UK politics

John Bercow to step down as Speaker of the House of Commons

Name: John Bercow to step down as Speaker of the House of Commons
Uploaded: 2019-09-10T03:27:35.691Z
Duration: 1 min 23 s
Channel: Financial Times
Description: Speaker said he would quit immediately if MPs voted for an early general election

Speaker said he would quit in the event of MPs voting for a general election next month. Otherwise, he will stand aside on October 31, the day the UK is set to leave the European Union

September 10, 2019

Footage from Reuters.

Transcript

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Colleagues, I would like to make a personal statement to the House. At the 2017 election I promised my wife and children that it would be my last. This is a pledge that I intend to keep. If the House votes tonight for an early general election my tenure as Speaker and MP will end when this parliament ends.

If the House does not so vote I have concluded that the least disruptive and most democratic course of action would be for me to stand down at the close of business on Thursday, October the 31st.