John Bercow accuses ministers of trying to block his peerage as he denies bullying allegations

Former speaker says complaint comes at ‘curious’ time

John Bercow has publicly raised accusations that ministers are trying to block his elevation to the peerage, as he "categorically" denied bullying allegations made by his former most senior official.

Downing Street has described the claims of former Clerk of the Commons Lord Lisvane as “concerning” and said the complaint against Bercow should be investigated “thoroughly” by the Commons authorities.

And business secretary Andrea Leadsom, ​who had a series of a heated clashes with the former speaker while serving as Commons leader, said Mr Bercow's suitability for a peerage would be in question if there are “genuine, upheld” complaints against him.

Lord Lisvane, who served as the Commons' most senir official in the early part of Mr Bercow’s 10-year tenure in the speaker's chair, has handed a dossier of allegations to parliament’s standards watchdog.

The document is said to accuse Mr Bercow, who stepped down on 31 October, of having bullied or humiliated staff, including using inappropriate language.

Mr Bercow, who has repeatedly denied allegations of bullying, said the new complaint had come at a “curious” time amid reports Jeremy Corbyn had nominated him for a peerage after Boris Johnson broke with precedent by declining to.

As speaker, Bercow provoked the anger of Mr Johnson and Brexit-backing MPs with his innovative interpretations of parliamentary rules and conventions to permit what they regarded as attempts to wreck EU withdrawal legislation.

In a statement, the former speaker ​said that it has "become increasingly obvious that the Government has no intention of honouring the centuries-old convention that a departing speaker is promptly elevated to the House of Lords" following his retirement.

"Indeed, it has been suggested to me that the Government actively seeks to block any other attempt to nominate me for membership of the upper House," he continued in the statement.

"I have seen in the media that Lord Lisvane is formally complaining that I bullied staff. For the record, I categorically deny that I have ever bullied anyone, anywhere at any time."

Mr Bercow said Lord Lisvane, who he worked with for five years, had "ample opportunity to raise any concerns about such conduct with me" and moreover had "a duty of care to all House staff".

"Therefore, he had not merely a right but a responsibility to act if he thought that he witnessed misconduct," Mr Bercow said.

"The simple fact is that he did not at any time do so. Even though he frequently disagreed with me on a wide range of issues, he did not once complain to me and neither did any other official on his behalf."

Though Mr Bercow disputed the claim, it was previously suggested in the Commons that Lord Lisvane may have left his role in 2014 in part because he was told to "f*** off" by the speaker at least once.

Downing Street said it was not aware of whether Mr Bercow's name had been submitted for a peerage, as any nominations are immediately passed on by the Cabinet Office to the House of Lords Appointments Commission for vetting without passing through Number 10.

Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson told reporters: “These are very concerning allegations and they need to be investigated thoroughly.”

“Everyone working in parliament deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. There can be no place for bullying or abuse in Westminster or any workplace and it is important that the parliamentary leadership responds fully and promptly to any concerns which are raised.”

Challenged over whether Mr Johnson had breached longstanding convention by failing to nominate him for a peerage, a Number 10 source said: "The speaker wasn't always a man of convention."

Meanwhile, Ms Leadsom told Sky News : “When I was leader of the Commons we worked cross-party, very hard, to create a harassment and bullying complaints helpline that would be able to take forward all complaints to a conclusion.

‘Anybody, including the speaker of the House of Commons, could be subject to proper procedure,’ says the business secretary (AFP via Getty) (AFP via Getty Images)

She added: “Very specifically, if you went from being in the lower house to the being in the upper house, from the Commons to the Lords, that you would then find that allegations followed you and they could be properly reviewed.

“The whole purpose of that complaint was that anybody, including the speaker of the House of Commons, whoever he or she may be, could also be subject to that proper procedure.

“In the event there are genuine, upheld complaints about any person that should have an impact on whether they are found to be suitable to have a seat in the House of Lords.”

Earlier this week, however, Downing Street indicated that Mr Johnson could block Mr Bercow’s elevation to the upper chamber, as the prime minister’s official spokesperson highlighted a “long-standing convention” that opposition leaders nominate individuals from their own party.