Former Bucks MP John Bercow was a 'serial bully' and 'serial liar' inquiry finds

The former MP for Buckingham and Speaker of the House, John Bercow, has been found guilty of bullying House of Commons staff by the Parliamentary standards watchdog.

A report by the Independent Experts Panel further states that Mr Bercow has been a “serial bully” and “serial liar” and recommends he ‘should never be permitted a pass to the Parliamentary estate.’

Mr Bercow, who served as MP for Buckingham from 1997 to 2019, said in a statement released on Tuesday: “To describe what I have experienced as a kangaroo court is grossly insulting to kangaroos,” adding that the accusations against him are, “based on the flimsiest of evidence, rooted in hearsay and baseless rumour.”

The findings follow complaints made to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards in January 2020 by John Bercow’s former senior adviser and Clerk of the House, Lord Lisvane, and two of Mr Bercow’s former private secretaries – Angus Sinclair and Kate Emms.

The complaints included 21 allegations between 2009 and 2014, all of which were upheld.

In May 2018, Mr Sinclair appeared on Newsnight accusing Mr Bercow of angry outbursts that included mimicry and smashing a mobile phone in his office.

Kate Emms, who succeeded Mr Sinclair as Mr Bercow’s private secretary but only stayed in the job for ten months, was ultimately diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Ms Emms also accused Mr Bercow of multiple angry outbursts and mimicry.

John Bercow served as Speaker of the House for between 2009 and 2019, making him the longest serving post-war Speaker.

He also holds the dubious honour of being the only Speaker in the last 200 years not to be offered a peerage upon standing down due to the bullying accusations.

John Bercow’s full statement following the findings of the Independent Expert Panel reads:

"Parliament is supposed to be the highest court in the land. This inquiry, which lasted a ghastly 22 months at great cost to the taxpayer, has failed it dismally.

"At the end of it, the panel has simply said that I should be denied a parliamentary pass which I have never applied for and do not want. That is the absurdity of its position.

"Don't fall for the establishment spin that I have been banned for life. I can still attend debates with the help of a friendly passholder or go as a member of the public.

"All I can say is that the case against me would have been thrown out by any court in the land since it is based on the flimsiest of evidence, rooted in hearsay and baseless rumour, and advanced by old school dogmatists once intent on resisting change at all costs and now settling some ancient scores with me. Add to that a dash of personal spite and you have some idea of the vengeful vendetta mounted against me.

"It is a travesty of justice and brings shame on the House of Commons.

"This has been a protracted, amateurish and unjust process which would not have survived five minutes' scrutiny in court. To describe what I have experienced as a kangaroo court is grossly insulting to kangaroos.

“None of the investigators is a lawyer and the commissioner overseeing them has no expertise whatsoever in the consideration of alleged bullying.

"Throughout, gossip from absent friends of the complainants has been treated as the absolute truth whilst eyewitnesses who challenged the allegations were described as 'not helpful' and discounted.

“The commissioner even presumed to make findings on matters about which I was never questioned."