Bercow on rack as he faces bid to oust him over Trump row
JOHN Bercow last night came under fresh attack for his Donald Trump rant, with a former minister making a formal bid to oust him.
The Commons Speaker faced calls to quit on Monday after he said the US President should be banned from addressing Parliament because of his ‘racism and sexism’.
Last night Tory backbencher James Duddridge tabled a Commons motion declaring that MPs no longer had any confidence in Mr Bercow.
The former minister said he had ‘overstepped the mark’ and had to go because his behaviour in the House had been ‘wholly inappropriate’.
Up to 150 MPs are expected to back the motion. Although the move will not necessarily to lead to a Commons debate and a formal vote, Mr Duddridge hopes that if enough MPs sign up, it will increase the pressure on Mr Bercow to resign.
A similar no- confidence motion forced the resignation of his predecessor as Speaker, Michael Martin, in 2009.
Mr Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East, told Sky News: ‘He has overstepped the mark a number of times but this most recent incident – where he used the Speaker’s chair to pronounce his views on an international situation in some quite detailed and lengthy manner – is wholly inappropriate and it means that he can no longer reasonably chair, as Speaker, any debate on those subjects.
‘This has been happening more and more often from this modernising Speaker. This is perhaps the straw that has broken the camel’s back.’ On Monday in the Commons, Mr Bercow appeared to brand the US president racist and sexist, and said Mr Trump’s travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries meant he was ‘even more strongly’ opposed to an invitation.
He was applauded by some MPs on making the intervention but his move irritated several Tories and also caused a clash with Lord Speaker Lord Fowler, who vowed to keep an ‘open mind’ about Mr Trump addressing Parliament.
Any decision on whether Mr Trump should be allowed to address Parliament should be made jointly by Mr Bercow, Lord Fowler and a royal official, the Lord Great Chamberlain.
On Wednesday, Mr Duddridge wrote to Theresa May requesting that ministers are given a free vote in any potential vote designed to topple Mr Bercow.
Yesterday he put down what is known as an ‘early day motion’, which MPs can sign to show their support for a course of action.
It will not necessarily be debated in the Commons and, as of last night, it had only one extra signature – that of fellow Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke.
In 2009, a motion of no-confidence in former Speaker Mr Martin attracted the signatures of 22 MPs before he announced his resignation. Mr Duddridge said the same thing could happen this time, with Mr Bercow forced out before MPs return to Westminster on February 20 after their week-long recess.
He said he had been ‘amazed’ at the number of people who had encouraged him to table the motion. Mr Duddridge added: ‘[Mr Bercow] doesn’t really understand the degree of the anger in the House of Commons, the distrust in his role as Speaker of the House of Commons and I expect over the recess ... the number of MPs speaking out either publicly or privately to journalists will increase and increase and it will be known his position is untenable, perhaps even to the point that he doesn’t return on the Monday.’
Yesterday afternoon, the Labour frontbench offered Mr Bercow their support by urging ministers to reject calls for a vote of no-confidence.
Shadow Commons leader Valerie Vaz urged her opposite number to ‘confirm that the Government will not support any attempts to act on’ Mr Duddridge’s letter to the Prime Minister.
In response to the early day motion, a spokesman for Mr Bercow said: ‘The Speaker has made his position clear... stands by that position and has nothing further to add.’
‘He’s overstepped the mark’