Global InformationJohn Bercow information
The Right Honourable John Bercow PC | |
|---|---|
 Bercow in 2018 | |
| Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom | |
| In office 22 June 2009 – 4 November 2019 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown David Cameron Theresa May Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Michael Martin |
| Succeeded by | Lindsay Hoyle |
| Shadow Secretary of State for International Development | |
| In office 10 November 2003 – 8 September 2004 | |
| Leader | Michael Howard |
| Preceded by | Caroline Spelman |
| Succeeded by | Alan Duncan |
| Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 18 September 2001 – 23 July 2002 | |
| Leader | Iain Duncan Smith |
| Preceded by | Oliver Letwin |
| Succeeded by | Howard Flight |
| Member of Parliament for Buckingham | |
| In office 1 May 1997 – 4 November 2019 | |
| Preceded by | George Walden |
| Succeeded by | Greg Smith |
| Chancellor of the University of Essex | |
| In office 22 July 2017 – 12 November 2021[1] | |
| Vice Chancellor | Anthony Forster |
| Preceded by | Shami Chakrabarti |
| Succeeded by | (vacant until 2023), Sarah Perry (2023-) |
| Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire | |
| In office 25 July 2014 – [when?] | |
| Vice Chancellor | Bill Rammell Rebecca Bunting |
| Preceded by | The Baroness Howells of St Davids |
| Succeeded by | Sarfraz Manzoor (2023-) |
| Member of Lambeth London Borough Council for St Leonard's ward | |
| In office 9 May 1986 – 4 May 1990 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Simon Bercow 19 January 1963 Edgware, Middlesex, England [2] |
| Political party | Labour (2021–2022; suspended) |
| Other political affiliations |
|
| Spouse |
Sally Illman (m. 2002) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Essex (BA) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website |
John Simon Bercow (/ˈbɜːrkoʊ/; born 19 January 1963)[5] is a British former politician who was Speaker of the House of Commons from 2009 to 2019, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Buckingham between 1997 and 2019. A member of the Conservative Party prior to becoming Speaker, he was the first MP since Selwyn Lloyd in 1971 to be elected Speaker without having been a Deputy Speaker. After resigning as Speaker in 2019 and opting not to seek re-election as MP for Buckingham in the 2019 general election, Bercow left Parliament. In 2021, he joined the Labour Party but was suspended in 2022.
Bercow was a councillor in the London Borough of Lambeth from 1986 to 1990 and unsuccessfully contested Parliamentary seats in the 1987 and 1992 general elections, before being elected for Buckingham in 1997. Promoted to the Shadow cabinet in 2001, he held posts under Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard. In November 2002, Bercow resigned over a dispute concerning his support for the Adoption and Children Act 2002, but returned a year later, only to be dismissed from the Shadow Cabinet in 2004. Having initially been strongly associated with the right-wing faction of his party, his views shifted; by 2007, there were rumours that he would defect to the Labour Party.[6]
On the resignation of Michael Martin in June 2009, Bercow stood successfully in the election to replace him as Speaker. As Speaker, he was obliged to leave the Conservative Party and remain as an independent for the duration of his tenure. He was re-elected unopposed at the commencements of the Parliaments in 2010, 2015 and 2017.[7] This made him the first Speaker since the Second World War to have been elected four times, as well as the first since then to have served alongside four prime ministers.[8][9] In September 2019, Bercow declared that he would stand down as Commons Speaker and MP on 31 October; he remained Speaker until being appointed to the Manor of Northstead on 4 November 2019.[10]
In 2014, Bercow was appointed Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire.[11] In July 2017, he was appointed Chancellor of the University of Essex,[12] stepping down from this role in November 2021.[1] In January 2020, he became part-time professor of politics at Royal Holloway, University of London.[13][14] He was suspended from the Labour Party in 2022 following reports of him bullying staff.[15][16] Since the death of Betty Boothroyd in 2023, as of 2024 he is the only living former Speaker of the House of Commons.
- ^ a b "john bercow steps down as chancellor | University of Essex". www.essex.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ Cooke, Rachel (10 November 2019). "John Bercow: 'I may be pompous and an irritant. But I am completely authentic'". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Helm 2021was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "10/01/2010". Westminster Hour. 10 January 2010. BBC Radio 4. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- ^ "John Bercow in conversation". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
jbstorywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "John Bercow to continue as Commons Speaker with MPs' backing". BBC News. 18 May 2015. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
- ^ McGillivray, Kate; Vartanian, Talin (4 October 2019). "Speaker John Bercow reflects on 10 years of keeping British parliamentarians in line". Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
After being elected for four consecutive terms as Speaker, and serving under four prime ministers, Bercow is exiting at a time of high drama and tension in the U.K.
- ^ Tominey, Camilla (9 September 2019). "John Bercow: the Speaker dogged by claims of bullying and bias who was a thorn in the side of his own party". Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
Bercow is the longest-serving Speaker since Edward FitzRoy served 15 years in post between 1928 and 1943, and the first Speaker since FitzRoy to serve under four Prime Ministers.
- ^ Rowena Mason "John Bercow to step down as Speaker by 31 October" Archived 30 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 9 September 2019
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
bedswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Speaker of the House of Commons to become our sixth Chancellor". Colchester: The University of Essex. 18 July 2017. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
- ^ Hope, Christopher (24 January 2020). "John Bercow starts first paid job since quitting Parliament as Professor of Politics at Royal Holloway University". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ "John Bercow made Professor of politics at Royal Holloway, University of London". London Evening Standard. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ Siddique, Haroon (16 January 2022). "'Kangaroo court' has found me guilty of bullying, says John Bercow". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ Diver, Tony (8 March 2022). "John Bercow branded 'serial bully' by independent watchdog". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 March 2022.