* Former Tory MP angered Eurosceptics but won praise for boosting backbenchers
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John Bercow announced he is stepping down after a decade as Speaker of the House of Commons with a swipe at Boris Johnson for his government’s perceived attacks on the UK’s parliamentary democracy.
Mr Bercow said he would quit immediately in the event of MPs voting later on Monday for a general election next month. Otherwise he will stand aside on October 31, the day the UK is set to leave the EU. His last act would likely be to assist MPs in blocking a no-deal Brexit.
In an emotional statement, the Speaker said the role had been “the greatest privilege and honour of my professional life” and he hoped his successor would continue to defend the role of parliament.
“I wish my successor in the chair the very best fortune in standing up for the rights of honourable and right honourable members individually, and for parliament institutionally as the Speaker of the House of Commons,” he said.
Mr Bercow added he would make “absolutely no apology” for seeking to expand the authority of the Commons and, in a coded attack on the prime minister, warned that “we degrade this parliament at our peril”.
“This is a wonderful place filled overwhelmingly by people who are motivated by their notion of the national interest, by their perception of the public good. And by their duty, not as delegates, but as representatives, to do what they believe is right for our country.”
Mr Bercow entered parliament in 1997 as the Conservative MP for Buckingham, after spending several years as a prominent student activist advocating rightwing politics. After serving in several frontbench roles, his views shifted leftward and he became increasingly distrusted by Tories.
He was elected Speaker in 2009 following the MPs’ expenses scandal and sought to restore the reputation of parliament. Mr Bercow has been widely praised for boosting the role of backbench MPs by ensuring they can play active roles in debates. He has also used his speakership to grant frequent urgent questions for the government, which have assisted the opposition in scrutinising the executive.
But Mr Bercow also has a large band of critics, in part because of what some see as his irascible persona. He has especially riled Eurosceptic Conservative MPs in recent years, who believe he has consistently sided with Remain-leaning parliamentarians in breaking with convention.
During the past year, the Speaker has granted several emergency debates to pro-Remain MPs that have broken with convention to allow backbenchers to take control of the Commons and pass legislation to avoid a no-deal Brexit. This resulted in the Conservative party announcing they would stand a candidate against him at the next election, which may have played a role in his decision to retire.
Mr Bercow has also been dogged by bullying allegations. A report by Laura Cox last year said that a culture of “deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence” had developed to hush up bullying among parliamentary staff. She called on senior management to resign, including Mr Bercow. He has strenuously denied these allegations.
The next speaker will be elected when MPs return in mid October. By convention a Labour parliamentarian should succeed Mr Bercow. The incumbent deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle is the clear favourite, a down-to-earth Lancastrian who would bring a markedly different style to the chair. Other potential candidates include former Labour ministers Harriet Harman and Chris Bryant.
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