New UK Speaker is reformist Conservative

British lawmakers picked a 46-year-old moderate Conservative to drive reform as speaker of parliament's lower house on Monday, but analysts say fixing the damage after an expenses scandal will take more than a new face.

Moderniser John Bercow, who has served as a member of parliament since 1997, takes over from Michael Martin after he was forced to step down because of dissatisfaction with his handling of the far-reaching expenses affair.

Politicians from all the big parties have pledged to clean up and reform parliament after media disclosures about their taxpayer-funded allowance claims, which have ranged from moat cleaning to pornography and already-paid mortgages.

Opinion polls show the scandal has mostly affected the ruling Labour party, which is tipped to lose the next election due by mid-2010, but the main opposition Conservatives made only limited gains in this month's European elections.

Mr Bercow, seen by many MPs as a more progressive alternative to a raft of older frontrunners, saw off nine other candidates including former Labour foreign minister Margaret Beckett and 67-year-old Conservative baronet George Young.

"We have faced quite the most testing of times, it has been a gruelling experience, many members feel sore and very vulnerable but large sections of the public also feel angry and disappointed - we do have to reform," Mr Bercow told Parliament, referring to the fallout from the expenses scandal.

"But I continue to believe that the vast majority of this House (of Commons) are upright, decent, honourable people who have come into politics not to feather their nest but because they have heeded the call of public service."

Mr Bercow beat Mr Young in a final ballot, taking 322 of 593 votes cast.

Mr Bercow will now have to help drive changes to the way parliament operates, push to make the government more accountable to the House of Commons and reconnect the public with the political system.

Justin Fisher, Professor of Political Science at Brunel University, said: "Restoring public trust is not a five minute job. The trouble with any prospective reforms is that observers and commentators are impatient and good reform takes time to develop."

The Speaker, who wears a black gown and shouts "order, order" to rein in the parliamentary debates he or she chairs, is chosen from among MPs to be the highest authority of the House of Commons and represents the house to the Queen.

In a packed, cheering lower house, Mr Bercow feigned reluctance as he was traditionally "dragged" to the speaker's chair. The Speaker must resign from his or her political party to ensure impartiality.

Mr Bercow's predecessor Mr Martin, a former sheet metal worker, was the first speaker to be ousted in more than 300 years after MPs blamed him for not reacting quickly enough to the expenses scandal which resulted in several resignations.

Mr Martin's departure was relatively peaceful for an ousted speaker, however. Some speakers of old have been executed.

The new Speaker will no longer be in charge of the Commons allowances system, which the government plans to hand over to an independent body as part of a broader shake-up of the way Parliament is run.