John Bercow to step down as speaker of House of Commons


Devdiscourse News Desk | London | Updated: 25-09-2019 10:49 IST | Created: 09-09-2019 20:13 IST
John Bercow to step down as speaker of House of Commons
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John Bercow has announced on Monday that he is to step down as Speaker of the House of Commons.

He will step down immediately if the members of Parliament vote for an early election tonight. If the do not vote for an early election then he would resign on October 31, the date of Britain's planned exit from the European Union

"At the 2017 election, I promised my wife and children that it would be my last," he said.

"This is a pledge that I intend to keep. If the House votes tonight for an early general election, my tenure as Speaker and MP will end when this parliament ends. If the House does not so vote, I have concluded that the least disruptive and most democratic course of action would be for me to stand down at the close of business on Thursday, October 31."

Bercow announced his plans to stand down after the Conservatives confirmed they would stand against him at the general election.

Bercow has helped bend parliamentary rules to give lawmakers opposed to a no-deal Brexit the chance to try to prevent Britain leaving the European Union without a deal on October 31.

Bercow has been the Speaker of the House of Commons since 2009. He concurrently serves as the Member of Parliament for Buckingham.

Further details are awaited.

This is a developing story.

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