Sir Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (born 10 June 1957)[1] is a British politician who has served as Speaker of the House of Commons since 2019 and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Chorley since 1997.

[10] In the days after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in August 1997, Hoyle asked for a new national children's hospital to be built as a memorial to her.

[23] On 20 March 2013, Hoyle won wide public acclaim for his handling of the Budget proceedings, which were frequently interrupted by jeering MPs.

[25][26] In February 2017, Hoyle scolded SNP MPs for singing the European Anthem during the vote for the Brexit bill in the House of Commons, stating that he did not want parliament to turn into a sing-off.

[27] The same night, he had a clash with former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond in a heated exchange over whether Hoyle had cut off an SNP MP while speaking.

[28] In March 2017, Hoyle called on social media companies to take swifter action to crack down on offensive posts, arguing it "it could damage democracy and deter women from certain backgrounds from becoming MPs".

[29] Hoyle was in the Speaker's Chair during the terrorist attack in Westminster on 22 March 2017, and the subsequent suspension and lockdown of the Commons.

[33] Hoyle was elected Speaker on the fourth ballot, defeating Chris Bryant and winning 325 votes out of a total of 540 cast.

[36] On 16 October 2021, Hoyle accompanied Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer and Priti Patel in laying wreaths at the church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex where MP David Amess was murdered the day before.

Graham Smith, CEO of the republican campaign group Republic, responded by saying that it was "one of the most stupid things the world has ever heard".

[40] In the Indy100, Liam O'Dell wrote that Hoyle was ignoring current issues like the ongoing cost of living crisis and Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[41] In December 2022, Hoyle voiced opposition to his former party's plan of replacing the House of Lords with an elected upper chamber.

Hoyle said at the unveiling the windows were and "will forever be tangible reminders of the strong, close links between the United Kingdom, the overseas territories and the crown dependencies".

By 20 March the EDM had gained the support of 92 MPs,[47] including 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady and parliamentary leader of the SNP Stephen Flynn.

Hoyle later offered his regret and gave his apologies to the House and stated his intention to meet party leaders and whips, "to discuss the way forward".

[52][53][54] The Daily Telegraph was critical of Hoyle's actions saying, "Lindsay stands accused of being partisan towards his former party — Labour" adding that Hoyle had previously "made it clear he wants to stay as Speaker after the election," the inference being that Labour would withdraw support for his re-election if their preferred amendment of a humanitarian ceasefire[55] was denied.

"[65] On 27 February, three Plaid Cymru MPs added their support to the "No confidence motion" followed in March by Independent MP Crispin Blunt.

"[68] Hoyle's spokesperson responded by saying that PMQs "takes place within a limited time frame, with the Chair prioritising members who are already listed on the order paper.

[72] Hoyle's elder daughter, Emma Fox, used to work at his constituency office, in which capacity she represented him at Chorley Borough Council.

[91][92][93] In January 2025 Hoyle made a guest appearance, in a cameo role as a Lancastrian rambler, in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, to celebrate its 10,000th edition.