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06th Nov 2019

John Bercow: Brexit is the biggest foreign policy mistake in the post-war period

Alan Loughnane

John Bercow Brexit

He no longer has to remain impartial.

Just days after stepping down as Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow has described Brexit as the biggest mistake Britain has made since the second world war.

In his first comments since quitting as Speaker and an MP, Bercow told the Foreign Press Association: “I’m no longer the Speaker, so I don’t have to remain impartial now.

In comments first reported by La Repubblica, Bercow said: “But if you ask me honestly, do I think that Brexit is good for our global standing, my honest answer is no I don’t. I think that Brexit is the biggest foreign policy mistake in the post-war period.”

Bercow, who was a Conservative MP before taking the role as speaker 10 years ago, was criticised by some Conservative MPs regarding some of his decisions regarding Brexit.

In a response on Wednesday, Bercow told the event he had “always treated the Brexiteers in a fair way” and “always treated the Remainers in a fair way”.

He added: “I will assert to anybody that will listen until my dying day that I have been impartial in the chair, pro-Parliament and impartial in the chair.”

Bercow is stepping down as an MP after representing Buckingham for the Conservative party since 1997.

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