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The House of Commons’ iconic Speaker John Bercow has announced he will step down on October 31 or will quit sooner if an early election is held.
Bercow’s statement, delivered on Monday, was met with cheers from Labour Party MPs and rebel Tories.
Over the past several weeks, Bercow has been accused of bending parliamentary rules, giving MPs opposed to a no-deal Brexit the chance to pass legislation blocking such an event.
Conservatives were furious, with Business Secretary Angela Leadsom calling Bercow’s move a “flagrant abuse” of the parliamentary process.
Though Bercow said that he had planned to step down for family reasons, his departure comes amid a wave of defections from the Conservative Party.
MP Mark Prisk said minutes earlier that he would not stand in another general election, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s brother Jo resigned from the government last Tuesday.
Prior to his announcement, Leadsom stated on Sunday that the Tories would field a candidate to oust Bercow if a general election is called, accusing the speaker of siding with the opposition over Brexit.
Though the speaker usually runs unopposed in an election, Leadsom said in the Mail on Sunday that Bercow had “failed” in his role as “a politically impartial, independent umpire of proceedings.”
