The House of Commons, following the snap election and the ensuing minority government, is a mess. The famed “usual channels” are clogged – arrangements ranging from vote pairing, to decisions on the business of the House, to the appointment of committee members are either stalled or proceeding glacially.
In such conditions managing day-to-day business falls to the speaker – and here we are lucky to draw on the experience and even-handedness of John Bercow. We’ve already seen the surprise granting of an emergency debate on student finance – with delegated legislation due on inflationary fee rises, and any number of instruments relating to HERA required, the way he allocates parliamentary time for votes and debates over the next term could have a significant impact on higher education.