London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Ex-Commons Speaker John Bercow was a serial bully, says report

Ex-Commons Speaker John Bercow was a serial bully, says report

John Bercow was a "serial bully" while House of Commons Speaker, and would be banned from getting a parliamentary pass, a report has said.

The Independent Expert Panel said "his behaviour fell very far below that which the public has a right to expect" from an MP.

It also said his evidence showed he had been "a serial liar".

However, Mr Bercow said the inquiry into the complaints was "amateurish" and based on "tittle-tattle".

Mr Bercow was Speaker of the House of Commons from 2009 to 2019 and presided over a turbulent period during which the House of Commons debated the UK's exit from the European Union.

A report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone found that Mr Bercow had displayed "threatening conduct" towards staff, including verbal abuse, and displays of anger.

It said he had "shouted at and mimicked" a member of staff and was responsible for "intimidating, insulting behaviour involving an abuse of power".

She also found he had subjected Lord Lisvane - a senior clerk in the House of Commons - to "repeated unfounded criticism… often made at length and at volume and included derogatory inferences about [his] upbringing and background".

Mr Bercow appealed but the Independent Expert Panel upheld all 21 findings of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

'Spite'


The panel said it agreed with the commissioner's findings that Mr Bercow had been "a serial bully".

It added that Mr Bercow's conduct "was so serious that, had he still been a Member of Parliament, we would have determined that he should be expelled by resolution of the House", and that he would be banned from getting a pass giving him access to Parliament's buildings.

However, in a strongly-worded statement Mr Bercow called the report "a travesty of justice rooted in prejudice, spite and hearsay".

He said claims of misconduct were "upheld even when eyewitnesses testified that they had not taken place", and said he'd been targeted by three former staff members, because he had set out to reform the House of Commons.

Mr Bercow, who resigned as an MP in 2019, said he had never applied for a Parliamentary pass and does not want one, but could still go to Parliament as a guest of another pass holder.

Asked on BBC Radio 4's World at One programme if he had apologised, Mr Bercow said he had not bullied anyone and that he "didn't believe in faux apologies".

He called the Independent Expert Panel a "kangaroo court" which he said had ignored "large volumes of evidence".

Mr Bercow began his political career in the Conservative Party but later switched to Labour telling the Observer newspaper: "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."

Mr Bercow is understood to have been administratively suspended by the Labour party while it investigates.

'Genuinely horrible'


The investigations came after complaints from three people who worked for Mr Bercow - Lord Lisvane, the former clerk of the Commons, and private secretaries Kate Emms and Angus Sinclair.

One of the complainants, Ms Emms, said: "I am supremely glad to be vindicated by the report of the Independent Expert Panel."

She said her time working for Mr Bercow had been "the one and only genuinely horrible, undermining and consistently upsetting period of my career" which had led to "stress, anxiety and a loss of confidence".

She said Mr Bercow had failed to show remorse and had instead "blamed the process for being flawed, amateurish and unjust and not even applicable to him".

Responding to the report, the prime minister's spokesman said the government hoped it would give "all those in Westminster confidence to come forward and report their cases and that they'll be fairly heard".

Who is John Bercow?
John Bercow during a debate in the House of Commons in October 2019


During his decade-long stint as Speaker, Mr Bercow made several changes to Parliament to fulfil his aim to make the House of Commons "less stuffy".

For example, he allowed MPs to speak in the chamber without wearing ties, and removed the requirement for clerks to wear wigs.

He won praise from some MPs for giving backbenchers more opportunities to question ministers.

However, his style drew criticisms from others, and some Conservatives accused him of bias, breaching the requirement that the Speaker stays neutral.

During the fierce Brexit debates, Mr Bercow gained international recognition for his attempts to control Parliament, particularly his loud cries of "order order".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×