John Bercow: The right hon. Gentleman should plough on.
John Bercow: We cannot take points of order during a statement. Points of order will flow after either this statement or other statements at the discretion of the Chair.
John Bercow: Order. I am extremely grateful to the hon. Lady, but she has exceeded her time by 50% already, so that’s the end of that I’m afraid.
John Bercow: Order. If the Attorney General could resume his seat momentarily, I should be deeply obliged to him. The Attorney General has a distinctive and resonant baritone, which is well known throughout the House, but it is a challenge even for him to be fully heard if there is constant catcalling. There will be ample opportunity for colleagues to question and probe the Attorney General—of that they...
John Bercow: Colleagues, welcome back to our place of work. The UK Supreme Court ruled yesterday that “Parliament has not been prorogued” and that the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker “can take immediate steps to enable each House to meet as soon as possible” to decide upon a way forward. I will arrange for the citation for that judgment to be entered in the Journal of this...
John Bercow: Order. There were points of order earlier in our proceedings about conduct that was very intimidating for Members and, in some cases, Members’ families. I know that there are inflamed passions, but I just ask Members to consider this: the hon. Lady is trying to deliver a speech and doing so with her customary eloquence and fluency; she should not be shouted down and she will not be—stop it.
John Bercow: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman. I am sorry that one or two people, in response to the hon. Gentleman rising, yelled, “Yawn.” I wonder whether people observing our proceedings think that that is a proper way for one colleague to show respect for another. It is not a matter of “yawn”—it is a matter of serious issues being raised, and responsibility being incumbent on the Chair in...
John Bercow: I am extremely grateful to the hon. Lady.
John Bercow: Let me thank the Secretary of State for his very gracious personal remarks, which mean a great deal to me.
John Bercow: Order. There is quite a lot of noisy chuntering from a sedentary position. The hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Ms Dorries) is quite beside herself in an extraordinarily irate condition, which I feel sure will not endure for very long. I was trying to explain to our French counterparts at the weekend the significance of the term “chuntering from a sedentary position”. They were...
John Bercow: Order. There is so much noise that it would be understandable if the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster were unable to hear the right hon. and learned Member for Beaconsfield (Mr Grieve), who was bidding to intervene. Whether he accepts the intervention a matter for him, but it is important that attempted interventions are audible.
John Bercow: The right hon. Gentleman asks for leave to propose a debate on a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration: the welcome completion of all parliamentary stages of the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 6) Bill—sometimes colloquially known, probably in the pubs and clubs of the United Kingdom, as the Benn-Letwin Bill—and has considered the matter of the importance of...
John Bercow: The right hon. and learned Gentleman asks me to propose a debate on a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration under the terms of Standing Order No. 24, namely the matter of prorogation with the imminence of an exit from the European Union. I have received the right hon. and learned Gentleman’s written application. I have listened carefully to what he has said on...
John Bercow: Thank you. I just say to the right hon. Gentleman, the Leader of the Opposition, that he is very much more experienced and senior than I, but I think that as Back Benchers in our respective parties we did have quite a lot in common. Certainly, speaking for myself, as a Back Bencher, and frequently as an Opposition Front Bencher, I found that I had a relationship with my Whips characterised by...
John Bercow: I have to notify the House, in accordance with the Royal Assent Act 1967, that Her Majesty has signified her Royal Assent to the following Acts: Kew Gardens (Leases) Act 2019 European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act 2019.
John Bercow: Colleagues, I would like to make a personal statement to the House. At the 2017 election, I promised my wife and children that it would be my last. This is a pledge that I intend to keep. If the House votes tonight for an early general election, my tenure as Speaker and MP will end when this Parliament ends. If the House does not so vote, I have concluded that the least disruptive and most...
John Bercow: Black Rod, I treat you and what you have to say with respect, and I recognise that our presence is desired by Her Majesty the Queen’s Commissioners. They are doing what they believe to be right, and I recognise my role in this matter. [Interruption.] Wait a minute. I could not care less whether you like it or not. [Interruption.] No, I am more than happy if people have the basics of...
John Bercow: Like all of you, I feel much more at home here.
John Bercow: I have further to acquaint the House that the Leader of the House of Lords, one of the Lords Commissioners, delivered Her Majesty’s most gracious speech to both Houses of Parliament, in pursuance of Her Majesty’s command. For greater accuracy, I have obtained a copy and also directed that the terms of the Speech be printed in the Journal of this House. Copies are being made available in...
John Bercow: The Secretary of State ought to be able to detect the hon. Gentleman’s status and his intellectual distinction from a radius of approximately 1,000 miles.