A POLITICIAN AT THE SPEAK OF HIS POWERS
MARION McMULLEN looks at John Bercow’s 10 colourful years as Speaker of the Commons
1 JOHN BERCOW announced in an impassioned speech in the House Of Commons that he will stand down from his role as Commons Speaker at the end of next month unless an election is called before then.
He said: “At the 2017 election, I promised my wife and children that it would be my last.
“This is a pledge I intend to keep.”
2 MR BERCOW has held the post for more than 10 years and has made a catalogue of unconventional comments since he took over from Michael Martin in 2009 to become the 157th Speaker of the House Of Commons. He has survived attempts to remove him, revelations about his expenses and allegations of bullying, which he has denied.
3 THE Speaker has delivered many caustic put-downs during the last decade, earning him both loathing and laughter from MPs. He had a fractious relationship with ex-Commons Leader, and now Business Secretary, Andrea Leadsom (above), after he was accused of calling her a “stupid woman”.
4 THE Brexit debate led to him being labelled “Speaker of the Devil” by one newspaper. He voted Remain and discussed it candidly with a group of students, but went on to deny that this meant he had lost his impartiality. Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage tweeted “good riddance” in response to Mr Bercow’s announcement that he was standing down.
5 THE 56-year-old Member of Parliament for Buckingham admonished MPs for repeatedly asking for a tea break or whether they could use the toilet during a long-running Brexit debate and his decision to strip parliamentary officials of their traditional wigs two years ago was met with disapproval from a number of MPs.
6 HIS remarks from the chair also include telling Labour MP Paula Sherriff (below) she would have received an anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) if her rowdy remarks had been made outside the Commons. Mr Bercow has also suggested yoga to several MPs, including Labour’s Tom Blenkinsop and Ronnie Campbell, while calling for calm during heated debates.
7 IT WAS revealed in 2016 that Mr Bercow spent thousands of pounds wining and dining fellow MPs, plus almost £2,000 on a dinner with his Australian counterpart and hundreds of pounds to tune the grand piano in his apartments.
8 THE son of a taxi driver, Mr Bercow went to school in Margaret Thatcher’s Finchley constituency and first got involved in politics as a teenager.
He was re-elected twice as Speaker, despite angering former Tory colleagues with his behaviour in the Chair.
Nadine Dorries, his constituency near neighbour in Mid-Bedfordshire, was one of a handful of MPs who tried to have him removed in 2010.
9 MR BERCOW has faced scrutiny of his expenses over the last few years. It was revealed in 2015 he spent almost £20,000 of taxpayers’ money to fly to a conference in Japan with an aide. His official portrait by artist Brendan Kelly and his coat of arms cost the taxpayer £37,000. He chose All Are Equal as his coat of arms motto.
10 JOHN married Sally Illman in 2002 and they have three children together. The marriage has come under the spotlight with his wife becoming a household name after posing for a photoshoot in Speaker’s House draped in a sheet and also appearing on Celebrity Big Brother.