A Tory
backbench MP who tabled a motion of no confidence in the Commons Speaker has
said it is not possible for John Bercow to act impartially during Brexit
debates in the Commons.
James
Duddridge, a former Government whip and junior Foreign Office minister, tabled
the motion over Mr Bercow's controversial veto of a speech in parliament by
Donald Trump.
Mr Bercow
has again been in the headlines after video emerged in which he reportedly
revealed his voting stance on Brexit during a question and answer session with
students at Reading University on 3 February.
In the
footage, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, he reportedly said: "Personally, I
voted to Remain. I thought it was better to stay in the European Union than
not."
Speaking to
BBC Radio 5 live, Mr Duddridge said he was "amazed" at the level of
support for his motion.
He said:
"I think there will be a vote of no confidence and I think he will go.
"There's
absolutely no way Speaker Bercow can sit in the chair on European issues.
"When
you become Speaker you must be impartial. He's no longer impartial, he's no
longer able to continue to do the role, which is why I think the House will
vote him down in a vote of no confidence.
"In
reality he may see the lie of the land and go before he's pushed."
Leader of
the Commons David Lidington said on Sunday there would be a "strong"
reaction to Mr Bercow's latest remarks.
He told the
BBC's Andrew Marr show: "John has his very strong supporters as well as
his strong critics in the House of Commons, but we shall have to see how
members as a whole respond."
Parliament
requires that the Speaker, as the highest authority of the House of Commons,
remains politically impartial at all times.
Professor
Vernon Bogdanor, a constitutional historian at King's College London, said
Mr
Bercow's position would become untenable if he was seen as a divisive figure in
the Commons.
He told Sky
News: "Just as the Queen is a servant of the state and therefore cannot
speak out on any public issues because that would divide the state, so John
Bercow is a servant of the Commons and can't speak out in public on any
political issues because that would divide MPs."
A
spokeswoman for Mr Bercow said that how the Speaker cast his ballot in the
Brexit poll had no impact on his ability to deal fairly with all MPs.
She said:
"The record shows that he has rigorously facilitated the raising of
concerns of those on both sides of this argument, as he does on every other
issue.
"The
Speaker's impartiality is required on matters of debate before the House, and
he has been scrupulous in ensuring that both sides of the argument are always
heard."
Labour has
come out in support of Mr Bercow, with the party's deputy leader Tom Watson
telling the Andrew Marr show: "He is one of the great Speakers the House
of Commons has seen."
Mr Trump may
end up addressing a mass rally during his state visit later this year after he
was blocked from speaking to both houses of Parliament.
An event
could be staged in Birmingham, with proceeds raised from ticket sales going to
the Royal British Legion, according to reports.
By Wil
Longbottom, News Reporter
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