Remainer and Brexiteer battle to be Speaker
TORY Brexit cheerleader Jacob Rees-Mogg is ready to take on pro-EU Labour MP Chris Bryant in a battle to succeed John Bercow as Commons Speaker.
Allies of Leave supporter Mr Rees-Mogg have persuaded him to run for the post, claiming they are determined to stop the Speaker’s chair being taken over by a prominent Remain supporter.
The prospect of a spectacular Rees-Mogg versus Bryant contest emerged ahead of Mr Bercow’s expected retirement as Speaker next year.
The pair are two of the most colourful personalities in Westminster – and poles apart on everything from gay rights to dress codes.
Arch-traditionalist, Right-wing, Old Etonian, multi-millionaire, City tycoon Mr Rees-Mogg, 47, and aristocratic wife Helena de Chair are expecting their sixth child. The MP wears a doublebreasted suit, opposed gay marriage and is a global warming sceptic and devout Catholic.
Trendy, Left-wing, Welsh-born, ex-Anglican priest Mr Bryant, 55, prefers loud ties, claimed Tory housing cuts were ‘social cleansing’ the poor, supports moves to combat climate change and urged Mr Bercow to celebrate ‘kiss a ginger day’. The former Europe Minister’s partner is businessman Jared Cranney.
Mr Bercow, who became Speaker in 2009, is expected to quit his £151,000-a-year job by 2018 at the latest.
Mr Rees-Mogg made clear yesterday he would not make a final decision on standing until Mr Bercow announced he was going.
But he said: ‘It is very flattering that some friends have suggested I could be Speaker. It is one of the great constitutional roles.’
One of his MP backers said: ‘Jacob would be a brilliant Speaker. His wonderful, wry sense of humour would be a huge asset in defusing arguments in debates.
‘And when Brexit is going to dominate Parliament for years, it make sense to have a Speaker in tune with the mood of the nation and not MPs, many of whom are still determined to sabotage it.’
Asked if he wished to be Speaker, Mr Bryant declined to comment.
But one ally said: ‘To argue we need a Brexit Speaker because of the referendum is barmy. The whole purpose of the Speaker is to stand up for MPs. The case for a Speaker who is not a Brexit propagandist is overwhelming.
‘Chris makes Rees-Mogg look like a novice.’
A spokeswoman for the Speaker declined to comment.