Ex-speaker John Bercow breaks Brexit silence
The former Commons boss told foreign media that Britain is better off in EU
John Bercow has broken his silence on Brexit just days after stepping down as speaker of the House of Commons, describing the decision to withdraw from the EU as Britain’s “biggest mistake” since the Second World War.
As The Guardian notes, Bercow was “persistently accused of bias by Brexit-backing MPs” while in the speaker’s chair, and yesterday outed himself as a Remainer in a speech in London to the Foreign Press Association.
According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Bercow said: “My own personal opinion is that Brexit does not help us. We are part of a world of power blocs and trade blocs, my feeling is that it is better to be part of that power block and of that trade bloc than not.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“I completely respect the rights of the prime minister, leading the largest party in Parliament, to try to get support for his position, which is to get Brexit done.”
However, Bercow rejected claims that he deliberately blocked Brexit during his reign as speaker, which ended last Thursday. Critics had suggested that Bercow was “bending the rules” to allow MPs to reduce the Government’s powers over the withdrawal process, The Guardian says.
During Bercow’s final year, he was “accused of ignoring advice from the impartial House of Commons clerks by selecting motions that effectively robbed the Government of its right to decide the business of the House”, adds The Telegraph.
But the former Tory MP told press this week that “it was Parliament” that had prevented Britain from leaving before now, “not me”.
He predicted “with total certainty” that Parliament would be debating Brexit for at least the next five years, insisting that was “blindingly obvious”, reports the BBC.
Brexit supporters have condemned the ex-speaker for his comments, with Brexit Party MEP Rupert Lowe saying it was “disgraceful” that someone with Bercow’s views had been allowed to hold the role.
Brexit Party MEP Martin Daubney told LBC that Bercow “is the biggest mistake in the history of the speaker’s chair”, adding that his comments show the “unbridled contempt he has for Brexiteers”.
Meanwhile, pro-EU campaign group Best for Britain tweeted its support for Bercow, saying: “John Bercow is fully entitled to express whatever views he likes about Brexit. He never stopped Parliament from voting in any direction at all on the matter.
“We are simply fortunate that enough MPs wanted to stop medicine shortages and we had a speaker prepared to let them.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joe Evans is the world news editor at TheWeek.co.uk. He joined the team in 2019 and held roles including deputy news editor and acting news editor before moving into his current position in early 2021. He is a regular panellist on The Week Unwrapped podcast, discussing politics and foreign affairs.
Before joining The Week, he worked as a freelance journalist covering the UK and Ireland for German newspapers and magazines. A series of features on Brexit and the Irish border got him nominated for the Hostwriter Prize in 2019. Prior to settling down in London, he lived and worked in Cambodia, where he ran communications for a non-governmental organisation and worked as a journalist covering Southeast Asia. He has a master’s degree in journalism from City, University of London, and before that studied English Literature at the University of Manchester.
-
The hunt for Planet Nine
Under The Radar Researchers seeking the elusive Earth-like planet beyond Neptune are narrowing down their search
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine interactive crossword - April 26, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - April 26, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine solutions - April 26, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - April 26, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Stormont power-sharing in sight: 'good news' for Northern Ireland?
Talking Point Unionists vote to end two-year boycott after agreeing legislative package to address post-Brexit trading arrangements
By The Week UK Published
-
Why your local council may be going bust
The Explainer Across England, local councils are suffering from grave financial problems
By The Week UK Published
-
Rishi Sunak and the right-wing press: heading for divorce?
Talking Point The Telegraph launches 'assault' on PM just as many Tory MPs are contemplating losing their seats
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
How the biggest election year in history might play out
The Explainer Votes in world's biggest democracies, as well as its most 'despotic' and 'stressed' countries, face threats of violence and suppression
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published