Speaker John Bercow tells party leaders: control your rowdy MPs

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/feb/02/speaker-john-bercow-control-mps

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John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, has criticised David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband for allowing their MPs to barrack at the "decibel level" of heavy metal band Deep Purple.

He complained that he was only able to "mitigate the worst excesses" of behaviour during rowdy prime minister's questions sessions. Bercow said that only the party leaders could put an end to what he likened to vandalism of Britain's image abroad and among the public.

Speaking at an event in London last week, the Speaker, who has proved to be a controversial figure during his three years in the role, said: "It's a bad thing when the decibel level exceeds anything that Deep Purple – the loudest band of the 1970s – would have dreamed of in their heyday. To spray-paint our shop window is a mistake. I believe what would really change things is if the party leaders said to their members, 'Stop it'."

Bercow's call for change came shortly before one of his most combative performances in the chamber on Wednesday. In an unusual move he interrupted Cameron and Miliband's sparring to name and shame the Conservative MP for Northampton, Michael Ellis, for his behaviour.

Bercow told Ellis that he considered him to be a "distinguished practising barrister", but said he "wouldn't behave like that in the court. Don't behave like that in this chamber." The Speaker, who is a Tory MP, added: "Calm yourself and be quiet. Learn it, man."

Bercow has previously called for prime minister's questions to be reviewed to introduce more scrutiny and "less abuse". He has described the weekly half-hour sessions as a "litany of attacks, soundbites and planted questions".

However, his comments – at an event for Sheffield University alumni in London's Pall Mall – marked the first time that he has directly criticised the party leaders for the behaviour of MPs. Bercow told the event: "A bit of cheering for your own side, yes – we are not a group of Trappist monks. Occasional displays of anger or passion are fine, but orchestrated barracking should stop and they [the party leaders] should ask their chief whips to ensure that it does.

"If the prime minister, the leader of the opposition and the leader of the Liberal Democrats said that to their MPs, behaviour would change tomorrow.

"So I leave you to wonder whether they will – why haven't they done so?"

Bercow, who is not a popular figure in his party, in part due to rumours that he once considered defecting to Labour, has been on the end of a stream of criticisms since he became Speaker in June 2009. He was not his party's choice for the position and his election to Speaker was seen by some as an act of malice by the Labour party in its last days in government. His relationship has not always been good with the prime minister, who has publicly mocked him about his size.

However, Bercow has described his critics as the "hard right" who are jealous of his distinguished role.

Bercow's wife, Sally, has also faced criticism for her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother and prominence on the social media site Twitter. She is currently facing a lawsuit brought by the Tory peer Lord McAlpine for falsely linking him to child sex rumours on Twitter.

Bercow has admitted to being "exasperated" by his wife's critics, describing them last summer as "no hopers".

Last week Bercow also criticised the party leaders for playing party politics with MPs' wages rather than allowing their pay to rise by some automatic mechanism.

He said: "I think that there is some historical resentment that party leaders who either had a higher salary by virtue of their office or who have had access to their sources of finance have been very quick to tell ordinary MPs what they should and shouldn't be paid.

"When you've got other means from whatever source, it's quite easy to do that and I don't think it's terribly clever or brave."

BERCOW'S REBUFFS

"I say to the children's minister: try to calm down and behave like an adult and, if you can't, leave the chamber. Get out, and we'll manage without you."

"We are very grateful" – to a long answer from the prime minister, adding: "Prime minister's questions is principally for backbenchers."

At the Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations at Westminster Hall he described her as "the kaleidoscope Queen of a kaleidoscope country in a kaleidoscope commonwealth".

To health minister Anna Soubry, as she heckled Labour: "I know that the junior minister in the back row thinks that her views are relevant. I'm not interested."

After being described as a "sanctimonious dwarf" by a minister: "I have always been short – and I am entirely untroubled by the fact, which is probably as well."

To Michael Gove: "I am really very worried by the conduct of the education secretary. In the average classroom he would have been excluded by now. He must calm himself."