Will John Bercow get his comeuppance?

The new Parliament sits for the first time today. The first job will be to confirm, or otherwise, John Bercow’s continuing role as the Speaker. The motion proposing this traditional vote, will be laid before the House by Sir Peter Tapsell, the new Father of the House at around 14:30. The members all shout “Aye” or “No”, and normally it’s a done deal, there are no contrary shouts. This time is different… If enough members shout ‘No’, it will force a division at which votes will need to be counted, and the role of John Bercow as Speaker hangs in the balance. In fact, “enough members” is just one, but Tapsell could choose to ignore the “Noes” if they are too timid or too few. If they are loud and numerous, that luxury will be denied him.

John Bercow was controversially elected last June as Speaker by the universal support of Labour MPs, and only a tiny handful of Conservatives. The actual figures were 322 to 271, with the admirable Sir George Younger being the losing candidate. After Bercow’s election, which was in the face of much covert and overt opposition from the Conservatives and many others, a Labour whip famously remarked that it was done to ’stick it to the Tories’.

Bearing in mind that this was at a time of great upheaval in the House, caused mainly by the expenses scandal, and triggered by the fact that, finally, the House had had enough of the useless Michael Martin, this was nothing short of a disgrace. It was typical, tribal, New Labour.

There is copious evidence all over the ‘Net this morning underlining the lamentable performance of Bercow as Speaker – Quentin Letts has labelled him The Squeaker – and I don’t propose to go into those here. However, this time many MPs have indicated that they intend to shout “No”, force a division after which they hope there will be an election for Speaker by secret ballot.

If this happens, Bercow will be the first Speaker in living memory to have his re-appointment challenged by a vote in the House of Commons. MPs have not voted out an incumbent Speaker for 175 years.

The BBC says:

Mr Bercow’s opponents object to his decision to ditch some of the Speaker’s ceremonial dress, his wife’s pro-Labour messages on Twitter, and what they claim is his lack of authority, respect and impartiality in the House.

Some Labour MPs believe he has failed to defend them and others from the new expenses regime which they consider to be harsh and unfair, particularly to those with young children. Some MPs also believe the new House should have the right to choose a new Speaker.

There are some MPs who hope that Sir Peter will ignore the “noes” if they are too few and too quiet. But most expect that Sir Peter will have no choice but to call a division.

Other salient facts are that Bercow has been slated regularly by the Press, and has often failed to properly control the house. Personally speaking, I was hoping that he’d correct the imbalance at PMQs when the previous Speaker, Michael Martin would persistently allow The Prime Mentalist to fail to answer questions, and often to do so by asking a question of the Opposition himself. Bercow has conspicuously failed to do that.

Worse, though, at a time when Parliament needs a new beginning, sloughing off the baggage of the last administration, Bercow’s election was, as I stated earlier, a stitch up by Labour of the worst kind, born of malice and spite. The Speaker is traditionally chosen by consensus amongst all MPs. Bercow was selected by a Labour block vote designed to make life difficult for a future Tory government. For this reason, if no other, Parliament needs to remove Bercow and elect a truly non-partisan Speaker.

Bercow does not command the respect of the House, he’s not well-liked and he’s been seen to be partisan. Worse, he was up to his neck in the Expenses Scandal, flipping homes twice, amongst other things. I’m not entirely sure he’s fit to be an MP, never mind Speaker. What a shame Nigel Farage failed to unseat him at the last General Election…

It seems to me that the fact that there is this controversy at all surely negates any claim he may have to be suitable for the job.

Prominent amongst the malcontents are Labour’s Kate Hoey (a fine MP) and the Conservative’s Nadine Dorries, who wrote a case for his eviction in the Mail on Sunday, and who has also gone as far as to write an email to all newly-elected MPs:

Dear new Member,

Many congratulations and welcome to the House.

Please forgive me for this generic email being brief and to the point.

The first job of the House today is to appoint the Speaker. The Father of the House, Sir Peter Tapsell, will present a motion to the House that John Bercow remains as Speaker.

At this point, members will shout ‘Aye’, on this occasion there will also be members from all parties shouting ‘No’. If enough members shout ‘No’, this will force a division and your first vote as new members will be to vote for or against appointing John Bercow as Speaker.

At this point, the green monitors will flash with the words ‘Division’ and the division bell will ring. This is a free vote and is entirely unwhipped and so whether to vote or not is wholly your decision. You will also have the option to abstain, and so you do not enter either of the voting lobbies.

Despite scare mongering by some left-wing commentators, there will be no repercussions according to which way you vote.

I am sure you are aware that during the previous Parliamentary term Mr Bercow was appointed as Speaker, with unanimous Labour and a handful of Conservative votes. In the words of a Labour whip, it was done to ’stick it to the Tories’.

That aside, there are a number of reasons why, since his appointment, Mr Bercow has proven unsuitable in the Speaker’s role. Not least, on the occasions during the last session when Mr Bercow found remaining impartial, a crucial quality in the role of Speaker, very difficult, leading to a number of heated exchanges between the Speaker and Conservative MPs.

We are about to head into choppy political waters. It is imperative we have a Speaker who possesses dignity, gravitas, ability, wisdom and who can command respect from all sides of the House. A Speaker beyond reproach, who via his experience has earned the entitlement to such an important office.

There are a number of candidates from all sides imminently more suitable, able and willing; Edward Leigh, Sir Menzies Campbell, Alan Hazlehurst, and Margaret Beckett.

It is imperative that we are seen to begin this Parliament renewed and afresh. We can only do that with a democratic vote for the Speaker. If Mr Bercow wins the vote, he will have the endorsement of the whole House and not just the Labour party.

The Labour MP Kate Hoey, who is supporting the vote and I will be acting as tellers. If you come to the division lobby there will be members on the doors directing you to the lobby depending on which way you wish to vote. I am sure you understand the importance of this vote. I look forward to counting you out of the lobby during your first division.

With very best wishes,

Yours,

Nadine Dorries.

The gist of informed political punditry in the MSM is that Bercow will remain as Speaker, and current betting says that he is a sure-fire favourite. The BBC has summed up the reasoning behind this rather well:

Most of the front benches will support him. There is no official whip – this is a House of Commons not a party matter – but the main party leaderships do not want a row over the Speakership and will make their support for Mr Bercow known. Some senior Tories at the highest level of government have their reservations about Mr Bercow, but will bite their lips.

Most new MPs will support him. Remember there are 227 new MPs and most are still trying to find out where their lockers and loos are located. It will be their first time in a division lobby. Woe betide any who incur the unofficial wrath of their whips so early on in this Parliament. Or make a fool of themselves by voting in the wrong lobby by mistake.

It is not a secret ballot. Thus anyone who votes against the Speaker will be known and can expect to be called but rarely in future debates. The procedure committee earlier this year recommended that the re-election of the Speaker be a secret ballot. But the then Leader of the House of Commons, Harriet Harman, chose never to put this recommendation to a vote in the Commons. Tory MPs say she told them that she did not want to give them “John Bercow’s head on a plate”. If there were a secret ballot, Mr Bercow’s fate would be much less secure.

But, watch for the abstentions. Many MPs who object to Mr Bercow will register their opposition by just not voting at all. This is not a whipped division – they do not have to turn up.

The last paragraph is key, in my opinion; typical bet-hedging by the BBC, but abstentions could swing it all against Bercow. The loose cannon is Ming Campbell, who has said he will stand as Speaker if the Noes force a division, which in turn forces an election. That changes things rather, as Sir Ming has a great deal of respect across the House, and has all the gravitas and experience to carry off the role. He’s also a LibDem, and maybe that would fit well with the new Coalition Government we have. Abstention is a risk-free strategy for all MPs, especially the new ones.

Whatever, it’s interesting times, and personally, I hope Bercow is thrown out unceremoniously. BBC’s Parliament Service will be compulsory viewing at 14:30, I think…

UPDATE 14:59: Bercow has been re-elected as Speaker. There were too few “Noes” according to Sir Peter Tapsell.