John Bercow “flew into a rage” with a member of his Commons staff after his toothpaste was confiscated at the airport according to a new biography being published.
The former Speaker has been hit with a fresh bullying storm after former staff revealed further details of “appalling” bullying behaviour during his time in office.
The claims, revealed in a new biography of Mr Bercow, include several accusations from Commons staff, including his former private secretary Kate Emms.
According to the book, John Bercow: Call to Order, the then-Speaker became enraged with Ms Emms after his toothpaste was confiscated by airport security staff, leading to him ignoring her for the rest of their journey.
“He was absolutely outraged. He thought that was profoundly disrespectful. He didn’t talk to Kate for the whole of a nine-hour flight, which was ridiculously out of proportion.”
The accusations will put Bercow’s hopes of securing a peerage in further jeopardy, and comes after Commons authorities criticised his decision to name some of his accusers in his recently published autobiography. Bercow has been nominated for a peerage by Jeremy Corbyn but it is thought the Government will still try and block this.
Other former Commons staff claimed Bercow would “throw a paddy” if Roger Federer, his favourite tennis player, lost a match.
It has been implied that if the Swiss tennis pro was beaten then “you’d know what you would be walking into that morning… he would throw a paddy – stamping, slamming doors, screaming”.
The book also details claims of thrown phones and car keys, with one Commons source revealing an “appalling” row between Mr Bercow and then-Tory Leader of the Commons Sir George Young.
They said: “It ended with Bercow screaming, shouting and swearing at him – jabbing his finger in his face, spittle flying from him… how on earth was he supposed to deal with that?
“The bullying was appalling. The doorkeepers used to tell us about all the shouting, especially in the evenings.”
Lead Correspondent | David Clews is the Lead Correspondent for UNN, with over 20 years of political/campaigning experience and a wealth of social media and communication skills David gets to the heart of what is really important to the real people of the UK.
Keep up to date with all of David & UN’s work by linking up with us on our Social Media Channels by Clicking Here Now: https://unitynewsnetwork.co.uk/our-social-media-links/
