May calls for probe into claims Speaker bullied civil servant

THERESA May believes bullying allegations against Commons Speaker John Bercow should be investigated, No 10 has said.

Mr Bercow is facing calls to quit following claims from a former private secretary, which the Speaker strenuously denies.

Angus Sinclair told Newsnight that Mr Bercow mimicked him, swore and shouted and once smashed a phone by throwing it.

Mr Sinclair said he was forced into early retirement, with an £86,250 pay-off, on the condition he did not make any complaints.

Mrs May’s spokesman said the “concerning” claims should be “properly investigated”.

No 10 said the accusations could be investigated as part of the independent, judge-led inquiry into claims of bullying of staff at Westminster, by the House authorities or by the Parliamentary Commissioner.

Commons leader Andrea Leadsom said it was for Dame Laura Cox, who is leading the independent inquiry, to consider whether the terms of her probe should be expanded.

She added: “I’m sure she will be looking at how best to respond to these developments.”

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, a long-standing critic of the Speaker, said Mr Bercow should “consider his position”.

Mr Bridgen told BBC Radio 4: “At a time when we are looking for a culture change in the Commons with regard to bullying, that’s very difficult if the titular head of that organisation is mired in these allegations.”

But his comments were dismissed as “nonsense” by Labour MP Barry Sheerman, who called Mr Bercow the “best reforming Speaker for 100 years” and said he was hated by a small group.

Mr Sinclair was private secretary to Mr Bercow’s predecessor, Michael Martin, and retained the position when the new Speaker took over in 2009.

He told Newsnight Mr Bercow undermined him in front of other staff, shouted, swore and tried to physically intimidate him.

The Speaker was prone to “over-the-top anger”, he claimed, adding: “I’m not sure he was completely in control of it. The arms would wave around.”

Newsnight previously reported Mr Sinclair’s successor, Kate Emms, was allegedly bullied — a claim Mr Bercow denies.

A spokesman for the Speaker’s office said: “Mr Speaker strenuously denies that there is any substance to any of these allegations.” Belfast theatre actor Anthony Boyle (top right), who has been shortlisted for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play at this year’s Tony Awards for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, joined fellow nominees Noma Dumezweni and Jamie Parker plus acting legends Denzel Washington and Glenda Jackson at a ‘Meet The Nominees’ event in Times Square, New York, yesterday. The awards ceremony takes place on June 10