LONDON (AFP) – Former British parliament speaker John Bercow has turned his back on the Tories and joined the opposition Labor Party. In an interview with the “Observer” he criticized the conservatives, led by Prime Minister and party leader Boris Johnson, as “reactionary, populist, nationalist and sometimes xenophobic”. Johnson’s government must be overturned and only the Labor Party will be able to achieve that goal, Burko said.
The longtime Speaker of the House of Commons described Johnson as a “successful campaigner but a miserable head of government”. The prime minister has no vision for a “fair society”. “More and more people are getting tired of hearing lies and empty slogans,” Berko said.
With his distinctive style, Burko was at the center of highly emotional parliamentary debate around Brexit for more than three years. His famous “Order” slogan, with which he urged MPs to remain calm, echoed through the London House of Commons more than 14,000 times.
Supporters of Britain’s exit from the European Union accused Bercow of deliberately delaying ratification of the exit agreement. A 2018 report also accused him of leading a parliamentary culture in which “bullying, harassment and sexual harassment” flourished. Berko denied the allegations.
Last August, Johnson denied him a seat in the House of Lords. The 58-year-old is the first “speaker” in more than two centuries not to be given the honor.
Image: © UK Parliament / AFP / Archives Jessica Taylor / John Burko in the House of Commons
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