Sir Lindsay Hoyle: Speaker's wild menagerie including Boris the parrot

The new Commons Speaker shows off his wild menagerie - complete with Boris the parrot and Maggie the tortoise.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, 62, of Chorley, Lancashire showed off his six pets with their unusual names inspired by politicians.

His tortoise is called Maggie as "she's got a hard shell and isn't for turning", said Sir Lindsay.

He also has Betty named after Baroness Boothroyd, the first woman speaker; a cat called Dennis - inspired by Labour veteran MP Dennis Skinner; Gordon the Rottweiler - after former Labour PM Gordon Brown.

Sir Lindsay has revealed that Boris the parrot can already squawk: "Order, order".

5 November 2019