Bercow is switching to Labour
CONTROVERSIAL former Commons Speaker John Bercow has announced he is joining the Labour Party, citing his dislike of Boris Johnson and the Tories.
Mr Bercow, who was Speaker between 2009 and 2019, became the scourge of Brexiteers, who accused him of rewriting the Commons rule book to help Remain supporters.
He became Conservative MP for Buckingham in 1997.
However, by 2009, many of his colleagues believed he was on the verge of defecting to Labour after marrying his wife, Sally, who was a Labour councillor.
Instead he won the
‘I thought he’d
defected a decade ago’
election for Speaker of the House, which meant he had to give up party political allegiance.
In an interview with the Observer today he described the current Conservative Party as “xenophobic”.
He said: “I am motivated by support for equality, social justice and internationalism.”
He went on: “The conclusion I have reached is that this government needs to be replaced. The reality is that the Labour Party is the only vehicle that can achieve that objective.”
A senior government source said: “This will surprise nobody and shows Labour is still the party of Remain.”
Boris Johnson blocked Mr Bercow’s nomination for a peerage, making him the first former Speaker not to go to the Lords on retirement.
Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen, who was an outspoken critic of Mr Bercow, said: “Most of us thought he defected to Labour more than a decade ago.”