Speaker faces new row over claim he called minister ‘useless’
SPEAKER John Bercow faces an uncertain future after the Prime Minister yesterday branded his alleged comments about a senior minister “unacceptable”.
Theresa May refused to give the under-fire politician her backing after he faced accusations over comments he made about the Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom.
In a rant in Parliament Mr Bercow is said to have called Ms Leadsom “f ****** useless” in an aside in the Commons chamber on Wednesday.
The row comes at a difficult time for the Speaker who faces serious accusations over bullying staff, which he denies.
A No 10 spokeswoman said: “We have seen the alleged remarks. Clearly the Prime Minister thinks they are unacceptable. If an official complaint is made it should be properly investigated.” A Westminster source said there were no plans for Mrs Leadsom to complain at the moment.
Mrs Leadsom said: “I am focused on ensuring that anyone who is bullied or treated unfairly in Parliament is able to come forward and have their concerns dealt with in a rigorous and fair manner.”
Mr Bercow is said to have made the comments in a muttered aside after berating Mrs Leadsom for the way ministers were conducting Government business. Mrs Leadsom was reported not to have heard the comment
In a statement, the Speaker’s Office said: “Wednesday was an unusual and controversial day in how business was handled in the House by the Government and some strong and differing views were expressed.
“The Speaker treats his colleagues with respect and strives at every turn to facilitate the House of Commons.”