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6 controversial moments from House of Commons Speaker John Bercow

6 controversial moments from House of Commons Speaker John Bercow
6 controversial moments from House of Commons Speaker John Bercow 6 controversial moments from House of Commons Speaker John Bercow

Commons Speaker John Bercow has drawn criticism after voicing his opposition to US president Donald Trump addressing Parliament during his state visit.

But it is not the first time that he has courted controversy.

Here we take a look at some of the Speaker’s most controversial moments.

1. Bercow risked angering Tory MPs by revealing that he was a supporter of the hunting ban to one of his constituents.

(John Giles/PA)

The Speaker said he agreed that hunting foxes to kill them was “wrong in the 21st century”, amid calls for the ban to be repealed in 2011.

His comments represented a U-turn from his previous opposition to the ban and showed him abandon his supposed neutrality on controversial political issues.

2. Bercow’s wife was thrown into the spotlight when she posed for London’s Evening Standard wearing nothing but a bed sheet.

Sally Bercow described the “aphrodisiac” effect of their life at the Palace of Westminster and described the view from the Speaker’s House as “incredibly sexy”.

She even claimed in the interview, in February 2011, that since her husband was elected Speaker, the couple had become unlikely sex symbols.

But in 2015 she said he hated living in Parliament, describing it as a “goldfish bowl” amid reports of trouble in the couple’s marriage which saw her admit to being a “terrible wife”.

3. The Speaker came under fire after suggesting that eastern European immigrants have more “aptitude and commitment” to work than British people.

(Ben Birchall/PA)

Ukip leader Nigel Farage branded him a “disgrace” following the remarks, made during an official visit to the Romanian parliament in June 2013.

Farage said the “outrageous” comments breached the traditional impartiality expected from the Commons Speaker.

4. Bercow’s use of expenses has also raised eyebrows – particularly as he took office at the height of the scandal over Westminster perks.

He racked up a £172 bill being chauffeur-driven to a conference just 0.7 miles (1.1km) from Parliament.

Bercow also spent £367 taking a car to Luton to deliver a speech on how MPs were restoring their reputation after the expenses scandal.

He spent thousands of pounds wining and dining fellow MPs – including more than £2,000 on a “standing down” dinner for his former deputy.

5. A taxpayer-funded £37,000 portrait of the Speaker led to accusations of “vanity”.

(House of Commons/PA)

The official painting, by British artist Brendan Kelly, joined those of his predecessors going back to Sir Thomas More and featured a new coat of arms developed for Bercow.

It shows Bercow in full flow in the famous Speaker’s chair, wearing black robes and a Commons tie.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance pressure group said it was “very excessive” to “spend tens of thousands of pounds on a vanity portrait of himself”.

6. The row over Trump’s visit is not the only time Bercow has spoken out about a foreign dignitary.

Introducing Chinese premier Xi Jinping ahead of his address to Parliament in 2015, Bercow said the Asian superpower should be a “moral inspiration” and “the world will be watching” – an apparent reference to Beijing’s poor human rights record.

Bercow also pointedly referred to another world figure who had addressed both Houses of Parliament, Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi, who he described as a “democracy champion and international symbol of the innate human right of freedom”.