John Bercow
John Simon Bercow (surname pronounce BER-COE; born 19 January 1963) is a British politician who was the Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 2009 through 2019. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Buckingham.
John Bercow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Speaker of the House of Commons | |
| In office 22 June 2009 – 4 November 2019 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Michael Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn |
| Succeeded by | Lindsay Hoyle |
| Shadow Secretary of State for International Development | |
| In office 6 November 2003 – 23 September 2004 | |
| Leader | Michael Howard |
| Preceded by | Caroline Spelman |
| Succeeded by | Alan Duncan |
| Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 18 September 2001 – 23 July 2002 | |
| Leader | Iain Duncan Smith |
| Preceded by | Oliver Letwin |
| Succeeded by | Howard Flight |
| Member of Parliament for Buckingham | |
| In office 1 May 1997 – 4 November 2019 | |
| Preceded by | George Walden |
| Succeeded by | TBD |
| Majority | 12,529 (25.9%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 January 1963 Edgware, Middlesex, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Not applicable |
| Other political affiliations | Conservative (1986–2009) |
| Spouse(s) | Sally Bercow (née Illman) |
| Children | Oliver Freddie Jemima |
| Residence | London |
| Alma mater | University of Essex[1] |
BiographyEdit
John Bercow was active in the Conservative Party from a young age and was a Conservative councillor, for Lambeth, from 1986 to 1990. He stood as a candidate to become an MP at the 1987 and 1992 General Elections but was not successful. At the 1997 General Election, Bercow was elected the Conservative MP for Buckingham. He served in the shadow cabinets of Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard.[2] After the Speaker Michael Martin resigned on 22 June 2009, Bercow was elected as the Speaker.[3]
Bercow is the first Jewish Speaker.[4] He is the first Speaker not to wear traditional court robes while presiding over the House of Commons.[5] But, along with tradition, Bercow does now display his coat of arms at Speaker's House.[6]
On 9 September 2019, Bercow told the House of Commons that he would stand down on 31 October, or at the next general election, whichever occurs first.[7] He officially left the office on 4 November 2019.[8]
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ "Essex graduate new speaker, Colchester Campus, Government, 23 June 2009". University of Essex. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
- ↑ Bercow Says He's Relieved to Quit U.K. Conservatives bloomberg.com, 26 June 2009
- ↑ "Election of the Speaker". News.parliament.uk. 21 April 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
- ↑ "British lawmakers elect first Jewish speaker". JTA. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
- ↑ Webster, Philip (24 June 2009). "Farewell to tights as new Speaker John Bercow presides over Commons". The Times. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
- ↑ Speaker Bercow's coat of arms
- ↑ "Commons Speaker Bercow to stand down". BBC News. BBC. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ↑ Manor of Northstead: John Bercow, Gov.uk, 4 November 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019
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