The senior deputy speaker is an officer of the House of Lords whose main role is to preside over the house when it is in committee (i.e., considering a bill at committee stage), either in the Lords Chamber or in Grand Committee, which is when committee stage is taken away from the floor to free up debating time in the main chamber. The senior deputy speaker deputises for the lord speaker, and like the lord speaker withdraws from political party membership. Additionally, the senior deputy speaker chairs various select committees of the house, and has a role in the administration of the house.
| Senior Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords | |
|---|---|
 Logo used to represent the House of Lords | |
 Flag of the House of Lords | |
| House of Lords | |
| Style |
|
| Status | Deputy presiding officer |
| Appointer | House of Lords Approved and sworn in by the Sovereign |
| Website | Official website |
The current incumbent, Frederick Ponsonby, 4th Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede, took the office on 13 May 2026.[1] Up until September 2016 the position was known as chairman of committees.[2]
The senior deputy speaker is assisted by a panel of deputy chairmen of committees. In addition to taking the chair in Committee of the Whole House and Grand Committee, deputy chairmen are appointed from time to time to serve with the chairman of committees on unopposed bill committees, which scrutinise private bills against which no petitions have been lodged.[3] Deputy chairmen are, by practice, deputy speakers.[4]
In March 2020, the Lord Speaker, Lord Fowler, announced that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, he would be withdrawing from Westminster and leaving woolsack duties to his deputies.[5] On 23 March the house agreed to a motion that, until 21 July, any member could perform the deputy speakers' functions.[6]
List of holders
editChairmen of committees (1715–2016)
edit- Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon, 1715–1723
- John West, 7th/16th Baron De La Warr, 1724–1733
- Edward Rich, 8th Earl of Warwick, 1733–1759
- Hugh Willoughby, 15th Baron Willoughby of Parham, 1759–1765
- Nathaniel Booth, 4th Baron Delamer, 1765–1770
- Edward Noel, 1st Viscount Wentworth, 1770–1774
- William Irby, 1st Baron Boston, 1774–1775
- Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Baron Scarsdale, 1775–1789
- William Cathcart, 9th Lord Cathcart, 1789–1794
- Thomas de Grey, 2nd Baron Walsingham, 1794–1814
- Cropley Ashley-Cooper, 6th Earl of Shaftesbury, 1814–1851
- John Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale, 1851–1886 (created Earl of Redesdale, 1877)
- Richard Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, 1886–1889
- Albert Parker, 3rd Earl of Morley, 1889–1905
- William Onslow, 4th Earl of Onslow, 1905–1911
- Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 6th Earl of Donoughmore, 1911–1931
- Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow, 1931–1944
- George Hamilton-Gordon, 2nd Baron Stanmore, 1944–1946
- Henry Moore, 10th Earl of Drogheda, 1946–1957
- William Lewis, 3rd Baron Merthyr, 1957–1965
- William Hare, 5th Earl of Listowel, 1965–1976
- Morys Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare, 1976–1992
- Geoffrey Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill, 1992–1994
- Terence Boston, Baron Boston of Faversham, 1994–2000
- John MacKay, Baron MacKay of Ardbrecknish, 2000–2001
- Geoffrey Tordoff, Baron Tordoff, 2001–2002
- Ivon Moore-Brabazon, 3rd Baron Brabazon of Tara, 2002–2012
- John Sewel, Baron Sewel, 2012–2015
- Herbert Laming, Baron Laming, 2015–2016
Senior deputy speakers (2016–present)
edit- John McFall, Baron McFall of Alcluith, 2016–2021
- John Gardiner, Baron Gardiner of Kimble, 2021–2026
- Frederick Ponsonby, 4th Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede, 2026–present
Deputies
editThe following table lists the panel of deputy chairmen of committees, along with their concurrent terms as deputy speaker, as of March 2026.[7][8]
| Peer | Party | Deputy Chair start | Deputy Speaker start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baroness Barker | Liberal Democrat | July 2020 | April 2024 | |
| Lord Beith | Liberal Democrat | May 2022 | April 2024 | |
| Baroness Bull | Crossbench | May 2022 | April 2024 | |
| Lord Duncan of Springbank | Conservative | April 2020 | April 2024 | |
| Lord Faulkner of Worcester | Labour | November 2007 | December 2008 | |
| Baroness Finlay of Llandaff | Crossbench | November 2017 | March 2018 | |
| Baroness Fookes | Conservative | May 2002 | December 2002 | |
| Baroness Garden of Frognal | Liberal Democrat | June 2015 | March 2018 | |
| Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill | Labour | July 2020 | April 2024 | |
| Lord Hogan-Howe | Crossbench | March 2026 | – | |
| Baroness Kennedy of Cradley | Labour | May 2022 | April 2024 | |
| Lord Kennedy of Southwark | Labour | June 2021 | April 2024 | |
| Earl of Kinnoull | Crossbench | January 2020 | April 2024 | |
| Baroness Laing of Elderslie | Conservative | March 2026 | – | |
| Lord Lexden | Conservative | November 2017 | March 2018 | |
| Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall | Labour | November 2007 | December 2008 | |
| Baroness Morris of Bolton | Conservative | June 2010 | November 2010 | |
| Baroness Pitkeathley | Labour | November 2002 | December 2002 | |
| Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede | Labour | March 2026 | – | |
| Baroness Scott of Needham Market | Liberal Democrat | June 2023 | April 2024 | |
| Lord Stoneham of Droxford | Liberal Democrat | May 2021 | April 2024 | |
| Baroness Watkins of Tavistock | Crossbench | July 2020 | April 2024 | |
| Baroness Williams of Trafford | Conservative | October 2022 | April 2024 | |
| Lord Young of Cookham | Conservative | May 2022 | April 2024 | |
See also
edit- Parliamentary committees of the United Kingdom
- Chairman of Ways and Means – Equivalent in the lower house
References
edit- ↑ "House of Lords Business: Senior Deputy Speaker". UK Parliament. 13 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
- ↑ "Senior Deputy Speaker". Hansard. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ↑ Private Standing Order 121.
- ↑ "Deputy Speakers".
- ↑ "Lord Speaker's Statement". Hansard. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ↑ "Appointment of Deputy Chairmen of Committees (panel)". UK Parliament. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ↑ "Membership Motion – Deputy Chairmen of Committees". House of Lords Hansard − UK Parliament. 29 July 2024.
- ↑ "Membership Motion – Deputy Chairmen of Committees". House of Lords Hansard − UK Parliament. 3 March 2026.