Speaker Hoyle and the strange politics of human resources

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.