Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Why John Bercow seems to delight in irritating Tory MPs

Once again, the Commons has concluded its day with rather chaotic scenes involving Tory MPs having a scrap with John Bercow. The Speaker managed to refrain from insulting anyone’s abilities as a whip, but he nevertheless irritated those who want a third meaningful vote by insisting throughout a series of points of order that he was not contradicting himself when he said he would not allow Theresa May to bring her deal back to the Commons while also allowing for another day of indicative votes.

Some Conservative Brexiteers were angry that any more indicative votes are due to take place when the Commons has offered no one view tonight. But many more were annoyed about the implications for the Prime Minister’s deal, quoting Erskine May and the Speaker’s own words back at him.

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