John Bercow’s unlikely rehabilitation

It’s been a tough week for poor John Bercow. The release of the report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards into his Speakership on Tuesday saw 21 counts of bullying being upheld against him. Since then there have been calls for universities to strip him of his academic posts, while Commons bosses have delivered the ultimate insult: removing his name from the parliamentary gym spin room. Talk about purging the last remnants of a hated former regime.

And Steerpike can reveal that Bercow has also now quit as a trustee of Holland Park school, known as ‘the socialist Eton’. His term was due to end in November 2024. A spokesperson for the school told Mr S that ‘his work with the school has always focused on making sure that the school is moving forward positively and that our students have the best possible education and experience.’

Still, Bercow can one find glimmer of solace. For acclaim, recognition and quasi-rehabilitation has now come from an unlikely source: online-obsessed Chinese millennials. Bercow,