When he presided over the House of Commons with scathing interventions, John Bercow seemed to relish the confrontation. The ex- "Speaker" star of the Brexit crisis is now accused of having bullied his teams to the point of harassment, accusations that poison his new life.
Its "Order! Thunderous towards rowdy deputies went around the world and delighted Internet users who discovered British parliamentary debates. John Bercow, 57, has not only made friends by playing a central role in the political turmoil that preceded the exit from the European Union. He was accused of anti-Brexit bias by his own conservative side.
And after his resignation on October 31 – which was to be the day of the divorce before a third postponement to January 31 -, the new retiree from the perch of the Commons continues to cause controversy.
A culture of deference
It is customary to name the elders "Speakers" from the House of Commons to the House of Lords, the unelected upper house of the British Parliament, whose members are distinguished by their red dress adorned with ermine. But John Bercow is accused of having bullied his teams during his ten years in the presidency of the Lower House and of having allowed harassment, including sexual harassment, to become widespread due to a "Culture of deference", according to a 2018 report by a former magistrate of the London High Court.
New charges against John Bercow arose when Labor Leader Jeremy Corbyn, the main opposition party, recently quoted him for a Lords nomination. Lord Lisvane, his main adviser until 2014, has filed a harassment complaint with an independent body in the Lower House, according to British media reports.
And David Leakey, who held the ceremonial post "gentleman of the black rod", bailiff of the Parliament, during seven years until 2017, accused the ex- "Speaker" having “Brutalized staff members – including me – (…) with their anger”. He estimated in an interview with Daily Mail that appointing him to the House of Lords would " scandal ".
Come to promote his autobiography on the Sky News television channel, Bercow dismissed these accusations:
"I absolutely insist that I never harassed anyone, anywhere at any time. "
A “culture of harassment”
Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman called the charges " "Very disturbing" and assured that they would be fully investigated. It was normally up to Boris Johnson to put forward the name of John Bercow, who had emerged as the head of the government of the Conservative Party, for a nomination to the House of Lords.
But there is strong disaffection between the two men, the former president of the Lower House having been regularly accused by Brexit supporters of having played with parliamentary rules to their detriment in order to derail the exit from the EU. "As far as I can remember, the speaker was never a fan of conventions", laconically explained a Downing Street official, interviewed by Agence France-Presse.
Lindsay Hoyle, John Bercow's successor for nine years as assistant, walks on eggs. He says he witnessed no misconduct while pledging to end the "Culture of harassment" in the Commons. For him, tradition must be respected: the name of his predecessor must be put forward for appointment, subject to the evaluation of a special commission.
However, the lower house did not appreciate seeing its backstage revealed in the autobiography of its former boss and said so in an unusual press release. "It is unacceptable to publicly appoint a current or past staff member without first knowing it, especially for financial gain or commercial success", she protested.
