The former Speaker of the House of Representatives joins the opposition

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives joins the opposition

John Bercow, a longtime speaker in the House of Commons, has left the Conservative Party in favor of Labour. He claimed that conservatives are reactionary, and sometimes xenophobic populists.

John Bercow was a Conservative MP for twelve years before becoming Speaker of the House of Commons. Here he is during a tennis match in London on Sunday. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP/NTB

The charismatic and controversial John Bercow was a speaker in the House of Commons for ten years, eventually becoming a headache for Brexit supporters in the ruling Conservative Party.

In the fall of 2019, he led the Prime Minister’s questions for the last time, and this weekend the 58-year-old announced he had joined Britain’s Labor Party.

I am motivated by supporting equality, social justice and universality. Bercow says it’s Labor’s brand Watchman.

The Minister of Justice strikes back

He also accused the Conservative Party under Prime Minister Boris Johnson of being “reactionary, populist, nationalist and sometimes xenophobic”.

– My conclusion is that this government must be replaced. The truth is that work is the only tool that can achieve this goal. There are no other credible alternatives, says Berko.

Attorney General Robert Buckland on Sunday rejected the party’s label as xenophobic. Buckland said Bercow’s decision to abandon political neutrality “has the effect of weakening the power of his voice in politics.”

After the Brexit referendum, John Bercow was accused of training bills needed to complete withdrawal. Photo: Frank Augstein/AP/NTB

to the left

Bercow was a member of Parliament for the Conservative Party for twelve years before being elected as party chair in a politically neutral position. to Sky News He says he did not join the Conservative Party after his resignation as Speaker of the House.

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Bercow is a staunch critic of Johnson, who faced the battle for EU withdrawal long before he became prime minister. After Johnson took over as party chairman, a number of Conservative pro-EU politicians resigned.

Bercow began his political career in the 1980s under then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, but has moved to the left over the years.

hero mode

In 2017, he sparked outrage among some on the right when he said US President Donald Trump should not be allowed to speak in Parliament.

After the referendum that gave a majority or Brexit, he was accused of training bills needed to implement withdrawal. He earned such heroic status among many opponents of Brexit.

During his career, Berko has also been accused of bullying employees, allegations he himself has denied.

14000 times

When the Brexit debate was at its height in Parliament in 2019, Bercow announced that he would resign on October 31, the same day Britain would leave the European Union. Brexit has been postponed, but Bercow did not sit in overtime.

Then he had according to BBC “System!” said his own. In Parliament nearly 14,000 times.

Bercow himself claimed to have been impartial during the debates, but after his resignation he called the referendum a historical error.

By Bond Robertson

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