The MP trying to unseat House of Commons speaker John Bercow claims he has support from government ministers
The Tory MP behind a motion of no confidence in John Bercow claims he has secured cross party support for his bid to unseat the House of Commons speaker, with government ministers also on board.
Southend MP James Duddridge put forward an Early Day Motion late last week following Bercow's intervention over Donald Trump.
And today, Duddridge told BBC Radio 4: “Ministers have been on the phone to me over the weekend, as well as backbenchers and people of all political parties, saying they will vote with me in the lobbies against speaker Bercow.
“Enough is enough, we need a new impartial speaker.”
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Duddridge is currently the only signatory to the motion, tabled just before parliament went into recess. Although it remains open to signatures during the break, the list of signatures will not be updated until business resumes next week.
Since the motion was tabled, it has also emerged that the speaker voted for Remain in the EU referendum, and bemoaned Labour's failure to make a stronger case against Brexit ahead of last summer's vote, with Duddridge arguing it showed a failure to maintain the required impartiality.
Commons leader David Lidington yesterday said Bercow's Brexit remarks would elicit "a strong reaction" from some MPs, but Lidington steered clear of criticising the speaker.
Former culture secretary John Whittingdale yesterday warned that Bercow's “scoresheet is mounting up”.
Read More: Commons speaker John Bercow defends controversial Trump intervention
Downing Street sources have made it clear the government will not intervene to protect Bercow, with ministers likely to be offered a free vote on any motion.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said today: “The position of the speaker is a matter for Parliament and the MPs in parliament.”