London, (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The Independent Expert Panel, which was established to review any complaints brought against a current or former Member of Parliament, has said that Mr Bercow’s “behaviour fell very far below that which the public has the right to expect.
” Mr Bercow was Speaker of the House of Commons from 2009 to 2019, a turbulent period in the political world, as Britain began its move to exit the European Union. The report by the Parliamentary Commission found that Mr Bercow had displayed “threatening conduct” towards staff at parliament and had verbally abused members of his team.
The report accused Mr Bercow of a series of misconducts with one finding stating that the Ex-Speaker subjected a senior clerk for the House of Commons “to repeated unfounded criticism…often which included derogatory inferences about his upbringing and background.”
The report also said that the evidence provided by Mr Bercow showed that he had been “a serial liar” throughout his time in the House of Commons. Mr Bercow has stated that the inquiry into the complaints was “amateurish” and based on “tittle-tattle”, arguing in a statement that the report was “a travesty of justice rooted in prejudice, spite and hearsay.” The report found that out of 35 complaints, Mr Bercow was guilty of at least 21 infringements against the ministerial code.
Mr Bercow did appeal the report’s findings within the House of Commons. However, the decision was upheld by the Independent Expert Panel, with the committee going on to state that Mr Bercow’s conduct “was so serious that, had he still been an MP, the report would have determined that he should be expelled from the house.