Sir Lindsay Hoyle is Speaking for the county

For someone who spends his time telling politicians to be quiet, when it comes to Lancashire Sir Lindsay Hoyle is looking for more noise.

He says: “Lancashire itself is a hidden gem. We don’t shout enough about how good it is.

“There is no-one who can touch us, with our skills and development within aerospace, the
fact is we are world leaders.”

The Speaker of the House of Commons, instantly recognisable to millions of people in his role keeping MPs in check, is a proud ambassador of his native county, and hometowns of Adlington and Chorley and continues to work to raise their profiles.

In a major coup he managed to bring some of the world’s most important politicians to Chorley for the annual G7 Speaker’s Conference’ in 2021.

When the Speakers event came to England, it was usually held in London but Lindsay broke
new ground and brought the world leaders to Lancashire.

Lindsay says: “It was a great showcase for Lancashire and Chorley and it was a case of putting the place on the map.

“We put this huge conference on. It was about a Chorley experience but also a Lancashire
experience and we had so much to tell the world leaders about.”

The American, German and Italian leaders arrived in Lancashire on private jets, landing at
BAE Systems in Warton.

Lindsay says: “It was funny to think they were all flying in and I was getting the 125
bus into Chorley!

“Nancy Pelosi, the American House Speaker, asked how I’d managed to get all this to happen in my constituency and I told her that I had used all my friendship links up.

“It was the best of Lancashire and then it was hosted at Astley Hall because of the role it hadin the Civil War and all its great history.”

As well as the political discussions it was also a chance to highlight some of the best of Lancashire’s produce – with the guests sampling Morecambe Bay shrimps, locally sourced fish and chips and gin tasting at Cuckoo Distillery in Brindle.

Lindsay was also involved in the work to bring the new National Cyber Force headquarters to Samlesbury.

He says: “Ben Wallace, the then defence secretary and a Lancashire MP, and I managed
to get the Prime Minister in and sign it off and that was so important to me.

“These are major jobs for Lancashire, and we will end up creating 3,000.”

He adds: “One of the proudest things we have done is the Youth Zone as it has also made a
huge difference to young people in Chorley.”

When you listen to the 67-year-old it is clear politics runs in his blood.

His father Doug Hoyle was the Labour MP for Nelson and Colne between 1974 and 1979 and later represented Warrington.

Lindsay says: “I was born into a political household and I’ve seen all the greats of politics.

“It can put you off a little bit but in the end, it comes back to what you believe in and that was the stepping stone into politics.”

As a 22-year-old he would attend Labour party meetings and then he was picked to be a local council candidate for Adlington.

He said: “Nobody wanted to do it because they said they couldn’t win, so I was selected on that basis. What an endorsement!”

Lindsay said: “The biggest influence on my career was my father and people around me, who was always there to challenge me.

“The last General Election was the first one without my father being there which was unique.

“All these years he would say to me ‘have you thought about this or that’ and give advice.

 “It is still sad and I don’t doubt he was there helping in the background.”

Winning the seat, he became Chorley’s youngest ever councillor and recalls how it was a ‘great time’ to be elected in 1980. He went on to become deputy leader and head of
economic development.

In 1997, Lindsay was part of Tony Blair’s New Labour that won the General Election, but his
joy at becoming Chorley’s MP was dampened down on election night.

He says: “Jack Wilson, who was the leader of the council, said you are now the MP, enjoy it.

If you are lucky, you will get two terms, so make the most of it.

“That was a sobering thought on the night you had just won your election and you think it
might not last long.

“What I wanted to do was make sure it lasted longer than one term.”

Describing his present role he says: “I don’t see myself as a leader, I have a very important
position as Speaker of the House, to control the House and holding the government to account.”

In his pre-Speaker days, he served on the Commons Trade and Industry Committee from
1998 to 2010. He is confident Lancashire has more to offer.

He talks of the county’s record in innovation and would like to see a transfer of the county’s
aerospace technology to “civil applications”.

Lindsay also believes the county can play a role in the resurgence of nuclear power in the UK, saying: “We should be building small reactors in Lancashire.”

This issue of Lancashire Business View has turned the spotlight on Chorley. And as its
MP and a native of the town he says: “We are lucky because we have good core independent
traders in Chorley, and we have a market.

People did not think the markets were the future, but we did, and we have that traditional
shopping experience too. Our market has been a catalyst to bringing people in.”

Lindsay's take on leadership

What do you think makes a good leader?

A good leader can have a range of attributes and many leaders achieve their goals in different ways.

The ability to be flexible and adapt to change are essential.

Leaders have to inspire others but recognise that people work and respond to challenges in different ways, so the need to identify this and work with people constructively is crucial.

A good leader can do this in order to achieve their goals whilst at the same time remain committed to their vision in order to deliver their desired outcomes.

Which leaders have inspired you?

In the political sphere Nelson Mandela and Gandhi both stand out for me as individuals who not only offered inspirational leadership during times of great turmoil, but whose legacy will
remain forever.

Irrespective of events, they never lost sight of their ultimate goals and managed to inspire radical change in the face of huge obstacles.

I look back at politicians such as Harold Wilson and, like it or not, Tony Blair, as these were the major achievers.

John Major overcame the odds and won an election standing on a soapbox.

I also respected the dignity that Theresa May brought after she stood down as PM.

When you look at history Churchill was the right person at the right time during the war.

Clement Attlee picked up a distraught country that had been bombed to bits and rebuilt Britain.

What qualities does a leader need?

Leadership requires a range of qualities. You need to have empathy and an ability to listen and understand. Through this you can you reflect and represent the views of others.

But leadership also requires a clear vision and, more importantly, an ability to articulate that vision and bring people with you.

Only with this combination can a leader achieve their goals and maintain the backing of those who they seek to inspire.