John Bercow: I don’t regret blocking Donald Trump from speaking in Parliament John Bercow does not regret his intervention in the debate over Donald Trump’s state visit, he has revealed in a […]

John Bercow does not regret his intervention in the debate over Donald Trump’s state visit, he has revealed in a candid talk.

At a talk at the Kings Place Politics Festival on Friday evening, Mr Bercow reiterated there was “not a right” for a US president to address Parliament. He also laid bare details of his fractious relationship with former Prime Minister David Cameron.

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In February the Commons speaker said he would be “strongly opposed” to Mr Trump addressing MPs in Westminster Hall. He said “opposition to racism and sexism” were “hugely important considerations” for a speaker to take into account.

Not taking sides

In a discussion chaired by political journalist Steve Richards, Mr Bercow was asked whether it was appropriate for a speaker to intervene over such an issue. He said: “The simple fact is that I wasn’t taking sides… it wasn’t party political in any way, shape or form.”

But he said parliamentary rules required such a speech to be approved by the speaker, the Lord Speaker and the Lord Great Chamberlain – giving him the power to veto an appearance. “Where a power is given, you cannot be impartial between agreeing to something and disagreeing to something,” he said.

“It is not a bauble to be handed out by the government of the day. Nor is it a right. Nor is it an issue of free speech.”

Losing no sleep

Mr Bercow was elected speaker following the expenses scandal in 2009. He is thought to have been supported largely by Labour MPs – despite his past as a right-wing Tory. He confessed he was “well aware” that Mr Cameron was “not a fan of mine”.

And he said there was “quite a lot of briefing against me” by Mr Cameron’s team. “I can only say I never lost a wink of sleep over that,” he added.

The speaker also spoke of an attempt to topple him from the chair in 2015. Then-Conservative chief whip Michael Gove and then-Commons leader William Hague were behind the attempted putsch. He described Mr Gove as a “fantastically able and hugely cerebral figure [who] used power to make a difference”.

But he added: “He was, it is fair to say, unfortunately ill-equipped to be chief whip. He got locked in a loo once, during a vote.” He said Mr Hague’s role was “sad because William embarrassed himself in the way he behaved”.

He had more praise for Theresa May, who he said he had a good working relationship with. And of Jeremy Corbyn, he said: “Corbyn’s approach to debate is principally focused on the issues… I think people prefer a focus on the issues.”

Mr Bercow also predicted the lifetime of the current parliament was likely to be “longer rather than shorter”. He said it could last the full five years, but “I wouldn’t bet my house on it”. He also said it was “impossible to defend” the size of the House of Lords and its appointed nature.