Bercow under pressure to quit following fresh bullying claims
MPS angry, Prime Minister ‘concerned’ after Speaker allegedly shouted at two staff members on phone
JOHN BERCOW was last night facing calls to resign as Speaker of the House of Commons over allegations he bullied his former secretary and had her painted out of his official portrait.
New allegations against Mr Bercow surfaced last night after it was claimed that Kate Emms, his former secretary, posed for the artwork but was replaced by her successor after she quit his office over his allegedly overbearing behaviour.
The Daily Telegraph has since learned that Mr Bercow also reportedly apologised to two members of Parliamentary staff, including a postman, after they complained following alleged angry outbursts on the phone.
It came as sources told this newspaper that his poor behaviour towards staff had been an “open secret”.
One anonymous source said: “He had a reputation for being unkind and bullying people who worked in his office, even very senior staff did not enjoy working with him. On one occasion he could be heard shouting and swearing in his office and a female clerk emerged looking stunned.”
Another added that the Speaker was “quite feared” and that staff worried about retribution if they spoke out against him. It comes after Mr Bercow was accused of bullying Ms Emms, who signed off work sick and moved from his office in 2011.
Ms Emms, now a clerk of the international development committee, quit in May 2011 just 12 months after taking up the job. She was the second secretary to quit the role since Mr Bercow was elected. Angus Sinclair, her predecessor, was awarded a £100,000 payoff after he left the role. Meanwhile, a source close to the situation said that they were aware of two complaints made against Mr Bercow after he allegedly “shouted at them down the phone”. They added that on both occasions Mr Bercow apologised to those involved.
Last night, a relative of Ms Emms said that the allegations concerning her treatment by the Speaker were “true”.
Separately, a senior parliamentary source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, alleged that the Speaker “resented” Ms Emms and had fallen out with members of the board responsible for appointing her.
Another source, a close friend of Ms Emms, told this newspaper: “A lot of members witnessed the behaviour ... some of them would try to comfort her. I heard of several incidents.”
Last night, a spokesman for Mr Bercow said they were unable to confirm or deny whether he had been the subject of the complaints, adding that they were matters of “confidentiality”.
In an earlier statement, they dismissed the claims regarding Ms Emms, stating: “The Speaker completely and utterly rejects that he had behaved in such a manner, either eight years ago or at any other time. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply untrue.”
Commenting on the disclosures yesterday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the reports were “concerning”, adding that Mrs May had been “clear there can be no place for bullying or harassment of any kind in Westminster.”
A number of MPS told this newspaper that he should honour his original commitment to resign in June in light of the allegations.