JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Long-serving Labour Party lawmaker Lindsay Hoyle was elected speaker of Britain's House of Commons on Monday, taking up the job with a clear message: I'm not John Bercow.
Hoyle was chosen by lawmakers from among seven candidates to replace the influential but contentious Bercow. Bercow retired last week after a decade as speaker that saw him become a central player in Britain's Brexit drama.
Hoyle took 325 of the 540 votes in a runoff with Labour colleague Chris Bryant after the seven-member field was winnowed down in three previous voting rounds.
After his election, Hoyle was dragged to the speaker's chair by colleagues with a show of reluctance — a tradition dating back to the days when speakers could be sentenced to death if they dis
