The British ex-President of Parliament John Bercow defected to the Labor Party – and linked his political change of sides with a general settlement against the Conservatives around Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
If order is indeed half of life, then John Bercow can serve as the key witness for this saying: For ten years he has been a Speaker Ensured law and order in the British House of Commons, acted as an arbiter in numerous verbal battles, was a nemesis for all too rebellious MPs. And there were not too few of them in the hair-raising Brexit years that Bercow accompanied, so to speak, as a civilian of political decency. Its barking echoed more than 14,000 times “Oooorder!”-Calls from the House of Commons in London, they are as legendary as the previous one “Mr. Speaker” himself. When he resigned in October 2019, he was the longest-serving House of Commons speaker since World War II.
In this respect, it is only logical that Bercow – even a little over a year and a half – brings up what he considers to be not in order. And that’s a lot.
The conservative Tories under Prime Minister Boris Johnson are said to be “reactionary, populist, nationalist and sometimes even xenophobic”he said on Sunday in the “Observer / The Guardian”. Johnson is a “successful campaigner, but miserable head of government”. The prime minister has no vision for one “fairer society”, more and more people are fed up “Lies and empty slogans” to listen. The government must be replaced – and only the Labor Party is able to achieve this goal.
In the course of his verbal broadside, the former Tories MP announced that he was now a member of the opposition Labor Party. In other words, Bercow has switched sides. A remarkable step – but perhaps only logical for a politician of Bercow’s caliber.
A bulwark in the Brexit deal
The former “Mr. Speaker” could be considered a prototype that will probably never go into series production. One “who just loves to talk and, when in doubt, too much”as he once said. As a spokesman for the House of Commons, he has repeatedly thrown applicable rules overboard and broken customs – also to the displeasure of his former Tory colleagues.
In the Brexit deal, Bercow always positioned himself as a defender of parliament, thus becoming an opponent of the government at one point or another. And thus, theoretically, his own people too. In 1997 he moved into the House of Commons as Tory, but from 2009 left his membership with the election to rest. Nevertheless, he was always involved in the political debate. Critics chalked him down to exactly that: as the actual referee, he had to be neutral.
As President of the House of Commons, he generously interpreted the rights of MPs and often caused severe defeats for ex-Prime Minister Theresa May and her successor Boris Johnson. And did not hold back with criticism either: When Johnson later put parliament on a forced break, he pulped the political hussar piece as such – a “Act of executive empowerment” be that, he said at the time. His clear edge was probably not without a return coach: Later he was not nominated by Johnson as a member of the House of Lords, as is actually usual for former House Presidents. Bercow is the first speaker in more than two centuries who was not granted this honor.
In general, Bercows work was anything but usual. He dusted the traditional (and conscious) lower house on a grand scale. For example, he abolished wearing traditional wigs and allowed MPs to appear without ties (for which even the most conservative MPs should have been grateful somewhere). At least he was 157. “Speaker of the House of Commons”According to the official title, no longer to fear the worst: Several of his predecessors did not survive the post – they were beheaded.
“I just like to talk too much and, when in doubt, too much”
Rather, he was talking about head and neck. “I just like to talk too much and, when in doubt, too much”, the politician, who comes from a humble background, admitted in an interview. “I inherited my style of language from my father, who spoke quite stilted.” As a child, Bercow read the newspaper, ran for the student parliament and protested against school lunches. He has no problem speaking in front of a crowd. On the other hand, dancing is one of his primal fears – and he can fear it “just with a considerable amount of alcohol” overcome.
Bercow received a lot of applause, but also criticism, for his announcement that he would not allow the then US President Donald Trump to visit the House of Commons – and indirectly accused him of racism and sexism. But there were always massive allegations against him from ex-employees and colleagues. His ex-private secretary, Angus Sinclair, claimed that Bercow yelled at him in front of other employees. He is said to have insulted several parliamentarians.
A 2018 report accuses him also to have headed a parliamentary culture in which “Bullying, Harassment, and Sexual Harassment” could thrive. “I think this suggestion (…) is completely wrong”he said in an interview with Sky News. There was a single complaint about him that was dismissed.
Senior Labor MP John McDonnell described Bercow’s treatment of MPs as “unscrupulously fair”. “He has won our respect, especially for his struggle to protect Parliament’s rights. I warmly welcome him to the Labor Party”McDonnell tweeted after Bercow’s break. The Conservatives, meanwhile, tried to downplay the importance of Bercow’s departure. “To be fair to John Bercow”Attorney General Robert Buckland told Sky News, “I think he left the Conservative Party a long time ago.”
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