 1 May 2019. > Onasanya was found guilty on 19 December 2018 of perverting the course of justice for lying to police to avoid being prosecuted for speeding. She unsuccessfu... ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-pm-speaker-questions/831508/25 "2019-03-26T18:19:22Z")
Unlike in the US, the Speaker of the House is supposed to be a neutral, non-partisan figure (altho’ the last two ones have not had a good reputation in that respect). He/she is normally chosen from each of the two major parties alternately (altho’ the Labour members supported choosing the present one specifically to annoy the Conservative party) so the next one is likely to come from Labour. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-pm-speaker-questions/831508/26 "2019-03-27T01:01:08Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > She may be chosen as a candidate by a small group of Tory party loyalists, but at the last election, she managed to convince 31462 of JacobSwan’s neighbours to vote for her, as opposed to the Labour candidate who only had 13219. That’s the point. Party loyalty is strong, so the party can nominate a squashed apricot, and be confident that it will be elected. Epping Forest has never, since it was first created, elected any but a Tory MP. That means that whoever wants to be MP for Epping Forest just has to appeal to the local Tory selection committee, not the voters. Whoever gets the nod from the selection committee will be MP for Epping Forest, and will remain MP for Epping Forest from election to election unless they manage to piss off the selection committee to the extent that the committee refuses to nominate them. The result is that the MP can treat the actual voters with blithe disregard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-pm-speaker-questions/831508.md?page=1)