John Bercow: Speaking for change
What was it like to hold a politically impartial office during a time of extreme political polarisation?
Over his ten years as Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow’s calls for ‘Order, order!’, particularly during passionate Brexit debates, made him a household name—and a controversial figure. Not content merely to hold the office, John wanted to use his position as Speaker to be a progressive change-maker, making him both friends and enemies.
While in conversation with former MP Julian Huppert, John will take us behind the scenes of Parliament to discuss his time as Speaker and the challenges of delivering change in a conservative environment.
About the speaker
John Bercow is a former Speaker of the House of Commons. Serving in the role from 2009 to 2019, a period which covered the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, the formation of the first Coalition Government since 1945, and Brexit, he was the longest-serving holder of the office since World War II. He became Speaker after 22 years as the MP for Buckingham. The first person in his family to go to university, John is now Professor of Politics at Royal Holloway College and Visiting Professor at Birkbeck College, London University. He is a lifelong Arsenal supporter and a passionate tennis fan (particularly of his hero Roger Federer).
