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lawmakers electing new speaker to replace John Bercow

Published:Tuesday | November 5, 2019 | 12:27 AM
Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow gestures during his final day in the chair in the House of Commons, London, on October 31.
The Associated Press
Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow gestures during his final day in the chair in the House of Commons, London, on October 31.

LONDON (AP):

British lawmakers were electing a new House of Commons speaker on Monday, with the seven contenders promising to bring a period of calm after the tempestuous tenure of the influential but controversial John Bercow.

Members of Parliament were voting by secret ballot for a successor to Bercow, who retired last week after a decade as speaker that saw him become a central player in Britain’s Brexit drama.

Like Bercow, the new speaker will run the daily business of the Commons, keeping lawmakers in line with robust cries of ‘Order!’

Some politicians, however, want to see a more cautious approach than that taken by Bercow, who prided himself on making the government answer to Parliament. The speaker is supposed to be an impartial arbiter of Parliament’s rules, but critics accused Bercow of favouring anti-Brexit politicians at the expense of those supporting Britain’s departure from the European Union (EU).

Bercow denied bias, but clashed with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government, and strongly opposed Johnson’s attempt to suspend Parliament for five weeks as an October 31 Brexit deadline approached. The UK Supreme Court overturned Johnson’s shutdown.

With Parliament divided over the best way ahead, the EU has granted Britain an extension to its impending departure until January 31.

The seven contenders all made five-minute pitches to lawmakers, with many vowing to bring a change of tone and temperament to a political system that has been strained by Brexit.

Rosie Winterton, currently one of three deputy speakers, said she would “douse the flames, not pour petrol on them ... calming the tone and lowering the temperature when the House gets overheated”.

Labour lawmaker Chris Bryant said he would be “a speaker who is an umpire, not a player,” in what appeared to be a dig at Bercow.

“We need to rebuild confidence and trust in our politics and it must begin with this election today,” said Eleanor Laing, another deputy speaker running for the top job. “There is a time for continuity and a time for change. This is a time for change.”