Bercow admits he did call Leadsom a stupid woman

... but Speaker refuses to say sorry for attack in Commons

John Bercow yesterday admitted using the word ‘stupid’ in a tirade against a Cabinet minister – but refused to say sorry.

The Commons Speaker has faced calls to apologise after an alleged foul-mouthed attack on Andrea Leadsom last week.

A witness claimed he saw Mr Bercow describe the Commons leader as a ‘stupid woman’ under his breath, before adding that she was ‘f****** useless’.

But in a statement yesterday, Mr Bercow – who is already facing allegations of bullying – dug his heels in.

Ignoring the opportunity to apologise, he vowed to ‘continue to speak out firmly’ in the interests of the Commons – even if that means ‘publicly disagreeing’ with the Government.

Mrs Leadsom hit back in the Commons. She did not name Mr Bercow, but pointedly called on all MPs to treat their colleagues with ‘courtesy and respect’.

And she underlined the fact that she was bringing in new rules to tackle bullying and harassment in Parliament.

The Speaker has been accused of bullying junior staff, which he denies. When he was elected in 2009, Mr Bercow promised to step down after nine years – a deadline that expires on June 22. Last night Tory MPs accused him of ‘ arrogance’ for refusing to apologise and called once again for his resignation.

The row erupted last Wednesday when the Speaker took Mrs Leadsom to task for timetabling a statement on the nationalisation of the East Coast Main Line on a day allocated for opposition debates. Although the procedure is not unusual, Mr Bercow reacted angrily. Staring at Mrs Leadsom, and waving his finger, he delivered a two-minute lecture about parliamentary procedure. A witness then claimed he described Mrs Leadsom as ‘stupid’.

Downing Street called for an inquiry into the claims. Yesterday Mr Bercow said he thought the timetabling of Government business on the day had been ‘ very badly handled’. ‘It was in that context, and that context alone, that having expressed my displeasure about the matter quite forcefully from the chair, I used the word “stupid” in a muttered aside,’ he said. ‘ That adjective simply summed up how I felt about the way that that day’s business had been conducted. Anyone who knows the Leader of the House at all well will have not the slightest doubt about her political ability or her personal character. I love this House. I respect all of my colleagues. I hold you all in the highest esteem.’ He added: ‘For my part, I shall continue to speak out firmly for the interests of the whole House. And if from time to time it involves publicly disagreeing with the Government’s management of business, then so be it.’

Speaking a few minutes later in the Commons, Mrs Leadsom said: ‘I take my responsibilities to this House very seriously.

‘As you said last week Mr Speaker, we have a responsibility to safeguard the rights of this House. I seek to do exactly that, treating all members of parliament with courtesy and respect. I hope and expect all honourable and right honourable members to do likewise.’

And she added: ‘I’ve been working hard with colleagues right across the House to bring forward proposals for a new independent complaints and grievance policy, safeguarding staff and parliamentarians alike, to make this a Parliament we can all be proud to work in – and to ensure that this is a place where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.’

Last night Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: ‘This failure to apologise shows his arrogance that he believes he is untouchable while he clings on to the support of the Labour benches. By his own standards, Mr Bercow should issue an apology and really he should resign.

‘He is a virtue- signalling hypocrite damaging our democracy.’