Today is an historic day for the House of Commons; we are about to elect a new Speaker. I believe this will be the start of a new era in the Commons, one of renewal and reform where all members contribute to the development and rebuilding of trust in Parliament.

For those of you who are interested in following today's vote(s), below is a short introduction to voting for a new Speaker - and a preview of how I will be voting. 

The Speaker of the House of Commons is a vitally important position. She or he is the focal point for all proceedings in the chamber and chairs debates held there. As well as keeping order, the Speaker chooses which MPs are called to speak, influences whether or not a government minister has to make a statement about a given issue, and decides whether or not particular amendments will be debated.

Here’s a point by point rundown of today’s proceedings that will lead up to the election of a new Speaker.

- Candidates need the backing of 12 MPs (including three from different parties).
- At 2:30pm MPs will gather in the House of Commons where all of the candidates will address them in turn.
- Then MPs will vote by secret ballot - the first time secret voting has been used.
- The winner must have at least 50% of votes.
- If they do not get that in the first round the candidate with the least votes drops out and MPs vote again. The process continues until someone gets 50% or more of the vote.

The order in which the candidates address the house is decided by drawing lots. The order of speeches today is:

1. Margaret Beckett (Lab)
2. Sir George Young (Con)
3. Ann Widdecombe (Con)
4. Sir Alan Beith (Lib Dem)
5. John Bercow (Con)
6. Richard Shepherd (Con)
7. Sir Michael Lord (Con)
8. Sir Patrick Cormack (Con)
9. Sir Alan Haselhurst (Con)
10. Parmjit Dhanda (Lab)

As I said on the Politics Show yesterday, this is no time for tribal politics and I have decided that I will be voting for John Bercow MP. John is independently minded, bold, and has a track record of standing up for his beliefs. More importantly he has cross-party support which is crucial for a Speaker, who must command the confidence of the whole House. I believe that John Bercow can be both an effective Speaker of the House and a champion of reform. Watch this space to see how the day unfolds……..