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The Washington Post

John Bercow, the sharp-tongued speaker of the British House of Commons famed for yelling “Order! ORDER!,” announced his resignation on Monday after a decade in the role.
Bercow said he would step down at the end of October if a push by Prime Minister Boris Johnson for an early election failed Monday evening, as is widely expected.
It was the latest bombshell Brexit news and could have implications for Britain’s departure from the European Union.
Traditionally, the speaker of the House of Commons is not a household name. But Bercow is not a low wattage character.
His colourful ties and even more colourful oratory helped him become a made-for-YouTube star, delighting fans around the world with his rhetorical flourishes.
His memorable put-downs – telling lawmakers to “take up yoga” or go on “therapeutic training” courses – have gone viral. His best moments have inspired memes and mash-ups.

I'm now so obsessed with Bercow saying "Mr Peter Bone" that I've spent a period of time setting it to the opening of Beethoven's 5th. Brexit is literally driving me mad. pic.twitter.com/P5w31OWkWi
— Rhodri Marsden (@rhodri) March 28, 2019

He has also played a central role in the clash between the executive and the legislature at a pivotal time in Britain’s history – and the candidates running to replace him will have to indicate whether they intend to emulate or avoid his model.
Bercow’s supporters say he is one of the most reforming speakers in modern times, and that his efforts have given backbench lawmakers a bigger voice.
His critics accuse him of bullying and of bending conventions in a way that favours the pro-EU side, both of which he denies.

“Throughout my time as speaker I have sought to increase the relative authority of this legislature for which I will make absolutely no apology to anyone, anywhere, at anytime,” Bercow said Monday in an emotional address, with his wife Sally looking on from the gallery.
UK Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg slammed for slouching during Brexit debate
He had, he said, “sought to be the backbenchers backstop”.
That was the case on Monday, as he permitted lawmakers to control the legislative agenda and seek to hold Johnson and his ministers to account.
“Don’t tell me young man from a sedentary position what I can and cannot say,” he bellowed at one point.
“Quite frankly, young man, you can like it or lump it.”
Johnson was set to suspend parliament on Monday night for five weeks, a decision that Bercow previously called a “constitutional outrage”.

In an interview with The Washington Post in May, Bercow denied rumours that he would soon leave his post.
“I think it would be rather curious to desert my post at a time like this,” he said.
But on Monday, he told the Commons that “at the 2017 election, I promised my wife and children that it would be my last. This is a pledge that I intend to keep”.
Conservatives had, in recent days, threatened to challenge him in the next election – a breach of protocol, which dictates the speaker’s seat is not contested.
The fact that Bercow is a divisive figure was on stark display on Monday, as many opposition lawmakers got up to applaud him for his service, while some of the hard core Brexiteers stayed in their seats.
UK Speaker cites ‘racism and sexism’ as he seeks to ban Trump from addressing parliament
Tributes lasted for more than an hour.
Michael Gove, a senior member of the government, said that, “from time to time, those of us on this side of the House may have bridled or chastened at some of the judgments that you have made,” but he added that he was “never in any doubt” that Bercow had operated on the basis that the executive was accountable to the parliament.

“Your love of democracy is transparent in everything that you say and do,” he said.
Gove also thanked Bercow for his “energetic efforts” at discipline, which he said was appreciated “even by those of us who may not always be the best behaved in class”.
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, said Bercow had been a “superb” speaker who had totally changed the way in which the job has been done.
Before the Brexit clashes came to dominate his tenure, Bercow caused a stir by saying he would not allow US President Donald Trump to address parliament during a planned visit.
Critics pointed out he had afforded Chinese President Xi Jinping the honour.
Chinese President Xi Jinping tells British parliament countries can become a ‘community of shared interests’
He also raised eyebrows in 2012 with a curious speech in front of Queen Elizabeth, labelling her as a “kaleidoscope queen”.
But his supporters say Bercow has sought to modernise parliament, abandoning the speaker’s traditional robes for a simple gown over a suit, and seeking to make it easier for female MPs with new babies.
Critics say he is pompous, and overly fond of the sound of his own voice.
One Conservative MP famously described him as a “stupid, sanctimonious dwarf”.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


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Britain

Who is John Bercow and why does his resignation as UK Commons speaker matter?

Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow. Photo: AFP

A handout photograph released by the UK Parliament shows Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow is applauded after giving a personal statement in the House of Commons in London on September 9, 2019 to announce that he will stand down as the Speaker of the House of Commons on October 31 at the latest. - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced another parliamentary defeat on September 9 in a vote on holding early elections as Brexit turmoil deepened with the House of Commons speaker promising to resign within weeks. (Photo by JESSICA TAYLOR / UK PARLIAMENT / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - NO USE FOR ENTERTAINMENT, SATIRICAL, ADVERTISING PURPOSES - MANDATORY CREDIT " AFP PHOTO / JESSICA TAYLOR / UK Parliament"

(FILES) In this file handout photograph taken on July 25, 2019, and released by the UK Parliament, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (C) is seen speaking to speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow (R), in the Houses of Parliament in central London. - Parliamentary speaker John Bercow said August 28, that the move by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to suspend the House of Commons from mid-September until October 14 was a "constitutional outrage". "It is blindingly obvious" that the move is designed "to stop parliament debating Brexit and performing its duty in shaping a course for the country", he said, with Britain due to leave the EU on October 31. (Photo by JESSICA TAYLOR / UK PARLIAMENT / AFP) / EDITORS NOTE THE IMAGE HAS BEEN DIGITALLY ALTERED AT SOURCE TO OBSCURE VISIBLE DOCUMENTS - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - NO USE FOR ENTERTAINMENT, SATIRICAL, ADVERTISING PURPOSES - MANDATORY CREDIT " AFP PHOTO /JESSICA TAYLOR/ UK Parliament"

epa07830297 (FILE) - A file photograph showing Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow (C) arriving at the west door of Canterbury Cathedral, in the county of Kent, south east England for the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby's inauguration service, 21 March 2013 (reissued 09 September 2019). Reports on 09 September 3019 state John Bercow will step down from his post on 31 October 2019 as speaker of the parliament, unless general elections in UK are held before that date. EPA-EFE/ANDY RAIN *** Local Caption *** 51940858

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow, champion of Britain’s parliament in its move to rein in Prime Minister Boris Johnson over Brexit, said on Monday he would stand down. Photo: Xinhua

Brexit countdown: parliament suspended after UK PM Boris Johnson’s election bid fails again

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s dreams of an election that would clear his path to Brexit by the end of October were decisively dashed. Photo: Reuters

Anti-Brexit protesters with signs and EU flags lit up with fairy lights demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London on September 9, 2019 as MPs debate. - British MPs voted Monday to demand Prime Minister Boris Johnson release confidential documents relating to Britain's EU exit, during a final day of defiance before he suspends their session until just weeks before Brexit. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)

In this handout photo released by the House of Commons, speaker of the House John Bercow gestures after announcing he will be standing down, in the House of Commons in London, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. A colorful era in British parliamentary history is coming to a close with Speaker of the House John Bercow's abrupt announcement Monday that he will leave his influential post by the end of October. (Jessica Taylor/House of Commons via AP)

UK Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg slammed for slouching during Brexit debate

Picture of ultra-Conservative lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg slouching on a seat in the House of Commons goes viral.

A video grab from footage broadcast by the UK Parliament's Parliamentary Recording Unit (PRU) shows Britain's Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg relaxing during the Standing Order 24 emergency debate on a no-deal Brexit in the House of Commons in London on September 3, 2019. - Prime Minister Boris Johnson was braced for a showdown with parliament on Tuesday over his Brexit plan that could spark a snap election and derail Britain's exit from the European Union next month. (Photo by - / PRU / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT " AFP PHOTO / PRU " - NO USE FOR ENTERTAINMENT, SATIRICAL, MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - EDITORS NOTE THE IMAGE HAS BEEN DIGITALLY ALTERED AT SOURCE TO OBSCURE VISIBLE DOCUMENTS

Britain's Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg reclines on his seat. Photo: DPA

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John Bercow has served as speaker of parliament’s lower chamber for 10 years, recently overseeing heated debates on Brexit



It was the latest bombshell Brexit news and could have implications for Britain’s departure from the European Union.


Brexit

Boris Johnson