WATCH: Former John Bercow aide accuses Speaker of bullying him
3 min read
A former top aide to John Bercow has accused the House of Commons Speaker of bullying him.
Angus Sinclair, Mr Bercow's former private secretary, told BBC Newsnight that he was paid £86,250 in 2010 in a deal that required him to sign a non-disclosure agreement about his experiences.
Mr Sinclair claimed he was subjected to a string of angry outbursts, swearing and mimicry from Mr Bercow, who has "strenuously" denied the allegations.
The Speaker is alleged to have smashed a mobile phone on the aide's desk, with Mr Sinclair telling the programme: "There was one afternoon I was working at my desk and he came in and was absolutely furious about something... he asked for some information from another part of the House. It had been very slow coming and I'd prodded for an early resolution and he knew that but he held me responsible...
He added: "There was a tirade of how I'd let him down and it was the worst thing... There was a lot of bad language and suddenly his mobile phone which he'd been holding was flung on the desk in front of me and broke into a lot of bits."
A spokesman for Mr Bercow's office said: "Mr Speaker strenuously denies that there is any substance to any of these allegations. Mr Speaker has a superb team of dedicated, effective and long-serving staff - five of whom have worked for him very happily for a combined total of over 40 years."
The Speaker was previously alleged to have shouted at and undermined Mr Sinclair's successor as private secretary, Kate Emms, eventually leading to her being signed off sick. His office again denied the accusations.
It emerged last month that Mr Bercow and other MPs accused of workplace bullying will not face investigation over the allegations.
An independent inquiry into the bullying and harassment of House of Commons staff will not consider historical claims or re-open past cases as part of its work.
Instead, it will consider what options are available for resolving current or historical allegations and the support available to those affected.
Union leaders said the inquiry "will potentially result in a clean slate for the perpetrators of bullying and harassment, rather than the promised closure for staff".
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