David Natzler has been appointed the 50th clerk of the House of Commons, following protests over the Speaker’s plans to appoint Carol Mills, an official in the Australian parliament.
Natzler, who is currently acting clerk, will replace Sir Robert Rogers who announced his retirement in April 2014, after over 40 years working in parliament.
The Speaker, John Bercow, told MPs on Monday a panel that he chaired, which included leader of the Commons William Hague, shadow leader of the Commons Angela Eagle, and finance and services committee chair John Thurso, had decided unanimously to select Natzler for the job.
Bercow caused anger among MPs when he recommended last year that Carol Mills, the secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) in Australia, be given the role.
MPs complained that Mills would not know enough about parliamentary privilege and procedure, whereas Bercow argued that the running of a modern parliament required a skilled administrator.
A report published in December by the House of Commons governance committee recommended that the current role of clerk be split and two roles be created: the clerk of the House of Commons, who would advise MPs on parliamentary procedure and who would not hold the title of chief executive, and a director general, who would run Commons services and report to the clerk.
John Bercow said on Monday: “The unanimous recommendation of the panel was that Mr David Natzler, at present acting clerk of the House, should be recommended for appointment. I am glad today to be able to tell the House that Her Majesty the Queen has approved the appointment. I am sure that the House will join me in warmly congratulating David.”
The prime minister welcomed the announcement, telling Bercow: “You went to the ends of the earth in search of the best candidate but I am glad we found the right answer right here in Britain.”
Bercow said that the role of director general, which would ultimately answer to the clerk and sit alongside him on the reformed House of Commons commission, would be filled quickly after May’s general election.
Conservative MP Michael Fabricant, who has been a long-term critic of the Speaker, said the announcement “finally puts a lid on last year’s very expensive farce when an unrepresentative committee under the leadership of John Bercow tried to appoint an Australian who specialises in catering.”
“That whole episode was an embarrassment to the House of Commons,” he said.
“I now hope that David Natzler will be able to work with John Bercow unlike Sir Robert Rogers, now Lord Lisvane, who decided an early retirement was the better option.”
