Conservative deputy Speaker hopefuls pitch for Labour votes 14 October 2013 Last updated at 14:23 By Ed Lowther Political reporter, BBC News Conservative candidates to be the new deputy to Commons Speaker John Bercow are to set out their stalls in a hustings with Labour MPs later. There has been a vacancy on Mr Bercow's team since Nigel Evans stood down to fight sex offence charges. As a Conservative, Mr Evans can only be replaced by another governing-party MP under Commons rules - although no Lib Dems are known to be applying. Deputy Speakers are elected by their fellow MPs in a secret ballot. The official process for nominating candidates does not begin until 10:00 BST on Tuesday, but seven Conservatives are understood to be mounting a campaign: David Amess, Henry Bellingham, Brian Binley, Simon Burns, Nadine Dorries, Eleanor Laing and Gary Streeter. Speeches Each has a contingent of Conservative supporters, reports BBC parliamentary correspondent Mark D'Arcy, so the result will be determined by the candidates' ability to attract Labour votes. The meeting with Labour backbenchers, scheduled to take place in the House of Commons at 19:00 BST, will not be open to the public or press. I would like to be part of the Speaker's team, not just to keep order in the chamber but to stand up for the rights of the backbenches End Quote Eleanor Laing Conservative MP But our correspondent adds that the candidates have been campaigning on their opposition to the MPs' expenses body, IPSA, the impartiality they will bring to chairing debates, and their team-working skills. The latter can be read as a coded reference to the well-known antagonism between former minister Simon Burns, who once referred to the Speaker as a "sanctimonious dwarf," he continues: "The thought of putting Burns in harness with Bercow tickles many a Tory," he says. In 2009, Ms Dorries described Mr Bercow as "oily" and suggested he was "mistrusted by up to half of the House." Each of the seven MPs will make a short speech to the Labour meeting, before facing questions from the floor. They will need to have secured at least six nominations from fellow MPs by 17:00 BST on Tuesday, and voting takes place between 11.30 BST and 14:00 on Wednesday. Rehearsing her pitch on the BBC's Daily Politics programme, Eleanor Laing said: "I'm passionate about freedom through democracy, about the dignity of the House of Commons, and about its vital, essential role as a forum for national debate. I would like to be part of the Speaker's team, not just to keep order in the chamber but to stand up for the rights of the backbenches... against overbearing governments. Light-handed Mr Burns told the programme: "Given my 26 years in the House of Commons, I have the House of Commons in my veins, both as a backbencher, six years on a select committee, as a whip in particular, I've been able to work with colleagues, to understand what makes them tick." He pledged to be "firm in a light-handed way" as he ensured that MPs were able to hold the government to account and get their points of view across. Asked whether relations with the Speaker had improved much since his "sanctimonious dwarf" comment, Mr Burns replied: "We have very little to do with each other except in the chamber, and we will work together professionally if the cards are dealt that way." Mr Bercow, himself formerly a Conservative MP, has three deputies, and Commons rules dictate that the team of four should be equally drawn from governing-party and opposition MPs. Two Labour MPs, Lindsay Hoyle and Dawn Primarolo, retain their places on the team. Ex-deputy Mr Evans has been accused of two counts of indecent assault, five of sexual assault, and one of rape. He denies the allegations, telling MPs after he stood down as a deputy Speaker in September: "I now have the opportunity to robustly defend my innocence and seek acquittal."