Labour suspends John Bercow after report finds ex-Speaker guilty of bullying

John Bercow has been administratively suspended from the Labour Party, pending investigation, after being found guilty of bullying staff members while serving as House of Commons Speaker.

An 89-page report by the Independent Expert Panel into the conduct of Bercow was released today. It finds the former Speaker guilty of a “marked abuse of power and authority” and says he “did lie repeatedly”.

A total of 21 bullying allegations across three complaints have been upheld by the parliamentary standards commissioner, all relating to events between 2009 and 2014 when Bercow served as Speaker.

Bercow is described as a “serial bully” and “serial liar” in the report, which concludes that he would been expelled from the Commons if he were still an MP. It recommends that he should never be allowed a parliamentary pass.

In response, the former House of Commons Speaker said: “Parliament is supposed to be the highest court in the land. This inquiry, which lasted a ghastly 22 months at great cost to the taxpayer, has failed it dismally.

“At the end of it, the panel has simply said that I should be denied a parliamentary pass which I have never applied for and do not want. That is the absurdity of its position.” He called the investigation “amateurish”.

The Independent Expert Panel was set up by the House of Commons in June 2020. It hears appeals from decisions by the parliamentary commissioner for standards in complaints against MPs and former MPs.

It was reported in February that Bercow “played a key role” as a relatively new member when Labour centrists in Battersea defeated the Momentum-supporting chair of the local party at their annual general meeting.

The former Speaker denied playing a key role, telling journalist Paul Waugh: “I simply attended, listened to candidates and cast my votes on merit by secret ballot.”

Bercow also spoke at a Labour conference fringe event last year. He repeatedly addressed attendees as “comrades” and described his time in right-wing pressure group the Monday Club as “utterly shameful”.

A well-placed Labour source told LabourList today that general secretary David Evans was “asked/advised” to use his power to block Bercow’s membership within its initial eight-week period, but chose not to do so. The comment was put to the Labour Party.