John Bercow speaks at the Houses of Parliament on February 5th, 2015. (Getty)
John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom, has said he will oppose President Donald Trump’s address to Parliament.
In a speech on Monday, Bercow denounced President Trump, especially as a reaction to the U.S. president’s recent travel ban. Bercow said in an address, “After the imposition of the migrant ban by President Trump I am even more strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall.”
Here’s what you need to know about John Bercow and his comments today.
1. He Has Been the Speaker of the House of Commons Since June 2009
John Bercow speaks at a tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting on June 13th, 2016 in London, England. (Getty)
John Bercow is the current speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom, and he has held this position since 2009. The House of Commons is the U.K.’s lower house, and the speaker resides over debates. Unlike the United States’ speaker of the House of Representatives, the speaker of the House of Commons is a nonpartisan position. The speaker also doesn’t cast a vote himself, whereas in the United States, the House speaker is also an active U.S. representative who votes just like every other member of the House.
Michael Martin, the speaker before John Bercow, resigned in disgrace after a scandal involving claims of expenses. Bercow was embroiled in that as well. In 2009, British media reported on the widespread misuse of expenses claims by Members of Parliament; four MPs were charged with false accounting and were sent to jail, while others were suspended from their positions. During this scandal, The Telegraph reported that Bercow, who had sold two homes in the same year, had avoided paying capital gains tax by designating both properties as his main home. He denied any wrongdoing but agreed to pay £6,508 to cover any taxes he may have avoided. These expenses issues continued to be raised over the years, though, and in 2015, The Telegraph reported on Bercow claiming £172 for a chauffeur-driven ride to an event that was 0.7 miles away.
With Michael Martin gone, a speaker election was held in 2009. Members of Parliament vote on the new speaker among themselves. Before becoming speaker, Bercow was a member of the Conservative party, although he earned a substantial number of votes from members of the Labour party during the speaker election.
2. He Has Frequently Clashed With Members of His Own Party
John Bercow on day five of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 27, 2014. (Getty)
Bercow has been a member of Parliament since 1997. He run successfully in the 1987 and 1992 elections before finally being elected in 1997. He was then re-elected in 2005 and re-elected again in 2010.
Although a member of the Conservative party, Bercow frequently clashed with fellow Conservatives, including Ian Duncan Smith and Michael Howard, who served as Conservative leader one after the other. In 2004, Bercow was fired from a front bench position by Michael Howard when he said of Howard that there was “something of the night about him,” according to The Guardian.
In 2007, there were rumors that Bercow would actually be abandoning the Conservative party entirely and joining the Labour party. He did not end up doing so, though he did accept an advisory role with the Labour government.
3. Nigel Farage Has Said He Is ‘Everything Wrong With British Politics Today’
Nigel Farage speaks at a Donald Trump rally in Jackson, Mississippi. (Getty)
During the 2010 general election in the United Kingdom, John Bercow was challenged by Nigel Farage, the UK Independence Party leader who played a major role in the Brexit vote and who has supported Donald Trump.
Upon announcing his bid for Bercow’s position, Farage said, “This man represents all that is wrong with British politics today. He was embroiled in the expenses saga and he presides over a Parliament that virtually does nothing.”
He also said that Bercow is not truly a Conservative and therefore “the people of Buckingham cannot vote for a Conservative even if they want to.”
Farage appeared at a Donald Trump rally during the 2016 presidential election and visited the president-elect at Trump Tower shortly on November 12th. Farage says they formed a friendship, and they bonded over both pulling off something that all of the pundits thought was impossible.
“We were both roaring with laughter,” Farage told The New Yorker. “We were two people who had been through quite an ordeal. But suddenly, you know, we’d won.”
4. He Is Married & Has Three Children
John Bercow and his wife Sally Bercow arrive at St Georges Cathedral for a memorial service for former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy on November 3, 2015. (Getty)
John Bercow’s wife is Sally Bercow. Unlike her husband, Sally is a member of the Labour Party; she unsuccessfully stood as a Labour candidate in the 2010 election.
Sally has frequently involved herself in U.K. politics, such as when in 2009 she criticized David Cameron by calling him a “merchant of spin.” This caused many to object to what they saw as Sally politicizing her husband’s apolitical role, according to The Guardian.
Sally Bercow was a contestant on the eighth series of the British reality show Celebrity Big Brother; she also appeared on the shows The Chase and Big Star’s Little Star.
John and Sally have three children: Jemima, Freddie and Oliver.
5. He Says Trump Is Not Welcome to Address Parliament Due to His Racist & Sexist Comments
While speaking in the House of Commons today, John Bercow said that President Donald Trump is not welcome to address Parliament when he visits the United Kingdom, saying that this is an “earned honor.”
“Before the imposition of the migrant ban I would myself have been strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall,” Bercow said. “After the imposition of the migrant ban by President Trump I am even more strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall.”
Bercow went on to say that “I feel very strongly that our opposition to racism and to sexism and our support for equality before the law and an independent judiciary are hugely important considerations in the House of Commons.”