Get your House in order, order… and BIN bully-boy speaker John Bercow

IF Dame Laura Cox’s crushing report on bullying and harassment in the House of Commons had been written of a school, university, charity, government department, military unit, embassy or company, the head would have resigned or been suspended by now.

So why is John Bercow still in post as the Commons’ Speaker?

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The Cox report has good news that the majority of MPs are decent, committed and hardworking and, in my own experience, often humble and modest.

Indeed, the former High Court judge introduces her report on this gracious note: “This is not to demonise the entire institution, but unacceptable behaviour by some, whether elected Members or House staff, inflicts damage on everyone and undermines the legitimacy and authority of the House of Commons. Parliament is diminished.”

The report exposes “a culture, cascading from the top down, of deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence, in which bullying, harassment and sexual harassment have been able to thrive and have long been tolerated and concealed”.

Should Mr Bercow resign, be fired or, in his own words, “keep buggering on”? Evidence to suggest that Mr Bercow is not fit for public office is strong.

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Staff and Members have made substantial and public allegations of bullying by Mr Bercow, all denied. And he should be considered innocent unless proved guilty through “proper process”.

But now the 155-page report by Dame Laura takes aim at the Speaker, suggesting he should consider his position; polite speak for “he should go”.

Then there is the public evidence — TV clips of Mr Bercow’s conduct from the Speaker’s chair in the Commons Chamber humiliating MPs, mocking them and, in one notable case, mimicking a Member with a speech impediment.

Such abusive, arrogant and overbearing conduct would not be tolerated in any other institution. For our top Parliamentarian to set a bad example brings Parliament into disrepute both nationally and internationally.

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Mr Bercow, along with a number of other MPs, seem to consider themselves entitled to behave like this and with impunity.

So how has Mr Speaker been getting away with it and remaining immune from investigation into the allegations of bullying? Bear in mind that his censure or removal is possible only by a majority of MPs voting against him.

In recent years there have been some half-hearted attempts to remove Mr Bercow. But the opposition parties (notably Labour and the SNP) view Mr Bercow’s strident and uncompromising handling of Government ministers as helpful to them.

Mr Bercow enjoys, therefore, the support of the opposition parties, along with a few Tory characters, enough to keep him in office regardless of allegations about improper conduct.

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Such political “manoeuvring” is a cynical rejection of standards of public integrity. It diminishes Parliament and discredits politicians. Will this change in light of the Cox report? Probably not.

“Remainers” and “Soft Brexiteers” of all political parties apparently see Mr Bercow as the only dependable means of ensuring that Parliament gets to vote on the Government’s proposed Brexit deal. Some even believe he is the key to overturning the referendum result.

Indeed, Mr Bercow, who posted a “B******s to Brexit” sticker on his car bumper, promised to leave in June 2018. Now he has said he will not leave until summer 2019, so he can steer the Brexit business through the House. Ha! That may take another three years.

On the credit side, the Speaker has championed some modernisation of Parliamentary business procedures and working practices, also strengthening opposition and backbench MPs’ rights to hold the Government to account. Oh, and he has allowed MPs to remove their ties too.

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He has brought a new level of public interest in the Commons Chamber through his TV “game show” style in the Speaker’s Chair. Some love the way he takes on ministers and pompous MPs — “refreshing” they say.

Three times, committees of MPs have vetoed any investigation into allegations about Mr Bercow’s conduct.

Forget the Cox report and the TV evidence. Reality is that there is unlikely to be a majority of MPs willing to vote him out; he will be propped up for political reasons, behaviour expected of a rogue state or banana republic which we would sanctimoniously condemn.

Dame Laura is right to suggest that “Parliament is being diminished”, nationally and internationally. Our political leaders should exercise leadership and courage. Grip the integrity and reputation of our Parliament.

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It must be possible to find one of the 650 MPs with the leadership skills, authority, experience and impartiality to take on and restore the now discredited office of Speaker and steer us through the Brexit era.

And when he does finally leave office, disgraced as he is, could he really follow all his predecessors into the House of Lords?

As a breaker of tradition himself, he surely wouldn’t mind staying a commoner.

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