Tory anger at bid by Corbyn to make John Bercow a peer

JEREMY CORBYN sparked fury among Tory MPs last night by formally nominating ex-Commons Speaker John Bercow for a peerage.

The Labour leader has controversially included Mr Bercow as one of the eight he is entitled to propose for peerages in the forthcoming Dissolution Honours, reports said last night.

The reports – not denied by his office – incensed Tories still angry over Mr Bercow’s alleged anti-Brexit ‘bias’ in his final months as Speaker.

Last night one senior Government source told The Mail on Sunday that Mr Corbyn’s ‘premature’ move would backfire, predicting the Government would reject the Labour leader’s proposal this time and delay Mr Bercow’s peerage.

The source said: ‘Boris Johnson was always going to send the former Speaker to the Upper House but not just yet.’

He said the Government was deliberately ‘going slow’ on making Mr Bercow a lord to allow potential ‘historic’ bullying claims against him to be investigated.

‘The rules changed just before Bercow quit, meaning any so-called historic claims dating to before 2017 can now be investigated,’ the source said.

‘Therefore, we are waiting a bit to see if such allegations come forward as once he’s in the Lords, the Commons can’t investigate him.

‘This move by Corbyn won’t help him.’

Mr Bercow, pictured, who stood down both as Speaker and as an MP in November, has always denied both Brexit bias or any allegations of bullying his staff.

By convention, retiring Commons Speakers are offered places in the

Lords where they sit as independent, ‘cross-bench’ peers. According to The Sunday Times, Mr Corbyn has also nominated his controversial Scottish aide Karie Murphy for a peerage – a move that will enrage former Labour MPs who lost their seats in the General Election.

Ms Murphy, of Glasgow, the Labour leader’s former chief of staff, was given a key role overseeing the party’s disastrous campaign.

One Labour MP said last night: ‘This is rewarding failure – plain and simple. It’s disgusting.’

The move comes despite protests that, as Mr Corbyn’s former key aide, Ms Murphy should not be nominated for a peerage until an equalities watchdog inquiry into Labour’s handling of antisemitism in the party is published.

The probe, by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, is not expected for at least another month.

According to the reports last night, Mr Corbyn has also nominated former aide Katy Clark and ex-union general secretary Tony Woodley for peerages, as well as former Workington MP Sue Hayman, who lost her seat in the Election.

They would join a larger number of new Tory peers to be unveiled in a forthcoming Dissolution Honours announcement.

Sources close to the Labour leader declined to comment on the reported nomination list. Downing Street sources also declined to comment.