Royal Holloway and Birkbeck University face pressure to remove John Bercow from honorary roles

MPs have called for two universities to remove John Bercow from honorary roles after a damning report found he was a ‘serial bully’.

Royal Holloway and Birkbeck are being urged to remove the former Speaker of the House of Commons from his appointments at the institutions after he was banned from holding a parliamentary pass this week.

The calls come after an independent inquiry found Mr Bercow guilty of 21 claims made against him relating to behaviour during his decade as Speaker from 2009 to 2019.

The former Tory MP – who has since defected to Labour – has denied the allegations and described the investigation a ‘travesty of justice rooted in prejudice, spite and hearsay’ and carried out by a ‘kangaroo court’.

Following his ban, Tory MP Michael Fabricant told The Telegraph: ‘I am surprised that despite two reports now branding Bercow a bully, both Royal Holloway and Birkbeck still think that he is an appropriate person to engage young people’s minds.

Birkbeck, University of London, is also  being urged to remove the former Speaker of the House of Commons from his appointments after he was banned from holding a parliamentary pass this week

Meanwhile Conservative MP Caroline Johnson said the universities were free to make their own decisions but should look at the former Speaker’s honorary roles following the independent inquiry. 

This week an official probe by the standards watchdog branded the ex-Tory MP a ‘serial liar’ and ruled his treatment of three staff would warrant expulsion from the Commons had he not quit in 2019. 

In a report, Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone, found him guilty of 21 claims made against him relating to behaviour during his decade as Speaker from 2009 to 2019.  

Ms Stone upheld 21 out of 35 counts brought by Lord Lisvane, the former clerk of the Commons, and former private secretaries Kate Emms and Angus Sinclair.  

The investigation also found ‘his behaviour fell very far below that which the public has a right to expect from any Member of Parliament’.

The panel, chaired by former appeal court judge Sir Stephen Irwin, said: ‘The findings of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, which we have upheld, show that the respondent has been a serial bully.

An independent inquiry found Mr Bercow guilty of 21 claims made against him relating to behaviour during his decade as Speaker from 2009 to 2019

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone, found him guilty of 21 claims

‘His evidence in the investigations, the findings of the commissioner, and his submissions to us, show also that the respondent has been a serial liar.

‘His behaviour fell very far below that which the public has a right to expect from any Member of Parliament.’

But Mr Bercow disputed the findings and insisted there is no reason for him to apologise. 

‘All I can say is that the case against me would have been thrown out by any court in the land since it is based on the flimsiest of evidence, rooted in hearsay and baseless rumour, and advanced by old school dogmatists once intent on resisting change at all costs and now settling some ancient scores with me,’ he said.

‘Add to that a dash of personal spite and you have some idea of the vengeful vendetta mounted against me.

‘It is a travesty of justice and brings shame on the House of Commons.’  

Following the suspension, a spokesman for leader Sir Keir Starmer told reporters: ‘The Labour Party has got a zero tolerance approach when it comes to bullying.

‘I’ve got nothing further to add to what was said yesterday, in terms of the party looking at this and suspending John Bercow.’