MPs call on John Bercow to resign over bullying allegations

Conservative MPs are calling for the Speaker of the House of Commons to step down following allegations that he bullied members of his own staff.



A number of Conservative MPs told the Telegraph that Mr Bercow’s position could no longer be sustained.

James Duddridge, Conservative MP for Rochford and Southend East, told the newspaper that the Speaker’s position was ‘untenable’.

‘He should stick to his initial commitment to step down by the 22nd June’ he said.

The calls follow a Newsnight investigation, aired on Thursday, which alleged that the Buckinghamshire MP had bullied his former private secretary Kate Emms, leading to her being signed off with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Andrew Bridgen, a prominent Eurosceptic MP, joined calls for Mr Bercow to step down, saying the Speaker “clearly has questions to answer”.

Other Members of Parliament, speaking anonymously to Telegraph reporters, complained of Mr Bercow’s ‘volatile’ temperament and ‘slightly paranoid’ manner.

‘How he can say that he is surprised about accusations of outbursts and bullying when he is prepared to speak to senior MPs the way he does is beyond most of us. It’s there on camera every week.’