Ex-Labour MP Frank Field in line for peerage after John Bercow blocked from taking Lords seat
Ex-Speaker John Bercow has been blocked from taking a peerage
2 min read
Former Labour MP Frank Field is reportedly in line for a peerage after John Bercow was blocked from taking a seat in the House of Lords.
The ex-Commons Speaker was put forward by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, but is currently under investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards amid allegations he bullied staff.
Instead Mr Field, who served as MP for Birkenhead for 30 years and won praise for championing the rights of people in poverty, is on a new list of names for the Upper House, sources told the Telegraph.
He will reportedly sit as a crossbench peer, with no politcal affiliation.
Mr Bercow told the BBC’s Any Questions he was “sorry” not to receive a peerage.
"I did my best - I had some successes, I had some failures. I endured controversies. I made friends, I incurred enemies as well," he added.
The former Buckingham MP said although there was "a long-standing convention" of giving peerages to former Speakers, the matter was "best decided by other people".
"I am not going to sit awake at night worrying about it,” he told the programme.
"There are people who have got grievances and agendas of their own who think I just don't fit."
Mr Bercow would not comment on the ongoing investigation into his conduct.
“In due course people will know what the truth is,” he said.
Other nominations by Mr Corbyn have also run into trouble. Karie Murphy, who served as the former leader’s chief of staff and ex-Labour deputy leader Tom Watson have also been denied Lords seats.
The Lords Appointments Commission, which reportedly blocked the appointments, said it did not comment on individual cases, but that its guidelines state that a peer must be "in good standing in general and with the public regulatory authorities in particular".
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