Andrea Leadsom Refuses To Say Speaker John Bercow Is Impartial
20 March 2019, 10:19 | Updated: 20 March 2019, 10:25
This was Andrea Leadsom's evasive answer when Nick Ferrari asked her if John Bercow is impartial.
The Speaker blocked Theresa May's plan to hold a third meaningful vote unless it is substantially different to the previous vote that she lost heavily.
That led to accusations that Mr Bercow is trying to obstruct Brexit.
Nick Ferrari asked if that was the case and Ms Leadsom did not take the opportunity to defend the Speaker.
Asked how impartial he was, she responded: "Um, I... you know... I have the greatest regard for the role of Speaker. And what I would say is he does need to remain impartial.
"Some people do have concerns over his impartiality. I've had some questions. Colleagues will be aware that I've raised some questions in the house.
"The role of Speaker is an incredibly powerful one. It's absolutely vital that it is carried out with complete impartiality."
Nick asked if she had respect for Mr Bercow. After a long pause, her answer was: "I absolutely have some good relations with Mr Speaker. There's lots of things we discuss and agree on and at the same time, there are areas that we don't agree.
"For me, with my interest in getting more people from different interests into parliament, I want to make sure that everyone is treated with courtesy and respect and impartiality from the chair."
