Labour MP Harriet Harman to ‘consider’ Speaker role after John Bercow departs

Long-serving MP Harriet Harman will consider standing to become the next Speaker of the House of Commons.

The former Labour deputy leader, who is the longest continuously serving female MP, revealed she will could put her name forward when current Speaker John Bercow stands down.

Ms Harman, who first entered the House of Commons in 1982, received support from other prominent parliamentarians to take on the role.

Speaking to The House magazine, Ms Harman said: “People have been asking me whether I would be prepared to stand.

“But, I think that that’s something that I would have to consider when there’s a vacancy, and there isn’t one at the moment.

“Actually, I do think when you have a Speaker you’ve got to support the Speaker. And therefore, as I say, people have said it to me but there isn’t a vacancy.

“And so, I would consider it at the time.”

It comes at a delicate time for Mr Bercow, who has served as Speaker since 2009, with the Tory MP facing an investigation into bullying allegations.

When a candidate for the job, Mr Bercow promised to serve for no more than nine years as he did not see the post as a “job for life”.

But, although that means he should step down before July this year, it was reported last year Mr Bercow is keen to prolong his spell as Speaker beyond that date.

He has proven unpopular with some MPs after revealing he backed Remain at the EU referendum, forcing Mr Bercow to defend his impartiality.

The Speaker also came under fire for controversially vetoing an address to Parliament by US President Donald Trump, in an unprecedented intervention.

Ms Harman signalled, should she ever sit in the Speaker’s chair, she could reform the House of Commons by ending gendered terms such as “Honourable Lady”.

She said: “I think that basically all of these changes are big and little but together they amount to progress.

“Somebody might say ‘well, what does it matter to a woman working in a call centre in the north east whether we’re called Honourable Lady or honourable member or whatever’, but actually it’s part and parcel of reflecting and pushing forward on the change.”

Former Labour leader Lord Kinnock said he would be “delighted” if Ms Harman stood for the speakership, adding: “It’s the kind of refreshment that Parliament always needs.”

Former Tory education secretary Nicky Morgan claimed the House of Commons is “probably ready for a second female Speaker”.

Labour peer Baroness Prosser said: “I think she’d be good. She’s intelligent, she’s been in the House for such a long time, she knows the rules inside out, what you can and can’t do, she’s got a good sense of humour, she’d have the right approach.”

(c) Sky News 2018: Labour MP Harriet Harman to ‘consider’ Speaker role after John Bercow departs