Margaret Beckett to stand for Speaker

By politics.co.uk staff

Former foreign secretary Margaret Beckett is to join to the contest to become the next Speaker.
 
Ms Beckett was housing minister under Gordon Brown, but she stepped down last week as part of the slew of resignations which threatened to cripple the prime minister’s authority.
 
She joins Labour backbencher Parmjit Dhanda, who also threw his hat into the ring today.
 
One of only a handful of Asian MPs, he said he was prompting into running for the post by the BNP victory on Sunday.
 
Current Speaker Michael Martin, steps down on June 21st after becoming one of the victims of the expenses scandal.