… and he’ll be leaving with a nice £1m gold-plated top-up pension

JOHN BERCOW will become the only holder of one of three senior offices of state to retire on a gold-plated pension worth an estimated £1million.

In 2012, the Speaker’s office confirmed he will take the “top-up” pension offered only to him, the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor – even though the latter two rejected the controversial add-on at the time.

The special pension was abolished for future office holders from 2015 but before the law changed, Mr Bercow ensured he could keep half of his top-up salary a year – estimated at around £40,000 at today’s prices.

Likened to a final salary scheme, the special pension is index-linked and involves no contribution by the recipient.

David Cameron and Chris Grayling, then the lord chancellor, waived their rights to the enhanced sum, which is offered to holders of the three “great offices of state”, after just one day in office. They will instead take the normal ministerial pension.

MPS currently receive 1/40th or 1/50th of their final pensionable salary for each year of pensionable service, depending on the contribution rate they will have chosen.

But Mr Bercow, who earns £153,145 a year, will receive his MP’S pension plus the top-up. He has made one concession – he will not take the pension, as he is entitled to do, when he stands down as the Speaker this year at the age of 56. Instead, he will wait until he reaches the age of 65. A spokesman at the time said Mr Bercow felt it would “not be right” for him to receive the enhanced pension in his mid-50s.

Last night, a spokesman for the Speaker confirmed that he had not changed his mind, saying she had “nothing to add from his previous public statements”.

In January, MPS called for Mr Bercow to have his pay and pension docked when he took the unprecedented decision to allowed a government motion to be amended in favour of a move by pro-remain MPS to block Brexit.