Parly clerk: Speaker called me little girl

A former House of Commons clerk has said Speaker John Bercow called her a “little girl” when he could not find the envelope he was looking for.

Libby Bradshaw said Parliament is haemorrhaging talent as a result of the way staff are treated.

Ms Bradshaw, who worked in Westminster for 12 years, wrote: “There has been a haemorrhage of talent from Parliament because of this issue alone and some of the brightest, most capable people I worked with are no longer there because of the treatment they received.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Bercow said: “The Speaker has absolutely no recollection of this alleged incident – and it’s not, in his experience, the sort of statement he would make.”