Commons Speaker John Bercow has been accused of 'straying' from the rule of law in a withering attack by one of his deputies. Dame Eleanor Laing suggested Mr Bercow had been 'aggressive and arrogant' as she laid out her pitch to replace him in the chair next month. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the Conservative MP said there was a 'perception that our tried and tested constitutional traditions are being manipulated in order to load the dice in one particular direction'. Mr Bercow, who voted to stay in the EU, has been widely accused of using his position to help Remainers during the heated Brexit debates of recent months. Dame Eleanor Laing (pictured) has accused John Bercow of 'straying' from the rule of law and hinted he had been 'aggressive and arrogant' in the Commons John Bercow, pictured in the Speaker's chair yesterday, has been widely accused of using his position to help Remainers during the heated Brexit debates of recent months'The Speaker needs to be an independent anchor of our proceedings, unaffected by an allegiance to any political objective or to any party or group within Parliament, upholding our rules and conventions and applying them consistently,' Dame Eleanor wrote. 'That principle, the rule of law, has bound this country together for centuries and is the fundamental basis of our constitution.'It seems as if we have strayed from these concepts in the recent past and too many decisions have been made behind closed doors.'In a series of controversial rulings, Mr Bercow has allowed Remainers to seize control of Commons business and hampered Government efforts to pass a Brexit deal. Earlier this year he described Boris Johnson's attempted suspension of Parliament as a 'constitutional outrage'. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next 'The EU want us to leave!' Michael Gove insists Britain will... The House of Fools: Britain could have begun to heal today... Share this article Share Facing possible removal if the Conservatives win a general election, Mr Bercow announced his resignation last month.Dame Eleanor is one of nine MPs running to replace him, including fellow deputies Sir Linsday Hoyle and Dame Rosie Winterton. In another barely veiled attack on Mr Bercow, Dame Eleanor said the Speaker needed to 'set an example of dignified, respectful behaviour' and said: 'Aggression and arrogance are deplorable.' Mr Bercow's critics have frequently taken aim at what they see as a pompous, grandstanding style of managing the Commons. In a bizarre rant at Michael Gove last month he even brought the Cabinet minister's children into a row. The Speaker was back in the spotlight yesterday as the Commons assembled on a Saturday for the first time since the Falklands War in 1982. Mr Bercow (pictured in London last week) announced his resignation last month - pre-empting a possible plot against him if the Conservatives win a general election After Mr Johnson lost the crunch vote, the Speaker hinted he could block a Governme
0 Comments