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Bloomberg

In the long history of British politics, the role of the Speaker in parliament has at times been perilous: between 1394 and 1535 seven holders of the office were executed by beheading.
There are some in Theresa May’s government who joke that such a fate is too generous for the incumbent, John Bercow, who effectively banned the prime minister from putting her Brexit deal to another vote in the House of Commons.
Bercow, 56, is the most controversial Speaker of the House of Commons in recent memory – and he’s a crucial figure influencing the UK’s divorce from the European Union.
He voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum and has a reputation for giving rank-and-file members of parliament time and influence during key debates.
Brexit has thrown up all kinds of obscure questions of Parliamentary procedure on which the Speaker must make the final ruling.


Since May lost her Commons majority in 2017, and now runs a weak minority government, ordinary members of parliament and the Speaker have considerable power to shape policies.
Most dramatically, on Monday Bercow derailed May’s plan to put her unpopular agreement for the UK’s split from the EU back to members of parliament for a third vote.
They have rejected it overwhelmingly twice already.
Comedy of errors: meet the cast of Britain’s Brexit tragedy
Bercow invoked a rule dating back to 1604 under which the House of Commons should not be asked to make a decision on the same question twice.
If May’s deal is no different from the one parliament threw out last week by a huge 149-vote majority, she can’t put it to another vote, he said.

Robert Buckland, the government’s solicitor general, said the ruling could have “huge reverberations” for the Brexit process.
“We are in a major constitutional crisis here,” he told the BBC.
He suggested one way around the ruling would be to end the parliamentary session, start a new session, and then hold a vote on May’s Brexit deal.
Brexit: EU ‘war-gaming’ collapse of UK PM Theresa May’s government after two crushing defeats
The likely outcome now though is that May will now have to ask for a long delay to Brexit, lasting perhaps more than a year, when she meets fellow EU leaders in Brussels at a summit on Thursday.
May’s team privately accuse Bercow of trying to force Britain into a lengthy extension to the negotiating period in order to allow parliament to take over and impose a softer form of Brexit.

They say he has a history of trying to frustrate the UK’s departure from the EU.
While Bercow is technically a member of May’s Conservative Party, he is required to be politically impartial at all times, giving fair time to opposition politicians.
He is not permitted to vote except in extremely rare cases.
His relations with May’s office have long been strained amid accusations that he’s biased against the party he once championed. But Brexit has brought them to a new low.




The Speaker has a pivotal role in parliament, shaping debates, ordering politicians to stop speaking, and keeping proceedings in what can be a rowdy and unruly Commons chamber running smoothly. He has the power to select amendments, and rule on which motions are in order for the House to consider.
Amendments have been one of the key tools that members of parliament have used as they try to shape the divorce.
Brexit: Dutch PM compares Britain’s PM Theresa May to Monty Python’s limbless knight
Politicians who are trying to soften Brexit see Bercow as an ally.
But critics say he is pompous, and overfond of the sound of his own voice.
One Conservative MP famously described him as a “stupid, sanctimonious dwarf”.
The opposition Labour member of parliament Hilary Benn urged him last year to take care when crossing roads.
Additional reporting by The Washington Post and Agence France-Presse


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Brexit

Meet John Bercow, UK Commons Speaker who wrecked Theresa May’s Brexit plans

Speaker of the House John Bercow speaks in Parliament following the vote on extending Brexit negotiating period in London, Britain, March 14, 2019. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May is seen at Downing Street, in London, Britain March 18, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Speaker of the House John Bercow is best known for presiding over debates, bellowing “Order! Order!” at unruly lawmakers and chastising ministers who displease him. Photo: Reuters

Comedy of errors: meet the cast of Britain’s Brexit tragedy

epa07080675 Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab leaves a Cabinet Meeting in 10 Downing Street, central London, Britain, 09 October 2018. EPA-EFE/WILL OLIVER

***PLEASE CLEAR THE COPYRIGHTS BEFORE REUSE*** Donald Trump meets with Nigel Farage in his office. Twitter

Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage, sits drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette as he speaks to members of the media outside a pub in Cliftonville, Margate, east of London, as he kicks off their "Say No To The EU" tour on September 7, 2015, during the party’s referendum campaign. AFP PHOTO / JUSTIN TALLIS (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

British conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg (C), chair of the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG), walks in the street outside the Houses of Parliament in London on March 12, 2019 with anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray (R) along side him. - Britain faces a moment of truth Tuesday when parliament votes on Prime Minister Theresa May's ill-loved Brexit plan -- a day after she said she secured last-minute changes to the deal from the EU. May huddled late Monday with EU leaders in Strasbourg in a bid to salvage the vision of Brexit she set out after coming to power nearly three years ago. The two sides then announced "legally binding changes" to the old agreement aimed at addressing Britain's needs and getting the deal through parliament. (Photo by Niklas HALLE'N / AFP)

epa07433595 A grab from a handout video made available by the UK Parliamentary Recording Unit shows British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn addressing the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Question Time in London, Britain, 13 March 2019. EPA-EFE/UK PARLIAMENTARY RECORDING UNIT / HANDOUT MANDATORY CREDIT: UK PARLIAMENTARY RECORDING UNIT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

(FILES) In this file photo taken on June 12, 2018 Brexit campaign donor and businessman Arron Banks arrives at Portcullis House to give evidence to Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee in London. - Arron BanksThe Tories have seen thousands of new members apply to join its ranks this summer, according to lawmakers and reports. But its newfound popularity has not been welcomed by all within the centre-right bastion of British politics, as internal divisions over Brexit leave some fearing the new recruits have ulterior motives. (Photo by Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP)

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron arrives on centre court to watch US player Sam Querrey play France's Gael Monfils in their men's singles third round match on the fifth day of the 2018 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 6, 2018. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

Former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson speaks in Parliament in London, Britain, March 12, 2019, in this screen grab taken from video. Reuters TV via REUTERS

(Left to right) Former prime minister David Cameron and former foreign secretary Boris Johnson. Photos: AFP

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Bercow stopped prime minister’s plans to hold another vote on a divorce deal already rejected by the parliament
The House of Commons Speaker is playing a pivotal role in the Brexit endgame



As Prime Minister Theresa May grapples with parliament to get her way on Brexit, one man stands at the centre of it all with the power to shape what happens next.


Meet John Bercow, UK Commons Speaker who wrecked Theresa May’s Brexit plans

Bercow stopped prime minister’s plans to hold another vote on a divorce deal already rejected by the parliament The House of Commons Speaker is playing a pivotal role in the Brexit endgame

Bercow stopped prime minister’s plans to hold another vote on a divorce deal already rejected by the parliament

The House of Commons Speaker is playing a pivotal role in the Brexit endgame