Bercow ‘covered up Vaz bullying claims’
JOHN Bercow has used his official powers to hush up information about the behaviour of disgraced Labour MP Keith Vaz. The Commons Speaker used parliamentary privilege to block a freedom of information request from the BBC.
The corporation’s journalists were trying to find out information about Mr Vaz’s behaviour on official trips abroad, during which he was accused of breaking parliamentary rules and bullying staff.
An initial request was refused, but the rules allow appeals to be referred to the Information Commissioner, and then to the courts. Mr Bercow used privilege to block the request under section 34(3) of the Freedom of Information Act.
This allows the Speaker to issue a ‘certificate’ to prevent the request to avoid ‘infringement of the privileges of either House of Parliament’.
The Speaker is the only authority who can block requests for information about the House of Commons, where Mr Vaz sits as an MP.
The move by Mr Bercow, who
Close: John Bercow at a football match with Keith Vaz is himself accused of bullying paid for by taxpayers. The MP former staff, will not go down denies the claims. well with MPs who have called Former clerk Jenny McCullough for him to stand down. accused the Leicester
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen MP of bullying her and forcing said: ‘ What we’ve got is a her out of her job following a Speaker of the House of trip to Russia and Ukraine Commons who is accused of in 2008. bullying and denies it protecting Mr Vaz is being investigated his close friend Keith Vaz, by Parliament to determine who is accused of bullying and whether he broke the rules by denies it. You can only imagine paying male prostitutes. what the general public will He was caught in a newspaper make of this. It is clear that the sting in 2016 after hiring Speaker protects his dwindling the men and telling them he band of friends.’ was a washing machine salesman
BBC Newsnight has claimed called Jim before discussing that clerks raised concerns buying cocaine for them. that Mr Vaz did not abide by Mr Vaz, who is married with all the rules for trips, which are two children, stood down as chairman of the Commons home affairs committee after the story broke.
An investigation into the veteran Labour MP was opened by Parliament, but later suspended for medical reasons.
Scotland Yard dropped its own investigation but a separate probe by the Commons sleaze watchdog was opened.
Mr Bercow has been accused of bullying Kate Emms, his former private secretary, out of her job. She was reportedly diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after less than a year working for him.
Angus Sinclair, Miss Emms’s predecessor, said he too had been bullied by Mr Bercow.
He said the Speaker had physically intimidated, demeaned and mimicked him before he took compulsory early retirement. Mr Bercow denies both allegations.
A spokesman for Mr Bercow said: ‘ The information requested relates to the private business of select committees and is covered by parliamentary privilege.
‘We would not release that information under any circumstances, irrespective of which members or select committees were involved. The act requires that the Speaker sign any certificate that privilege applies.’