Bercow paid more than Theresa May
JOHN BERCOW is paid more than the Prime Minister, it emerged last night, as his allies claimed that No 10 was attempting to “get at the Speaker” by endorsing calls for an investigation into bullying claims against him.
The Daily Telegraph has seen documents which show that Mr Bercow was paid £152,896 in the 2017-18 financial year, meaning he is paid nearly £2,000 more than Theresa May. The Speaker accepted the increase, awarded by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, despite Mrs May, her ministers and reportedly Jeremy Corbyn all refusing. He is believed to be the best paid elected politician in Britain.
Last night a spokesman for Mr Bercow said: “The Speaker voluntarily took the government-wide pay cut during the 2010-15 parliament, even though he is not a member of the government, and was under no obligation to do so. Since 2015, his salary has been independently determined and proactively published.”
It came as sources close to the Speaker told The Telegraph that the decision by the Prime Minister to back an inquiry into the accusations levelled against Mr Bercow may be because there is an agenda to oust him.
After claims that Mr Bercow bullied two of his former private secretaries, No10 last week joined calls from Tory backbench MPS for an investigation into his behaviour. However, friends suggested the accusations were being orchestrated by rivals intent on bringing about his downfall.
While the friends refused to be named, Chris Leslie, the Labour MP for Nottingham East, said it was clear that the “executive have found this Speaker to be annoying for some time”. “The executive have clearly been irritated by John Bercow and his arrangements for questions and UQS [urgent questions]. I think there is a distaste among some for his modernisation programme, and there is certainly a wider Brexit suspicion with a few Tory backbenchers.”
His comments were echoed by Robin Fell, the former principal doorkeeper in the House of Commons, who claimed that Mr Bercow may be a victim of “people settling old scores”.
A Downing Street source last night said Mrs May expected allegations against any individual to be investigated properly. “The Prime Minister has said, as have others, that everyone in a workplace has the right to be treated with respect and dignity,” the source said. “The idea that this is aimed at anyone in particular is simply untrue.”
Last week Mr Bercow faced accusations of bullying from Angus Sinclair, his former private secretary, and David Leakey, the former Black Rod. He is also the subject of a complaint to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, who has been asked by Tory MP Andrew Bridgen to look into the Speaker’s conduct. He denies the allegations.