Jewish News meets the Speaker of the Commons – John Bercow
Rebecca Wallersteiner chats to John Bercow, the newly-reinstalled Speaker of the Commons, about last month’s election, his Jewish heritage and a ‘spat’ between Labour and the SNP
Like him or not, John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, certainly has a sense of humour.
I interviewed him informally at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, shortly before he called to order a packed marquee of students and parents. They immediately fell silent.
As guest speaker, on speech day, Bercow spoke eloquently and without notes and presented school prizes. A few days later, I saw him again, this time on BBC News, looking composed as he authoritatively called to order Parliament for its first re-opening since the General Election.
He is the first Jewish MP to hold the role of Speaker.
Is he proud of his Jewish heritage?
“Yes,” he said. “My father was Jewish and I went to Finchley Reform Synagogue and had a barmitzvah, although I am secular. My mother is not Jewish, but she converted.” He says he believed himself to be fairly average at school.
“I have never regarded myself as exceptionally able. I was very ordinary at school, but worked hard,” he said. “My parents taught me the importance of courage and perseverance.”
He then apologises for having a bad cold and not being at his best. I commiserate that is hardly surprising considering the difficult week he’s had with his re-election as Speaker and marital problems chronicled in the press. His face lights up rather charmingly when I mention he looks better in person than in photographs, which usually fail to capture his attractive vitality.
Bercow is an interesting character and his political career is fascinating [he started out on the far-right in the Monday Club and is now soft left]. I ask him to explain his parliamentary role and whether he considers himself safely elected.
With a wry smile, he replies: “The Speaker operates under considerable constraint – so it is difficult for him to make a comment.
“He does not become a eunuch, but has to demonstrate celibacy. I derive some succour from the knowledge that MPs today are more interested in the views of their constituents than they were in 1714, when Anthony Henley was an MP.
“In that year, he received a letter from constituents asking him to vote against the Excise Bill. He wrote back stating: ‘I am surprised at your insolence in troubling me about the Excise. You and I know that I bought this constituency and have now found another’. Only tell this anecdote when you know that you will not be seeking re-election soon!”
The headmaster congratulated Bercow on his increased majority and on being a good constituency MP. Bercow told his audience emphatically: “You have a mission and you commit to it and don’t walk away when the going gets tough. I believe that a wholly disproportionate weight is attached to raw talent, rather than hard work and readiness to come back from adversity and imminent defeat. Having to cope with a difficult situation is character forming and you acquire the necessary resources to fight back.”
These are qualities that have enabled Jewish people to survive. Bercow looked delighted by the loud applause he received from the crowd. Later, over lunch, he tells me, somewhat wistfully: “My wife tells me off for speaking too long.”
Does he feel Prime Minister’s Question Time is useful?
“It is an important institution and is what most people see and hear of Parliament. It has always been noisy and passionate, as politicians have always had differences,” he acknowledged. “There is a spat going on between the Scottish Nationalist Party and Her Majesty’s Opposition about where to sit in the House. Why should this matter? This needs to be resolved.”
Bercow is unarguably a survivor. At the end of the last Parliament he survived an attempt by erstwhile fellow Tory MPs to change the rules to make it easier to unseat him. He had made enemies by insisting on the rights of backbench MPs and had also angered ministers through his drive to modernise the Commons.
Did the General Election results come as a surprise?
“The British opinion polling industry has a lot to answer for. All the consensus was that there would be a hung parliament, yet there was a small overall majority. Was there a late surge, or a shift of opinion in the last few days, or was the consensus wrong? I hope my colleagues in the House will look out to the electorate and build up public trust. I am aware of the opprobrium my profession is held but must be grateful for small mercies.”
A spectacular fly-over by Russian 1950s Cold War planes follows, drowning out conversation. I walk Bercow to his car at the end of the day and was a little annoyed when women began hovering, although he gave them no encouragement.
Despite having only one Jewish-born parent, Bercow identifies strongly with his Jewish side. A little-remembered fact is that Buckingham had another high profile Jewish MP, in the 1970s – Robert Maxwell. He would have been delighted by the Soviet flyover!
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
