John Bercow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable John Bercow
Bercow in 2018
Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
In office 22 June 2009 – 4 November 2019
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown David Cameron Theresa May Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Michael Martin
Succeeded by	Lindsay Hoyle
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
In office 10 November 2003 – 8 September 2004
Leader	Michael Howard
Preceded by	Caroline Spelman
Succeeded by	Alan Duncan
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 18 September 2001 – 23 July 2002
Leader	Iain Duncan Smith
Preceded by	Oliver Letwin
Succeeded by	Howard Flight
Member of Parliament for Buckingham
In office 1 May 1997 – 4 November 2019
Preceded by	George Walden
Succeeded by	Greg Smith
Chancellor of the University of Essex
In office 22 July 2017 – 12 November 2021
Vice Chancellor	Anthony Forster
Preceded by	Shami Chakrabarti
Succeeded by	(vacant until 2023), Sarah Perry (2023–)
Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire
In office 25 July 2014 – June 2017
Vice Chancellor	Bill Rammell Rebecca Bunting
Preceded by	The Baroness Howells of St Davids
Succeeded by	Sarfraz Manzoor (2023–)
Member of Lambeth London Borough Council for St Leonard's ward
In office 9 May 1986 – 4 May 1990
Personal details
Born	John Simon Bercow (1963-01-19) 19 January 1963 (age 62) Edgware, Middlesex, England
Political party	Labour (2021–2022; suspended)
Other political affiliations	Independent (2019–2021) Speaker (2009–2019) Conservative (1980–2009)
Spouse	Sally Illman ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Essex (BA)
Signature

John Simon Bercow (born 19 January 1963) is a British politician who used to work in the government. He was the Speaker of the House of Commons from 2009 to 2019. The Speaker is like a referee in Parliament, making sure debates are fair and follow the rules.

Bercow was also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Buckingham from 1997 to 2019. Before becoming Speaker, he was a member of the Conservative Party. He was the first MP since 1971 to become Speaker without first being a Deputy Speaker.

After leaving his role as Speaker in 2019, Bercow left Parliament. In 2021, he joined the Labour Party, but was later suspended in 2022. He is currently the only living former Speaker of the House of Commons.

Bercow started his political career as a councillor in the London Borough of Lambeth from 1986 to 1990. He tried to become an MP in 1987 and 1992 but wasn't successful until 1997. As an MP, he held different roles in the Shadow cabinet, which is the group of opposition politicians who would be ministers if their party were in power.

In 2009, he was chosen to be the Speaker of the House of Commons. As Speaker, he had to leave the Conservative Party and act as an independent person. He was re-elected as Speaker three more times, serving under four different Prime Ministers.

Bercow has also been a leader at universities. He was the Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire from 2014 to 2017. From 2017 to 2021, he was the Chancellor of the University of Essex. In 2020, he became a part-time professor of politics at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Early Life and Education

John Simon Bercow was born on 19 January 1963, in Edgware, Middlesex, England. His father, Charles Bercow, was a taxi driver. His family has Jewish roots, with his grandparents coming to Britain from Romania in the early 1900s. They changed their family name from Berkowitz to Bercow.

Bercow went to Frith Manor Primary School and Finchley Manorhill, a large comprehensive school. When he was younger, he was a good junior tennis player. In 1975, he even appeared on a children's TV show called Crackerjack!.

In 1985, Bercow earned a top degree in Government from the University of Essex. One of his professors, Anthony King, said he was a "very good" and "outstanding student." As a young person, Bercow was involved in a conservative youth group called the Conservative Monday Club. He later said that joining this group was "utter madness" and called his views from that time "bone headed."

After university, Bercow became the last national chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students (FCS) from 1986 to 1987. This group was later closed down by the Conservative Party. Bercow then worked in merchant banking and for a lobbying company called Rowland Sallingbury Casey. He also helped train other Conservatives in speaking and campaigning.

Political Career

Local Government Role

In 1986, John Bercow was elected as a Conservative councillor in the London Borough of Lambeth. He represented the Streatham, St Leonard's area for four years. In 1987, he became the youngest deputy group leader in the United Kingdom.

Special Advisor

In 1995, Bercow worked as a special adviser to important government officials. He advised the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Jonathan Aitken, and later the Secretary of State for National Heritage, Virginia Bottomley.

Member of Parliament

Bercow in Poland in 2010

Bercow tried to become an MP in 1987 and 1992 but didn't win. In 1996, he spent £1,000 to fly a helicopter to attend two selection meetings for safe Conservative seats on the same day. He was chosen as the candidate for Buckingham. He later called this helicopter trip "the best £1,000 I have ever spent."

Bercow was first elected as the MP for Buckingham in the 1997 general election. He won with a large number of votes and increased his majority in the elections of 2001 and 2005.

Early in his time as an MP, Bercow praised former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He quickly moved up in the opposition party's roles. In 1999, he became a spokesman for Education and Employment, and then for Home Affairs in 2000. In 2001, he joined the shadow cabinet as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

In 2002, Bercow disagreed with his party's leader, Iain Duncan Smith, over a law about adoption. The Conservative Party wanted MPs to vote against allowing unmarried gay and heterosexual couples to adopt, but Bercow voted for the law. He then resigned from his front-bench role.

In 2003, the new Conservative leader, Michael Howard, appointed Bercow as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. However, Bercow later disagreed with Howard on other issues and was removed from his role in 2004.

Bercow has always been interested in Burma (now Myanmar) and often spoke about democracy and human rights there. He also supported equality for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, winning an award from the charity Stonewall in 2010. In 2005, he won an award for 'Opposition MP of the Year'.

Children's Communication Review

In 2007, Bercow was asked by the government to review how children with speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN) were supported. This was a topic he cared about because his own son, Oliver, has autism.

His report, known as the "Bercow review," highlighted that communication skills are very important life skills. It stressed that identifying problems early and providing help is crucial to prevent social issues later on. The government later promised £52 million to improve support for SLCN in education.

Charity Work

Bercow has supported many charities. He has been a patron for groups like the ME Association and Brain Tumour Research. He also supported the Patchwork Foundation, which helps disadvantaged and minority communities get involved in British democracy. In 2018, he helped raise money for Children in Need.

Speaker of the House of Commons

Election and First Term

Bercow presides over the House, 2012

John Bercow had wanted to be Speaker for a long time. In May 2009, he announced he would stand in the election to replace the previous Speaker, Michael Martin. Bercow said he wanted to strengthen the role of backbench MPs (those not in government or shadow cabinet) and help Parliament challenge the government more.

On 22 June 2009, Bercow won the election to become the 157th Speaker. He defeated George Young in the final round of voting. After becoming Speaker, he had to give up his membership in the Conservative Party, as the Speaker must be politically neutral.

Bercow was the first Speaker who was Jewish. He was also the first to be elected by a special voting system and the first not to wear the traditional court robes while leading the House of Commons.

Youth Parliament

In October 2009, Bercow led the United Kingdom Youth Parliament's first meeting in the House of Commons. This was a special event, as they were the only group other than MPs allowed to sit in the main chamber. He continued to lead their annual meetings until he left his role in 2019.

Re-election and Later Terms

The Speaker usually doesn't face strong opposition in general elections. Bercow was re-elected as an MP and as Speaker in the 2010, 2015, and 2017 general elections. This made him the first Speaker since the Second World War to be elected four times.

In 2015, there was an attempt to make the Speaker election a secret vote, which some MPs saw as a way to remove Bercow. However, the motion was defeated, and he was re-elected without opposition.

In 2017, Bercow said he had supported staying in the European Union during the 2016 referendum.

Brexit Debates

During the debates about Brexit in 2019, Bercow made some important decisions. He allowed a vote on an amendment that required the Prime Minister to present alternative plans if her Brexit deal was rejected. He also used an old rule from 1604 to prevent the government from holding a third vote on the same Brexit deal if it hadn't changed much.

Retirement and Life After Parliament

MPs applaud Bercow as he sets the date for his retirement.

After serving 10 years, John Bercow became the longest-serving Speaker since Edward FitzRoy, who served from 1928 to 1943.

On 9 September 2019, Bercow announced that he would step down as Speaker and MP on 31 October 2019. To officially leave Parliament, he was appointed to a special role called the Manor of Northstead.

After leaving Parliament, Bercow shared his personal view that Brexit was a big mistake for the UK. In 2020, he published his autobiography, called Unspeakable.

In June 2021, Bercow announced he had joined the Labour Party. He said he believed the Conservative Party had become too extreme and that he supported Labour's ideas of equality and social justice. He was later suspended from the Labour Party in 2022.

Personal Life

John Bercow married Sally Illman in 2002, and they have three children. Their oldest son, Oliver, has autism.

Bercow is a humanist, which means he believes in human values and reason rather than religious faith. He was a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group.

He is a big fan of Arsenal F.C., a football club, and has been a season ticket holder since 1971. He also loves tennis and played competitively when he was younger. In 2014, he wrote a book about tennis called Tennis Maestros: The Twenty Greatest Male Tennis Players of All Time.

Honours

Country	Date	Appointment	Post-nominal letters
United Kingdom	2009–present	Member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council	PC

University Degrees

Location	Date	School	Degree
England	1985	University of Essex	First-class honours Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Government

Location	Date	School	Position
England	2014–	University of Bedfordshire	Chancellor
	18 July 2017 – 12 November 2021	University of Essex	Chancellor
	27 January 2017 – present	University of Manchester	Honorary Professor
	4 November 2019 – present	Birkbeck, University of London	Fellowship
	24 January 2020 – present	Royal Holloway, University of London	Professorship of Politics

Honorary Degrees

Location	Date	School	Degree
England	2010	University of Essex	Doctor of the University (D.Univ)
	16 March 2013	University of Buckingham	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
	23 January 2014	De Montfort University	Doctorate
	30 January 2014	City, University of London	Doctor of Science (D.Sc.)

Freedom of the City

Location	Date	Award
England	4 July 2016	Freedom of the City of London (London)

See also

In Spanish: John Bercow para niños