House of Commons speaker surprises U.K. Parliament by stepping down
Parliament might soon get a bit more dis-orderly.
The United Kingdom's House of Commons Speaker John Bercow announced Monday he will step down from his post by Oct. 31, the current Brexit deadline, if no general election is called before then. In the unlikely scenario that there election before Oct. 31, Bercow will step down then. The "emotional" decision took members by surprise, Bloomberg reports.
Bercow said his 10 years serving as speaker was the "greatest honor and privilege." A former Conservative who gave Brexit opponents an opportunity to try to prevent a no-deal departure, Bercow reportedly received a standing ovation from the Labour benches after making the announcement, though most Conservatives remained seated.
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While he received a number of tributes following the announcement, Bercow's timing did garner some criticism. "Whatever people's view of him, we are in a very unstable situation and in desperate need of stability at the moment," former cabinet minister Rory Stewart said. "With an unwritten constitution the whole thing is so dependent on personality at the moment." Bloomberg reports the speaker's departure could be a blow for MPs working to stop a no-deal Brexit, as he was the authority who made time for them to take action.
One thing is for certain, though — Parliament will be less entertaining without Bercow's theatrics, particularly his penchant for yelling "order" when dueling MPs became too rowdy.
