Commons bosses slam John Bercow over autobiography and call on alleged bullying victims to come forward
3 min read
House of Commons officials have slammed John Bercow for naming members of staff in his autobiography and called on those allegedly bullied by him to come forward.
The former Speaker's memoir, Unspeakable, which looks back on his decade in the chair, hit the shelves on Thursday morning.
Its publication has been overshadowed by an ongoing row about Mr Bercow’s conduct towards staff, with claims of abusive behaviour made by two senior Parliamentary figures.
In a highly-unusual move, the Commons issued a statement accusing him of trying to cash in on his time as Speaker.
A spokesperson said: “House of Commons staff work incredibly hard to enable the effective functioning of our democracy and have a right to expect that their privacy be respected.
“It is unacceptable to publicly name current or former staff without their prior knowledge or authority, especially for the purpose of financial gain or commercial success.
“A crucial element of the work of House of Commons staff is to provide confidential, impartial advice to MPs.
“Breaking this confidentiality undermines this important principle and also places staff in a position from which they are unable to respond.”
The statement also touches on the claims of bullying, which threaten to prevent Mr Bercow from being elevated to the House of Lords after Jeremy Corbyn nominated him for a peerage.
It adds that the Behaviour Code “makes clear the standards of behaviour expected of everyone in Parliament”.
"There is zero tolerance for abuse or harassment," the statement said. "We strongly encourage anyone who has experienced bullying or harassment in Parliament to submit a complaint via the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme. In addition, all current and former staff can access the Employee Assistance Programme for emotional support.”
It comes after Mr Bercow was alleged by his former top official Lord Lisvane to have said he would not rely on the word of a "f***ing clerk" who accused an MP of bullying and harassment.
The former Speaker strenuously denies all alegations of bullying.
Responding to the Common's statement, Mr Bercow's agent said: "Given that there is a small but highly vocal group of people consistently seeking to blacken his name, it would be odd if Mr Bercow did not comment on their unfounded allegations and the reasons behind them.
"He was advised by Speaker's Counsel not to do so in detail while he was in office. He is therefore doing so now."
"If the book had not addressed these issues, he would right have been accused of serious omission.
"Critics are entitled to air their views. What they are not entitled to do is make unfounded allegations and expect Mr Bercow to say nothing in return."
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
