After the speeches, the voting for Speaker begins

General mood after the hustings in the chamber is that Sir George Young gave the best speech and may have nosed ahead.

Margaret Beckett may be suffering from being seen as the whips’ candidate and her speech sounded like she would only go so far with reform – I will “facilitate desired reform,” she said.

It didn’t sound like a rousing battle cry from someone intending to lead from the front.

It’s not clear John Bercow won any new support. He makes much of speaking without notes but on this occasion was to be seen cribbing off a text sitting on the knee of MP Julian Lewis.

It made the delivery a little mannered and talk of a “little chap who can rise to the occasion” may have risked sounding a little more music hall than parliament in crisis.