Speaker of the UK House of Commons John Bercow wants to restore the British Parliament to its most important role: preventing government leaders from taking the law into their own hands.
In the “Brexit for Breakfast” talk at NYU, Bercow said that the British government has been gaining power for decades, while Parliament’s influence has been decreasing. This, he added, has led to an “appetite for reform” within the House, and a need for “democratic equilibrium” to be restored.
This role of the legislative body as a check on the ruling government may be more important now than ever, as the UK fast approaches its deadline to create a functioning deal that would allow them to separate from the European Union with as little aftershock as possible.
Since June of 2016, when 52 percent of UK citizens voted to leave the EU, the British government has been struggling to make a clean break from the coalition. Parliament rejected former Prime Minister Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement three times, eventually forcing her to resign. The new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has had little success in creating a replacement.
The problem stymying the UK government is its only land border shared with the EU — that of North Ireland. The current withdrawal agreement stipulates that the UK would have to follow EU rules for customs in order to avoid officials physically checking goods that cross the border. Johnson called this provision “undemocratic” and the Members of Parliament have repeatedly rejected it.
At the talk, Bercow refused to give an opinion on Brexit, insisting that it wasn’t his place to take sides. However, in the past he has said that whatever the UK ends up doing, the decision had to rest with Parliament.
“No force on Earth… in a Parliamentary democracy, is going to stop Parliament from deciding what course it wishes to chart,” he said.
The House has made some crucial decisions in the last few weeks that will affect the nature of the Brexit deal. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed that Britain would leave the EU by the end of October. Parliament, however, passed a bill preventing the UK from leaving without an agreement in place. It also blocked Johnson’s attempts to call for October 15 elections.
Members of the House of Commons also voted last Wednesday to publish documents that predict the outcomes of a no-deal Brexit, which include the reduced availability of certain fresh foods and a rise in prices that would particularly affect low-income individuals. The documents estimate that large trucks could be delayed 1.5 to 2.5 days in crossing the English Channel, a situation that would particularly affect the transport of medical supplies. The reports also expect protests and general unrest.
Last week, Bercow announced that he would be stepping down from his role as Speaker of the House of Commons on October 31— the day the country is scheduled to leave the European Union. Bercow’s 10-year tenure as Speaker is the longest since the World War II era.
During that time, Bercow said, he has fought to make sure that any issues members wanted to discuss were presented on the floor. He shortened the general question time for Members of Parliament used to ask questions of government ministers and opened the floor to more urgent debates that would “hold ministerial feet to the fire.”
In his role as Speaker, Bercow referred to himself as a “referee” or an “umpire”; his job is not to participate in the debates, but to make sure that the topics that need to be discussed make it into the parliamentary chamber. To do this, he needs to know each one of the 649 members of the House — by name, political party, and where he or she stands on important issues.
Bercow has also modernized parliament as a workplace; this has included swapping out a pistol shooting gallery for a nursery. He appointed women and people of color to several positions within parliament, saying that he wanted to “make the place look a little more like the country we are obliged to represent.”
In his NYU talk, Bercow took care to debunk the myth that he was the shortest Speaker of the House in history, listing several examples from earlier centuries to back up his claim.
To his successor, Bercow offered two pieces of advice. First, he said, the Speaker needs to make sure that all Members of Parliament have the opportunity to be heard. Second, Parliament should be willing to adapt and change, but not be too hasty to throw out valuable traditions.
“Keep the best and improve the rest,” he said. “Never be satisfied.” He added that parliament should constantly be asking itself how it can improve.
What will happen in the UK after the 31 of October is uncertain. Regardless, however, Bercow will be “passing the torch.” He expressed no regrets for his time as Speaker, and said he feels incredibly privileged to have held the role.
“I have no plans to die tomorrow,” he concluded, “But if I were to die tomorrow, I would die happy.”
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