Lords rules change deals a blow to Bercow
Former speaker may be investigated over past allegations of bullying as fresh complaint emerges
Anna Mikhailova
Christopher Hope
JOHN BERCOW could be put under investigation over an historic allegation of bullying, after the House of Lords agreed to change its rules amid a new complaint against the former Speaker.
The Lords conduct committee discussed closing a loophole in its code of conduct to allow inquiries into allegations against former MPS who become peers, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.
The meeting took place on Wednesday, the day a complaint against Mr Bercow emerged.
Lord Lisvane, who served as chief clerk of the House of Commons, has passed a dossier to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, the MPS’ watchdog, detailing, it is understood, incidents in which Mr Bercow allegedly bullied and humiliated staff.
Jeremy Corbyn has reportedly recommended Mr Bercow for a peerage in his dissolution honours list.
Under present rules, if Mr Bercow receives a peerage, complaints relating to his time as an MP would not be investigated by the House of Lords. The conduct committee, chaired by Lord Mance, the former deputy president of the Supreme Court, discussed closing a loophole in the rules. A source stressed the committee’s concerns did not centre on any one case.
A Lords spokesman said the commit- tee “agreed in principle that ex-mps subject to such complaints after they join the Lords should be investigated and sanctioned under the Lords Code of Conduct. They will consider how this decision might be implemented and how to consult the House of Commons at their next meeting.”
No 10 said Lord Lisvane’s claims were “very concerning” and should be “investigated
thoroughly”. Andrea Leadsom, the Business Secretary, yesterday said the complaint, if upheld, could “impact” whether or not Mr Bercow is “found suitable for the House of Lords”.
Mr Bercow has “categorically” denied all allegations of bullying and said Lord Lisvane’s complaint had come at a “curious” time. He said it had become
“increasingly obvious that the Government has no intention of honouring the centuries-old convention that a departing Speaker is promptly elevated to the House of Lords”. He added: “It has been suggested to me that the Government actively seeks to block any other attempt to nominate me for membership of the upper House.”
Responding to Mr Bercow’s comments, a source close to Boris Johnson said: “The Speaker was not always a fan of convention.”
The source added it was up to Labour to nominate Labour peers and the Prime Minister would nominate cross bench or Tory peers, stressing that the Prime Minister had deliberately not nominated Mr Bercow for a peerage when he stood down as Speaker.
Meanwhile Labour leadership contender Emily Thornberry said Mr Bercow should get a peerage, despite the allegations. She told ITV News: “I don’t think allegations by themselves are ever going to be enough [to disqualify him].”
Lord Lisvane quit as Clerk of the House of Commons in August 2014. The previous month, Tory MP Michael Fabricant suggested that Mr Bercow had told Lord Lisvane to “---- off ” more than once. Mr Bercow replied: “I’ll ignore that observation, which suffered from the disadvantage of being wrong.”