The Speaker silenced...Bercow dodges flak with pledge to quit on Brexit Day
JOHN Bercow dramatically quit as Commons Speaker yesterday following a huge backlash over his handling of Brexit.
He dropped the bombshell in a statement to the House of Commons, watched by wife Sally.
The divisive Speaker said he would resign on October 31 or earlier, if a general election is held before that date.
But Mr Bercow is effectively jumping before he is pushed after the Tories said they would try to oust him at the looming general election.
Many MPs are unhappy with the way Mr Bercow has handled Remainer rebel legislation and have accused him of a “lack of impartiality”.
They believe the Speaker, who voted Remain in the 2016 referendum, has been trying to wreck Brexit from the very beginning.
Backbencher Andrew Bridgen last night said: “He has jumped ship because we have put a candidate up against him and his handling of Brexit has been shameless.
“He has ripped every page of impartiality out of the Speaker’s handbook.
Bullying
“We need to write the rules back in before the next Speaker starts.”
In typical grandstanding style, Mr Bercow laid out a symbolic date for his departure, saying the least disruptive thing would be for him to quit on Brexit Day.
He told the House: “At the 2017 election, I promised my wife and children that it would be my last. This is a pledge that I intend to keep.”
Speaking before a vote was held to call a general election, he said: “If the House votes tonight for an early general election, my tenure as Speaker and MP will end when this Parliament ends.
“If the House does not so vote, I have concluded that the least disruptive and most democratic course of action would be for me to stand down at the close of business on Thursday, October 31.”
The Tory MP, who has been dogged by accusations of bullying, said that meant he could be in the chair for the Queen’s Speech votes, which are expected on October 21 and 22.
He added: “The week or so after that may be quite lively and it would be best to have an experienced figure in the chair for that short period.”
The 56-year-old, who has been Speaker for the last 10 years and the MP for Buckingham since 1997, was close to tears as he paid tribute to his wife Sally, who was in the Commons’ gallery.
Mr Bercow finished by saying: “This is a wonderful place, filled overwhelmingly by people who are motivated by their notion of the national interest, by their perception of the public good and by their duty not as delegates but as representatives to do what they believe is right for our country.We degrade this Parliament at our peril.”
Mr Bercow said that serving both as an MP and the Speaker was “the greatest privilege and honour of my professional life”. He added: “I wish my successor in the chair the very best fortune in standing up for the rights of honourable and right honourable members individually and for Parliament institutionally.”
Opposition MPs gave Mr Bercow a standing ovation after his announcement but almost all Tories stayed seated. They then filed quickly out of the chamber to avoid 90 minutes of gushing tributes from his Remainer supporters.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he had “totally changed the way in which the job has been done”, and said Parliament “is the stronger for your being Speaker”. Michael Gove, for the Government, said it was clear Mr Bercow loved the House of Commons and added: “Your commitment to your principles and your constituents is unwavering and an example to others.”
Despite the platitudes, Mr Bercow’s pugnacious attitude and eagerness to thwart Brexit has provoked outrage. Mr Bridgen added: “He is the umpire who always wants to be the opening batsman and bowler.” Get Britain Out director, Jayne Adye, said Mr Bercow had “degraded our democracy” while Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage added tersely: “Good riddance.”
Andrea Leadsom – who clashed repeatedly with Mr Bercow when she was Commons Leader – recently said the Speaker “hadn’t just bent the rules, he has broken them” by allowing MPs to take over the parliamentary timetable.
Successor
She also said his decision to let MPs ban a no-deal Brexit “acts in complete disregard to the will of the people” and said she hoped an election would “give us back an impartial Speaker”.
Mr Bercow’s successor is likely to come from the opposition benches with the frontrunners to replace Mr Bercow almost all Labour MPs.
They include Sir Lindsay Hoyle, a deputy speaker since 2010, and Harriet Harman, the longest-serving female MP. Labour’s Chris Bryant is also believed to be keen while Tory MP Eleanor Laing has been a deputy speaker since 2013.