Portrait of the week: Bercow steps down, Hoyle steps up and an election begins

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Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Labour MP for Chorley and deputy Speaker since 2010, was elected Speaker by the Commons. His first words were: ‘No clapping.’ Nigel Farage, the leader of the Brexit party, proposed an electoral pact with the Conservatives, but only if Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, repudiated the agreement on Brexit that he had made with the European Union. When this was not forthcoming, he said: ‘We will contest every single seat in England, Scotland and Wales.’ But he declined to stand for parliament himself (which he had done seven times before, without success). Philip Hammond, the former chancellor of the Exchequer, decided against standing as an independent in the election after all. Postmen rubbed their hands at the prospect of disrupting postal votes during the election by going on strike. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will strike for 27 days between 2 December and New Year’s Day on South Western Railway.

Boris Johnson published a letter addressed to Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, asking what kind of deal with the EU he intended to negotiate. In a speech, Mr Corbyn said he would secure a ‘sensible’ deal with the EU and hold another referendum, with the choice of remaining in the EU or leaving with the deal negotiated. He would not say which he would favour. Jo Swinson, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said in answer to a question: ‘I am absolutely, categorically ruling out Lib Dem votes putting Jeremy Corbyn in No. 10.’ The government denied claims it was suppressing a report by parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee on alleged Russian interference in British democracy. A European arrest warrant was issued by Spain against Professor Clara Ponsati of St Andrews University over her role in the campaign for independence in Catalonia in 2017.