We were like a banana republic, says Speaker

With his daily cries of "Order, Order" the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, is the public face of the House of Commons.

But in the last fortnight, it's the least public facet of his work that's been attracting unwelcome attention.

Allegations of a Chinese spy operating in Westminster have hit the headlines, and Sir Lindsay has been forced to warn MPs off public discussion of a live police investigation.

He won't talk about the case, but he is concerned about foreign attempts to interfere in the world of Westminster.

Sir Lindsay says: "It's a massive issue for Parliament because we're talking about democracy.

"There are foreign actors who don't believe in the democratic process - they don't stand by the way that we and our parliaments work, so of course it was significant.

"What I would say is the good thing is our security worked."

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Relaxing in the Speaker's grand office, with portraits of his predecessors from centuries past staring down, he hopes the reputation of MPs is recovering from the traumas of the Brexit years and the political turmoil of 2022 - the fall, first, of Boris Johnson and then of Liz Truss as successive prime ministers.

He seems to wince at the memory: "The fight that we had - three prime ministers within the space of six weeks.

"Who would have thought that a country like this, when we don't know who's turning up to the dispatch box, ministers resigning all over the place.

"I said to one minister 'I thought you would have resigned' - he said: 'Lindsay if I resign there's nobody to answer the questions'. That's how bad.

"Who would have thought we'd end up like a South American banana republic - and that's what worried me."

That was one of the low moments in a brutal few years for Parliament - but he remembers the Brexit debates in 2019, when he was deputy Speaker.

"We hit an all-time low - Parliament was at its lowest during the Brexit debates," he says.

"It was families being divided as well. It was a tough time, it was one of the hardest times and people began to lose faith in democracy."

Sir Lindsay has kept a Ukrainian fighter pilots helmet inscribed with "We have freedom, give us wings to protect it" given to him by Volodymyr Zelensky

But he can also point to moments of Parliament at its best, as with the response to the murder of Conservative MP Sir David Amess.

Or the overwhelming response to the invasion of Ukraine, when President Zelensky's TV address to the Commons galvanised MPs.

In a glass case in the Speaker's state rooms, visitors can admire the fighter pilot's helmet President Zelensky used to dramatize his plea for the West to provide aircraft to his country, when he visited Westminster in person in February.

Another factor in rebuilding the reputation of Parliament, Sir Lindsay believes, is the new mechanism for reporting harassment and bad behaviour towards staff - the Independent Complaints and Grievances Service (ICGS).

The ICGS provides a system to police and punish unacceptable behaviour by parliamentarians and senior staff.

"On harassment complaints at least we have somewhere to go now," he says.

He thinks behaviour is improving because of the ICGS, the presence of many more women MPs and because more sensible working hours have ended late sittings with bars open all night.

And at the same time his predecessor, John Bercow's innovation of allowing more urgent questions (UQs) on the issues of the day has made Parliament more relevant.

The UQs don't just come from the Opposition - MPs on the government side want to question minister too.

He is still pushing the government to drop its habit of making policy announcements to the media before MPs, which has been a long-term irritant.

He thinks the government now understands he will not tolerate announcements outside the House.

And he promises he has ways to hold ministers accountable - allowing urgent questions to bring ministers to the Commons chamber and allowing the question sessions to run on, to make the point they are accountable to the House.

Sir Lindsay invited the BBC into the Speaker's grand office, filled with keepsakes from his time in office

Sir Lindsay is the 158th Speaker, and he adds, the first from Lancashire.

His new official portrait features his coat of arms, which includes Lancastrian red roses, and a rugby ball - Rugby League, of course.

He sips from a coffee mug emblazoned with that number 158.

Aged 66, he doesn't have the air of a man considering retirement; indeed, he is planning to stand again at the next general election as an MP - but as an independent, as Speakers must.

"I'm far too young to retire," he laughs.

"I have just done my reselection, I reselected myself. I'm a party of one, it was a very easy reselection and it was unanimous."

Listen to Mark's interview with Sir Lindsay on Today in Parliament on Radio 4 at 23:30, or on BBC Sounds