British lawmakers are jostling over the best seat in the House. Ten candidates are vying for the prestigious 600-year-old position as Speaker of the House of Commons, each pledging sweeping reforms following a damaging scandal over legislators' expense claims.

They include a former top diplomat, a clutch of outspoken veterans and a young Sikh legislator.

The speaker's ornate wooden chair is vacant after Michael Martin became the first presiding officer to be forced out in more than 300 years, tainted by his role in the scandal over the lavish expenses claimed by British legislators.

Martin announced his resignation May 19, effective June 21, amid anger over his reluctance to reform allowance rules and public scorn over his attempts to block the expenses' publication.

Candidates to replace him launched their campaigns ahead of a secret ballot of the 646 lawmakers June 22.

"We have to restore trust in politics," opposition Conservative lawmaker John Bercow, a leading candidate to win the post, said at a meeting at which all 10 contenders addressed their fellow lawmakers.

Former Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, Martin's deputies Alan Haselhurst and Michael Lord, and Parmjit Dhanda, a young Sikh lawmaker, are among others seeking the post.