Police to examine misconduct allegation against John Bercow

Police are assessing an allegation that the Speaker of the House of Commons has committed “misconduct in a public office”, in the wake of numerous claims against him of bullying.

John Bercow, who has denied wrongdoing, has been accused by several former staff members of intimidating behaviour, including former Black Rod David Leakey and his former secretary Angus Sinclair.

A Metropolitan police spokesman said the force had “received an allegation of misconduct in public office alleged to have taken place at the Palace of Westminster. The allegation is currently being assessed.” The complaint, made by a member of the public, was first reported by MailOnline.

Bercow, who is facing increasing pressure from Conservative MPs to give a date by which he will step down, has also been reported to its standards watchdog over allegations that he described the cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom as a “stupid woman”.

The Conservative MP James Duddridge, a long-standing critic of Bercow, called for the standards commissioner to secure video and audio footage of the alleged incident in the Commons chamber last week before it was destroyed.

Bercow has denied the historic claims of bullying and the Commons standards committee announced last week that the watchdog would not be investigating them further.

Bercow, elected in 2009, originally pledged to serve nine years in the role. However, since he was re-elected uncontested after the 2015 and 2017 general elections, this pledge had expired. His critics have called for him to stand down in June.

It is understood that Leadsom did not complain to the parliamentary standards commissioner about the alleged comments because she did not want to jeopardise her independent complaints and grievance policy. The final proposals, which are due out before the summer recess in July, have to be signed off by the House of Commons commission, which is chaired by Bercow.

Leakey, who stepped down last year as Black Rod, said he had experienced the outbursts of temper described by other former members of Bercow’s staff, and Sinclair told BBC Newsnight that Bercow had undermined him in front of other staff and once smashed a mobile phone over his desk.

He alleged that he was paid more than £85,000 when he left his job in a deal that required him not to speak about his experiences.

Bercow has also strongly denied the claims that he bullied his former private secretary Kate Emms, who worked for him between 2010 and 2011.