Rugby League Ashes get House of Commons’ seal of approval as Speaker delivers rallying call
Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP (right), the Speaker of the House of Commons, has done his bit to promote this autumn's Rugby League Ashes Series
Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, the Speaker, promoted this autumn’s Ashes Series between England and Australia in the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon.
Adlington-born Hoyle is a lifelong rugby league fan and a supporter of Super League outfit Warrington, with his late father Lord Doug – who passed away earlier this year at the age of 98 – serving as the Wolves’ chairman between 1999 and 2009.
Elected as the Speaker of the House of Commons in 2019, 68-year-old Lindsay has never been shy of promoting rugby league in his role having also served as the RFL’s President between 2022 and 2024.
And ahead of this weekend’s opening Test at Wembley as England square off against the Kangaroos for the first time since the 2017 Rugby League World Cup final, he has again delivered some great publicity for the game.
Rugby League Ashes get House of Commons’ seal of approval as Speaker delivers rallying call
Every Wednesday at noon, the House of Commons sits for Prime Minister’s Questions.
As the name suggests, incumbent Prime Minister Keir Starmer answers questions from members of Parliament, with the weekly sessions now also streamed live on YouTube via the UK Parliament channel.
Ahead of this week’s session and just as the stream went live, Speaker Hoyle grabbed the opportunity to highlight the upcoming Ashes Series.
He said: “Before we come to Prime Minister’s questions, I’m sure the whole house will know that this weekend, the Rugby League Ashes returns for the first time since 2003.”
The Speaker is ready for rugby league “rumble” on Saturday… 🏉 pic.twitter.com/aWwV4H9vbG
— Tides of History (@labour_history) October 22, 2025
There were then cheers from some of the MPs present, along with laughter from others, or so it appeared.
Delivering somewhat of a rallying call to Shaun Wane’s England squad, proud Lancastrian Hoyle continued: “I’d like to place on record my very best wishes to the England team, which will make the major rumble in London this weekend.
“It’s the first of three matches against Australia.”
