Report brands ex-U.K. Commons Speaker Bercow a 'serial bully'
CTV
Former U.K. House of Commons Speaker John Bercow is a 'serial bully' who should never again be granted an access pass to Parliament, a standards panel concluded Tuesday.
The independent expert panel upheld earlier findings by Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone that Bercow had bullied members of his staff. It said he should never be granted a parliamentary pass, which gives access to the building for lawmakers, staff and journalists, and that if he was still a member of Parliament he would have been expelled.
Bercow became an international celebrity during Britain's bruising political wrangles over Brexit as he oversaw fractious debates with bellowing cries of "Or-derrrr!"
His activist interpretation of the Speaker's role and moves to allow lawmakers to challenge the government's decisions made him a hero to opponents of leaving the European Union, a villain to Brexit advocates and a thorn in the side of the Conservative government.
He also angered some on the political right by saying in 2017 that U.S. President Donald Trump shouldn't be allowed to address Parliament, an honor given to some of his predecessors.
