Rebels will have their day in House, vows Bercow
JOHN Bercow yesterday suggested that he will help anti-Brexit MPs make trouble for the Prime Minister by allowing difficult votes in the Commons.
The Speaker said ‘nothing is too toxic’ for Parliament to debate as he dashed Theresa May’s hopes that her Brexit legislation will get through unscathed.
Mr Bercow, who has previously admitted backing Remain in the referendum, said: ‘I have not shown myself reluctant over the years to select amendments for debate and vote which may not be for the convenience of the executive. Nothing is too toxic for Parliament to consider.’
Without a Commons majority for the Conservative Party, Mrs May is vulnerable to rebellions over amendments to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, which was formerly known as the Great Repeal Bill and will see existing European Union legislation transferred into UK law. The Bill will also end the European Court of Justice’s supremacy over British courts.
The Speaker will make the final choice of amendments selected for debates and votes at the crucial report stage of the legislation as MPs try to introduce changes to the Bill.
During a speech at the Institute For Government last night, he also appeared to warn the Prime Minister that Commons votes needed to be taken seriously after the Conservatives chose not to contest Labour motions on Wednesday when faced with the prospect of defeat.
Tory sources have indicated that given the ‘pretty heavy legislative agenda’ the whips ‘are not necessarily going to ask Tory MPs to vote on nonbinding opposition motions’.
Mr Bercow said he would be discussing the situation with the Government and added: ‘Parliamentary votes do matter. I think it would be a very worrying development if they were to be treated lightly or disregarded.’
Mr Bercow has repeatedly faced
‘Nothing is too toxic to consider’
accusations that he has failed in his duty of impartiality, including earlier this year when he boasted of backing Remain in the EU referendum.
Mr Bercow also called for the House of Lords to be halved in size, arguing that it was ‘patently absurd’ there are more peers than MPs.
He also said he would like Mrs May to face an hour-long grilling at Prime Minister’s Questions rather than the current session, which is officially supposed to run for 30 minutes although it often over-runs. Mr Bercow said: ‘Could it take place once a week for an hour? I would very much favour that.
‘If there is quite a lot of disruption in the form of a lot of noise and heckling, and I’m having to quieten people down, well, I think there’s much to be said to having some injury time.
‘David Cameron very rarely complained and, I must say, credit to Theresa May, she has never complained to me about it.’
Mr Bercow is set to remain the Speaker until 2022 after announcing before the election that he was going back on a pledge to step down next year.