Two Lancashire MPs say life has changed as Deputy Speakers

I visited Parliament recently to talk to two of the three deputy speakers of the Commons.

Unusually both men are from the same county, Lancashire - Lindsay Hoyle, Labour MP for Chorley, and Nigel Evans, Conservative MP for Ribble Valley.

Both men were newly elected to these posts after the 2010 general election.

Changing political lives

Their job is to deputise for the Speaker, John Bercow.

Deputising for the Speaker means keeping MPs in order

It means keeping MPs in order and ensuring the smooth running of debates in the chamber.

Both men are popular "personality" MPs. But they had reputations for being combative and tribal.

So their political lives have had to change dramatically.

Now they have to maintain political independence and party neutrality as they seek to maintain the confidence of all parties in Parliament.

Those days of speaking out on the latest political controversies are gone.