A new start

It is also a fresh start for John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, who was re-elected unopposed. His first 10 months in the Speaker's chair were not the most auspicious.

He has been, at times, unable to command the respect of the House – and there have been misgivings about his use of Parliamentary expenses, even though it was this issue which brought about the downfall of his predecessor.

Having been given a second chance, it is incumbent upon Mr Bercow to learn from his mistakes and become a Speaker who restores Parliament's battered reputation.

While the last Parliament will be forever tainted by the expenses scandal, it is imperative that the new House becomes a reforming chamber – one which has honour and integrity at its core.

This does not just apply to the issue of Parliamentary allowances. It is high time that Prime Minister's Questions was overhauled so it became more productive and effective at holding the Government to account – perpetual shouting matches achieve little.

And, while Mr Bercow spoke about his desire to be a champion for all backbench MPs, this needs to be complemented by measures to hold the Government to account.

New Labour should never have been allowed to bypass Parliament so frequently; one reason why this country is in such a mess is because so many bad, and unnecessary, laws were passed without proper scrutiny.

The Speaker's greatest challenge is, therefore, to make Parliament relevant again. If he does, the country is likely to benefit from improved decision-making, and MPs will have gone some way towards regaining the public's respect.