John Bercow to step down as Speaker by 31 October

John Bercow has said he will step down as the Speaker of the House of Commons after a decade in the job in which he has handed more power to backbench MPs, including moves that allowed parliament to block a no-deal Brexit.

Bercow said he would leave his role by 31 October at the latest, but he could stand down sooner if MPs vote for an early election.

He told parliament he had promised his family to leave the job after 10 years of living in the Palace of Westminster.

The Speaker is the chief officer and the highest authority in the House of Commons. They chair parliamentary debate to call MPs to speak, to keep order, and to instruct when votes should be taken.

The Speaker is expected to remain politically neutral on all issues, and to continue this even in retirement. On appointment as Speaker, they resign from their political party. They continue to stand for election as an MP, but by tradition they are unopposed in their constituency by the major parties.

The Speaker has the power to compel MPs to withdraw remarks, to suspend individual MPs, or to suspend the whole sitting of the House of Commons in case of serious disruption.

The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected to the role by MPs on 22 June 2009. He has announced he intends to step down on 31 October.

Speakers are elected by MPs in a secret ballot. MPs are given a list of candidates and make their choice. If a candidate receives more than 50% of the votes, the question is put to the house that he or she takes the chair as Speaker. If no candidate reaches 50%, the candidate with the fewest votes and those with less than 5% of the vote are eliminated, and MPs vote again until one candidate succeeds.

“At the 2017 election, I promised my wife and children that it would be my last,” he said. “This is a pledge that I intend to keep. If the house votes tonight for an early general election, my tenure as Speaker and MP will end when this parliament ends.

“If the house does not so vote, I have concluded that the least disruptive and most democratic course of action would be for me to stand down at the close of business on Thursday, 31 October.”

Opposition parties are not planning to vote for an election before a no-deal Brexit this autumn has been avoided, so the likely date for Bercow’s departure is the end of October.

His announcement will kick off a battle to replace him, with candidates expected to including former Labour ministers Chris Bryant, Harriet Harman, Meg Hillier and Rosie Winterton. Other candidates include the deputy speakers Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Eleanor Laing, while some Brexiters want the Conservative Sir Henry Bellingham to put himself forward.

The timing of Bercow’s departure probably before a general election is likely to boost the chances of pro-remain MPs, as the current parliament is against a no deal Brexit.