Chris Bryant for Speaker or defeat by Plaid?

Rhondda Labour MP Chris Bryant has confirmed he will stand in the race to succeed John Bercow as Commons Speaker.

It has long been known at Westminster that Mr Bryant wanted the job but he said he wants to talk to his local party before commenting further.

Mr Bercow announced on Monday he would stand down as an MP and as the Speaker at the next election or on 31 October, whichever comes first.

It could be that Mr Bryant may have been reading his political future  on the cards as although he apparently has a safe seat

General election 2017: Rhondda^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Chris Bryant	21,096	64.1	+13.4
	Plaid Cymru	Branwen Cennard	7,350	22.3	-4.7
	Conservative	Virginia Crosbie	3,333	10.1	+3.4
	UKIP	Janet Kenrick	880	2.7	-10.0
	Liberal Democrat	Karen Roberts	277	0.8	-0.7
Majority			13,746	41.8	+18.2
Turnout			32,886	65.2	+4.3
Registered electors			50,514
	Labour hold		Swing	+9.1

Plaid hold the Assembly seat 

Welsh Assembly Election 2016: Rhondda^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Plaid Cymru	Leanne Wood	11,891	50.6	21.1
	Labour	Leighton Andrews	8,432	35.9	27.3
	UKIP	Stephen Clee	2,203	9.4	9.4
	Conservative	Maria Hill	528	2.2	2.6
	Green	Pat Matthews	259	1.1	1.1
	Liberal Democrats	Rhys Taylor	173	0.7	1.7
Majority			3,459	14.7	18.9
Turnout			23,486	47.2	9.2
	Plaid Cymru gain from Labour		Swing	22.2

Plaid also made a number of significant gains in the RRhindda part of RCT in the council election.

Although the practise of not challenging the  speaker by the major parties does still tend to be the case if there is a surge in the Independence  movement , then it would be absurd for Plaid not to challenge "Speaker"  Bryant

Current deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle and longest serving female MP Harriet Harman are the two leading candidates.

Bookmaker Paddy Power has Mr Hoyle at evens, while Ms Harman is the 11/4 second favourite.

Conservative MP Eleanor Laing is at odds of 5/1 and Labour's Rosie Winterton at 10/1.

Rhondda MP Chris Bryant, who has today said he will also run for election, also has odds of 10/1.

William Hill also Mr Hoyle and Ms Harman as favourites with 4/5 and 11/4 respectively. Again Ms Laing and Mr Bryant have odds of 10/1.

Mr Hoyle, Labour MP for Chorley, tweeted after Mr Bercow's announcement: "Now that there is a vacancy for the Office of Speaker of the House of Commons, I am happy to confirm that I will be standing as a candidate.

It leads me to wonder why we have the practice of having a sitting MP or AM as speaker or Llywydd from sitting members.

Should there be a Byelection to select a new member who can fully adress thier constituency and the party they were elected from.

In the case of the Llywedd it could be simpler if the post  was taken up by a member on the Regional list as an additional member could take the seat and not change the dynamics of a hung parliament .

At the next Assembly election will the current Llywedd , carry on even if it meant Plaid were not then the largest Party.?

Why not at the time of an UK or Welsh General Election have a  vote to elect the Speaker or Lyweddd?