ANDREW PIERCE: Has John Bercow wormed his means again into Labour?
When pompous pipsqueak former Speaker John Bercow defected to Labour from the Tories in 2021 many predicted he would soon start making trouble for Sir Keir Starmer.
How right they were. The following year Bercow was banned for life from holding a parliamentary pass and suspended by Labour after a devastating 89-page report upheld 21 counts of bullying against him.
The report by an independent panel chaired by former Court of Appeal judge Sir Stephen Irwin said ‘serial liar’ Bercow threw telephones at staff and alleged he tried to stymie the inquiry through ‘false accusations of collusion and by advancing lies’.
John Bercow (pictured) in Westminster after The Independent Expert Panel report upheld a finding that he was a ‘serial bully’
Since leaving the Commons, the disgraced politician has tried to rehabilitate his reputation by writing a memoir, appearing on talk shows and even taking part in reality show The Traitors U.S. He also makes a killing charging £86 for a seconds-long video message on the website Cameo.
Yet recently Bercow has been spotted out doorknocking on the campaign trail for Labour. Are bullies now back in favour in Starmer’s Labour Party?
Maggie and Ted’s Titanic drama
The curmudgeonly Ted Heath could never bring himself to be polite to Mrs Thatcher after she ousted him as leader of the Conservative Party in 1975.
Now the play Maggie & Ted, which lampoons the old grump, is being staged in his home town of Broadstairs. Actress Clare Bloomer is an uncanny Maggie lookalike and it’s written by Michael McManus, a former private secretary to Heath. He says: ‘I think Ted would see the funny side… he and Thatcher were political titans compared to the current crop of political pygmies.’
Alan Titchmarsh has revealed he once crossed swords with David Cameron for sneering at his profession. Titchmarsh, who left school aged 15 with just one O-level, told Cotswold Life: ‘Not that long ago David Cameron said the unemployed should pick up litter or do gardening. He got a letter. And I received an apology.’
Actor, author and stand-up comedian Alexei Sayle, a one-time Labour Party member, is no fan of his MP. ‘I’ve been a resident in this borough for over 40 years and I’ve never disliked our current MP more. l would like to replace him with someone who is a decent human being,’ he said. Who is his odious MP? Step forward Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Actor, author and stand-up comedian Alexei Sayle, a one-time Labour Party member, is no fan of his MP, writes Andrew Pierce
Will Alastair Campbell be booted out of Labour again? Tony Blair’s spin doctor was expelled from the party in 2019 after voting Lib Dem in the European elections.
This week, in a blog post, he urged swing voters looking to give the Tories a bloody nose: ‘May I kindly suggest in Surrey seats where Labour have no chance, you stick with the Lib Dems.’
Sir Ed Davey will be delighted. Sir Keir Starmer less so.
Amid the scandal of Tory officials being investigated by the Gambling Commission for placing dozens of bets on the date of the election, former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie says: ‘Breaking news — Conservative Party to merge with William Hill rather than Reform.’
To make matters worse, one of the most widely circulated images on social media in recent days has been Rishi Sunak at his Downing Street lectern with the Stop The Boats slogan edited to read: Stop The Bets.
Abbott brings Keir to book
Just when Starmer thought his row with veteran Left-winger Diane Abbott was over, she has a memoir, A Woman Like Me, coming out.
Told with her ‘trademark frankness’ it is a ‘candid account’ of succeeding against the odds. It will be on bookshelves in September — just in time for the Labour conference. Starmer’s recent botched attempt to ditch her from the party will make a fascinating final chapter…
