MPs have said the Speaker of the House of Commons has made it clear he wishes to remain Speaker until Christmas, rather than stand down this summer. Last October, reports suggested Mr Bercow had allegedly “told friends” he was planning to stand down this summer. Local newspaper The Buckingham and Winslow Advertiser also reported in April that Mr Bercow had said he would not stay on as Speaker for “much longer”.
He allegedly said: “If Theresa May can take a few weeks to change her mind about holding an election I can be forgiven for taking a few years to change my mind about staying on.”
Mr Bercow was expected to quit last summer as he said he would stay on as Speaker for nine years after he was appointed in June 2009 in the wake of the MPs’ expenses scandal.
However, his time as Speaker has been tarnished by allegations of bullying which he strongly denies.
Brexit backing Tories have claimed he also let his pro-Remain views affect his decisions as Speaker.
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Mr Bercow’s deputies Lyndsay Hoyle and Eleanor Laing are considering standing to replace him when he stands down along with a growing list of MPs.
Other candidates include veteran Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh, SNP MP Pete Wishart and Labour MPs Chris Bryant and Harriet Harman.
Sir Edward said in a statement: “I would be a traditional Speaker who does not speak much.
“Like a judge I would, by my conduct and dress, submerge my personality into the office. I would be rigidly impartial.”
A spokesman for Mr Bercow said: “The Speaker was elected by the House in 2017 for the course of the Parliament.
“In the event he has anything to say on his future plans, he will make an announcement to the House first.”
A candidate for Speaker must be nominated by 12 MPs and any election would be presided over by the father of the house, Ken Clarke.
If no candidate wins a majority then the candidate with the fewest votes is knocked out.
