Nigel served as one of the Deputy Speakers of the House of Commons fromJune 2010 until September 2013.
Three Deputy Speakers are elected by the House of Commons. They may take the Chair in the absence of and exercise all the authority of the Speaker. In Committee of the whole House, the Chair will be taken by a Deputy Chairman.
On 8th June 2010 the House of Commons held elections for the roles of Deputy Speakers for the first time. Nigel topped the poll and served as First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means. The election rules for the Deputy Speakers state that the First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means is elected from the same side of the House as the Speaker. The Chairman and Second Chairman of Ways and Means are elected from the opposite side of the House from which the Speaker was elected.
In order to maintain his impartiality in the Chair, Nigel did not take part in debates or vote. However, he was able to serve his constituents very effectively by requesting private meetings with Ministers. By convention, Ministers will hold a meeting with the Deputy Speaker at his request in order to ensure that the residents of the Ribble Valley were represented at the highest level of government.
Nigel stepped down as Deputy Speaker on 10th September 2013 and returned to the backbenches.