John Bercow
John Simon Bercow (surname pronounce BER-COE; born 19 January 1963) is a British politician who was the Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 2009 through 2019. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Buckingham.
John Bercow | |||||||||
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_(cropped).jpg) Bercow in 2018 | |||||||||
| Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom | |||||||||
| In office 22 June 2009 – 4 November 2019 | |||||||||
| Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||
| Deputy | |||||||||
| Preceded by | Michael Martin | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | Lindsay Hoyle | ||||||||
| Shadow Secretary of State for International Development | |||||||||
| In office 10 November 2003 – 8 September 2004 | |||||||||
| Leader | Michael Howard | ||||||||
| Preceded by | Caroline Spelman | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | Alan Duncan | ||||||||
| Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |||||||||
| In office 18 September 2001 – 23 July 2002 | |||||||||
| Leader | Iain Duncan Smith | ||||||||
| Preceded by | Oliver Letwin | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | Howard Flight | ||||||||
| Member of Parliament for Buckingham | |||||||||
| In office 1 May 1997 – 4 November 2019 | |||||||||
| Preceded by | George Walden | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | Greg Smith | ||||||||
| Chancellor of the University of Essex | |||||||||
| Assumed office 22 July 2017 | |||||||||
| Vice Chancellor | Anthony Forster | ||||||||
| Preceded by | Shami Chakrabarti | ||||||||
| Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire | |||||||||
| Assumed office 25 July 2014 | |||||||||
| Vice Chancellor | Bill Rammell | ||||||||
| Preceded by | The Baroness Howells of St Davids | ||||||||
| Member of Lambeth London Borough Council for St Leonard's ward | |||||||||
| In office 1986–1990 | |||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||
| Born | John Simon Bercow 19 January 1963 Edgware, Middlesex, England | ||||||||
| Political party | Labour (2021–present)[1] | ||||||||
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse(s) | Sally Illman (m. 2002) | ||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Essex (BA) | ||||||||
| Website | Official website | ||||||||
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Biography
John Bercow was active in the Conservative Party from a young age and was a Conservative councillor, for Lambeth, from 1986 to 1990. He stood as a candidate to become an MP at the 1987 and 1992 General Elections but was not successful. At the 1997 General Election, Bercow was elected the Conservative MP for Buckingham. He served in the shadow cabinets of Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard.[3] After the Speaker Michael Martin resigned on 22 June 2009, Bercow was elected as the Speaker.[4]
Bercow is the first Jewish Speaker.[5] He is the first Speaker not to wear traditional court robes while presiding over the House of Commons.[6] But, along with tradition, Bercow does now display his coat of arms at Speaker's House.[7]
On 9 September 2019, Bercow told the House of Commons that he would stand down on 31 October, or at the next general election, whichever occurs first.[8] He officially left the office on 4 November 2019.[9]
In 2021, Bercow became a member of the Labour Party, saying that Boris Johnson's leadership was making his old party "reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic".[10]
John Bercow Media
Bercow in Poland in 2010
Bercow presides over the House, 2012
MPs applaud Bercow as he sets the date for his retirement.
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Helm, Toby (19 June 2021). "John Bercow defects to Labour with withering attack on Johnson". The Observer. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/19/john-bercow-defects-to-labour-with-withering-attack-on-johnson. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ↑ "10/01/2010". Westminster Hour.
- ↑ Bercow Says He's Relieved to Quit U.K. Conservatives bloomberg.com, 26 June 2009
- ↑ "Election of the Speaker". News.parliament.uk. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 30 June 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
- ↑ "British lawmakers elect first Jewish speaker". JTA. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
- ↑ Webster, Philip (24 June 2009). "Farewell to tights as new Speaker John Bercow presides over Commons". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6565099.ece. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
- ↑ Speaker Bercow's coat of arms
- ↑ "Commons Speaker Bercow to stand down" (in en-GB). BBC News (BBC). 9 September 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49639828. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ↑ Manor of Northstead: John Bercow, Gov.uk, 4 November 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019
- ↑ "John Bercow defects to Labour with withering attack on Johnson". the Guardian. 2021-06-19. Retrieved 2021-06-20.