The Press reports that Lockwood Smith is being considered for the speaker role. We recommended this before the election.
Controversial National MP Lockwood Smith is a frontrunner to become Parliament's next Speaker in Prime Minister-elect John Key's new government.
The formation of a new administration is continuing apace, with a new Cabinet expected by Sunday and National's new ministers to be sworn in early next week.
The Press understands that Smith, the party's most senior MP, who got into trouble during the election campaign for saying that Asians had small hands and some Pacific Islanders did not know how to use a toilet, is likely to be the Speaker in the new Parliament.
Such a move would remove Smith from the day-to-day political fray and avoid any repeat of the loose-lipped comments he made on the campaign trail.
It would also provide him with a reward for his seniority and tap into his extensive knowledge of Parliament,
