Celebrating the Deputy Speakers of the UK House of Commons

Women Speakers: Leading Roles - Hon. Nusrat Ghani, MP

Principal Deputy Speaker of the UK House of Commons and Chairman of Ways and Means

Constituency: Sussex Weald
First elected to the UK Parliament: 7 May 2015.

Published 3 February 2025. Interview by Natasa Pantelic.

• Who inspired you growing up and how did they affect your journey to becoming a Parliamentarian?

I grew up in a non-political household - politics was never discussed. As immigrants, we were busy trying to forge lives in a new country. My mother didn’t speak English and I had limited experiences outside my home, school and local mosque. The malaise of low expectations and limited opportunities meant no one ever thought I would achieve much.

However, we did watch the news and Margaret Thatcher and the Speaker of the House, Betty Boothroyd loomed large at home. With my mum, we loved watching these strong, formidable women keeping the country and the House of Commons in check. I was lucky to befriend Betty Boothroyd when I became an MP in 2015 and she didn’t disappoint – still charming, funny, generous with her time for a new MP and sharp!

• Why did you stand to be Deputy Speaker?

I know what it’s like to be threatened from doing one’s job as an MP, from dealing with domestic threats of violence and abuse to being sanctioned by a foreign state trying to close down debate. My motivation is to protect and promote Parliament, our way of public service and democracy, to ensure all elected officials can do their jobs without fear or favour. Democracy is fragile and we should never take it for granted.

• What are your priorities for the role?

I understand the privileges we enjoy and the price that comes with defending them.

We are living in a time when foreign states are increasingly trying to interfere in our democratic processes. I know first-hand what is at stake: MPs are more and more under threat of state-sponsored cyber targeting and threats of violence. My experience has made me keenly aware of the threats we face and the importance of protecting the freedoms that define our Parliament.

My approach is collaborative, and I believe that every MP has the right to represent their constituents and contribute to our legislative process. I have always worked across party lines, recognising that some issues are bigger than party politics.

• How are you balancing your role as a constituency MP vs a Deputy Speaker? What are you doing differently?

Balancing my roles has been easier than I expected. There is huge support from the Speaker, his team and the many Clerks who are more than happy to provide guidance and advice. I was - until a few months ago - a Minister in two Government departments, overseeing thousands of staff, representing our country on sectors from advanced manufacturing, security, to supporting Ukraine on critical infrastructure reconstruction.

I had two red boxes every day and weekends with papers for me to lead on domestic and international issues. So, it has been a much easier transition to Chairman of Ways and Means and I get Fridays (when I’m not in the Chair) and weekends to dedicate to constituency work.

• As the first woman from an ethnic minority background to be elected as the Chairman of Ways and Means, how does that make you feel?

It is a huge honour to secure the votes of MPs across the House to sit as Chairman of Ways and Means and Principal Deputy Speaker – following in the great footsteps of Dame Eleanor Laing and Mr Speaker himself. As the first person of colour to have secured the role, it is hugely humbling and I hope it will inspire the next generation of remarkable women who will see what they can be. For many of us, working twice as hard to get half as far may be unfair but it is the reality and we should never give up.

• What’s the best thing about working with two other women in the Deputy Speaker role and with the Speaker?

The Speaker is very easy to work with and has a great upbeat positive can do attitude which is infectious. As a new MP dealing with security and safety issues, I nervously approached the Speaker for support, not sure how he would respond or what the process was to get help. The Speaker was just super in getting me the help and security I needed, incredibly fast. That’s his style - if he can fix it, he will.

As he also served as Chairman of Ways and Means, his insights and advice are hugely appreciated by me. Having an all-ladies Deputy Speaker roster is just great, we are pretty much aligned on most things and we all crack on with supporting the Speaker.

• Only 64 women preside over one of the Houses of 190 Parliaments around the world. What’s your message to women in those Parliaments who are thinking about standing for this role but are not sure?

This tells me we still don’t recognise the great contributions of women in public service and in Parliaments and can assume these jobs are for men and their temperaments. I hope more women will see the all-female line-up of Deputy Speakers in the UK Parliament and recognise they too should compete for these roles.

• What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given that you’d like to share with women on International Women’s Day?

I’m grateful to the women and men in Wealden for electing me as their first female MP in 2015 and I’m pleased to now be representing Sussex Weald as its first MP. When I was growing up, it was inconceivable that someone like me could be active in politics. My journey has not been easy, but it's been exciting to see changes and opportunities for women opening up within my own lifetime. I am proud to have made history as the first female Muslim Minister to speak at the dispatch box and to be the first woman of colour to be elected Chairman of Ways and Means, Madam Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.

I hope that this will inspire local girls from working-class backgrounds like me to consider jobs they believed were out of reach for them. Despite the difficulties that life in public service brings, I believe we must have the courage to own our space, be heard and speak truth to power. We still have work to do to ensure that women and girls have the opportunity, safety and security to excel in all areas of life. We should continue to lift each other up and cheerlead the fantastic strides that women are making in their lives to make a difference.

• Finally, do you have a favourite procedural rule from Erskine May?

No doubt each and every contribution from Members is invaluable and enlightening. One of my favourite Erskine May procedural rules is:

‘Mr Speaker, or the Chair, after having called the attention of the House or of the Committee to the conduct of a Member who persists in irrelevance or tedious repetition either of his own arguments, or of the arguments used by other Members in debate, may direct him to discontinue his speech.’

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