LABOUR AND Liberal Democrat votes helped left-leaning Tory MP John Bercow to victory last night in the election to succeed the departing Michael Martin as speaker of the House of Commons.
Mr Bercow defeated Conservative rival Sir George Young – the so-called “bicycling baronet” – in the third and final secret ballot after two earlier rounds of voting saw the elimination or withdrawal of eight other candidates, including the former cabinet minister and bookmakers’ favourite Margaret Beckett.
MPs made their choice after hearing a stark warning from failed Conservative candidate Ann Widdecombe that to be successful, and to help parliament reconnect with the British public in the aftermath of the Westminster expenses scandal, an emerging new speaker must enjoy broad support on all sides of the Commons.
Ms Widdecombe – who is retiring at the general election and had offered herself as an interim speaker – described herself yesterday as “the rather vulgar public tribune”.
Vulgarity was not the order of the day at Westminster, however, as MPs discarded serving deputy speakers and knights of the realm to make it a two-horse-race between the Old Etonian Mr Young and Mr Bercow, the youngest candidate and one-time right winger.
Mr Bercow is detested by many in his own party while favoured by many Labour MPs in part-revenge for the forced resignation of Mr Martin.
Ms Beckett started the day as firm favourite, while Commons leader Harriet Harman insisted the former minister was not the “government” candidate.
As the inquest into her poor performance got under way last night, however, it seemed clear that overt intervention on her behalf by government whips had proven counter-productive.
Deputy speaker Sir Michael Lord came bottom of the poll in the first round with just nine votes, four ahead of Sir Patrick Cormack, chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.
He received the backing of just 13 colleagues.
They were eliminated along with Richard Shepherd (Conservative) on 15 and Parmjit Dhanda with 26 votes. Mr Bercow led the field with 179 votes to 112 for Sir George, with Ms Beckett trailing a poor third with 74, ahead of Sir Alan Haselhurst on 66, Sir Alan Beith (Liberal Democrat) 55 and Ms Widdecombe on 44 votes.
Mr Bercow topped the poll again after the second ballot with 221 (up 42) but with momentum seeming to build behind Sir George, up 62 to 174. Ms Beckett’s vote fell to 70, Sir Alan Haselhurst’s to 57, Sir Alan Beith’s to 46 and Ms Widdecombe’s to 30.
With last-placed Ms Widdecombe eliminated, Ms Beckett and the two Sir Alans then withdrew from the race, spelling relief for MPs by bringing the protracted voting process to an end and guaranteeing a result that could be communicated to Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace as darkness fell over London.
In his speech to MPs before the voting began, Mr Bercow (46) insisted he did not “want to be someone” but “to do something”.
“I want to implement an agenda for reform, for renewal, for revitalisation and for the reassertion of the core values of this great institution [the House of Commons] in the context of the 21st century,” he said.