Speaker Hoyle and the strange politics of human resources

A concern with MPs’ well-being scuppers a crucial debate


  • by
  • 02 26, 2024
  • in Britain

Speaker of themp House of Commons is unlike any corporate job. Since its creation in 1377 several occupants have been beheaded by the monarch, not a fate likely to befall a Unilever executive. The benefits package includes the use of a small palace overlooking the Thames, a portrait and a set of frilly robes. The job itself is a strange hybrid. The speaker is a kind of general counsel, issuing rulings according to precedent from his chair at the head of the chamber. He is also a chief executive, in charge of a sprawling Commons administration.To this mix of roles Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the 158th speaker, has added another: chief people officer. Managers everywhere are increasingly preoccupied by how “engaged” their employees are. Sir Lindsay’s speakership, too, seems to owe as much to 21st-century leadership books like “Win the Heart: How to Create a Culture of Full Engagement” and “Fish! A Proven Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results” as it does to “Erskine May”, a 19th-century handbook of parliamentary procedure. A concern with lawmakers’ well-being has made Sir Lindsay unusually popular among s. But it has done little for faith in politicians: just 9% of Britons trust them to tell the truth, according to Ipsos, a pollster, down by five percentage points on 2019. And now it has jeopardised his career.

  • Source Speaker Hoyle and the strange politics of human resources
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