John Bercow joining Labour shows that politicians don’t really care about bullying at Westminster

It is unbelievably frustrating to watch politicians be so complimentary about a man who is alleged to be a bully, writes Marie Le Conte

At the time of writing, John Bercow remains under investigation for bullying (AP)

Should we care that John Bercow has joined the Labour party? The former speaker of the House of Commons has always enjoyed attention, and the move – announced over the weekend – felt like the last gasp of a man desperate to stay relevant.

There are rumours that he switched parties to try and finally get the peerage he clearly feels he deserves, but they are just that: rumours. According to everyone even vaguely in the know, this will not be his golden ticket to the red benches.

Labour’s leadership does not seem particularly enthusiastic about its latest recruit, and has remained silent on the topic. In another world, this would have been a once-in-a-lifetime gift to Starmer – who wouldn’t want one of the most famous former politicians in Britain to call out their old party as “reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic”?