Veteran Labour MP Lindsay Hoyle was elected speaker of the UK's House of Commons on Monday and will take on the role of refereeing the next parliamentary installment of the country's exit from the European Union.

Hoyle, who had been deputy speaker since 2010, was elected by lawmakers after four rounds of voting via secret ballot.

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He will take over from John Bercow, who was accused by some of breaking convention and favoring those who wanted to stop the government's Brexit plans but feted by others who saw him as empowering parliament to challenge and scrutinize the executive.

"I will be neutral. I will be transparent," 62-year-old Hoyle said after the result. "This House will change but it will change for the better.”

How did the voting go?

Hoyle, a Labour MP for 22 years and Bercow's deputy since 2010, beat out six other contenders in a protracted day of voting in the House of Commons, winning the support of 325 of 540 members of parliament in a fourth and final round of votes.

He won the first three rounds of voting – knocking out political heavyweight Harriet Harman, the longest-serving female MP – but each time fell short of the required absolute majority.

But in a last round of voting which pitted him against fellow Labour MP Chris Bryant, he finally garnered 60 percent of lawmakers' votes. Bryant, an openly gay former Church of England vicar, was a surprise finalist in the contest, winning 213 of the 540 votes in the last round.

Hoyle will not have too long to get comfortable as parliament will be dissolved late Tuesday for the December 12 election, after which he will return to sit in the speaker's green chair.

Why was Bercow controversial?

Choosing a new speaker has been an unremarkable event in the past, but Bercow became a key player in the chaotic process of Britain's exit from the European Union.

With the Commons divided over how, when and even if Brexit should happen, Bercow oversaw more than three years of crucial debates that defined the course of Brexit.

His supporters say he has empowered ordinary MPs by granting time for emergency debates and amendments, which had the effect of pressuring or even tying ministers' hands.

But critics accused him of subverting centuries of parliamentary tradition with the aim of frustrating Brexit and he has also been accused of failing to tackle a culture of bullying.

What will Hoyle do?

As a veteran Labour MP and as Bercow's deputy Hoyle has often sat in the speaker's chair in his place, when his distinctive Lancashire accent would grace the Commons.

The 62-year-old is as unimpressed as his predecessor by the shouting and braying from MPs, once chastising Scottish Nationalists for humming the EU anthem "Ode to Joy" in the chamber.

Hoyle pledged in an interview published in the Sunday Times - in which he introduced his parrot "Boris" - to repair what he claims has become a "toxic parliament."

"I don't want the abuse of each other and I think we have got to close that down quickly and make sure it is a calmer place to be," he said.

(With input from Reuters and AFP)