Opinion divided as Bercow takes chair

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John Bercow has chaired his first Commons question time, but faces continuing scepticism from the Conservative front and back benches.

As health questions began, he urged MPs to keep their 'supplementaries' to one questions and asked ministers to keep their replies to a "reasonable length".

"I am determined that we make good progress through the order paper," he said.

Labour MP John Robertson, the first to ask a question, said he hoped Bercow gained "more goodwill than some of your predecessors have".

Bercow, however, faces continued opposition from many in his former party.

Shadow Commons leader Alan Duncan said many Conservatives felt Bercow "positioned himself in order to woo Labour to get the speakership".

"A lot of people are annoyed that it worked," he added.

And Tory backbencher Nadine Dorries described Bercow's election as a "two-fingered salute" to voters by Labour MPs.

"While I hope that he can do the job, unfortunately I think this was the last hurrah of a dying Labour government and I think it was almost a two-fingered salute to the British people from Labour MPs, and to the Conservative Party," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"It was a vindictive political act on behalf of the Labour Party towards what they see to be the future Conservative government and the British people.

"It had nothing to do with reform - it was all about the Labour Party playing party politics through a red mist."

Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb posted a comment on Twitter saying: "The extent of the venom on the Tory side for John Bercow is extraordinary."

But Labour MP Tom Harris wrote on his blog that Dorries' "screeching partisanship" had been "ungracious to say the least".

"I didn't vote for Bercow, but I have no doubt he will be a good Speaker," he said.

"In a democracy, those who lose the vote must accept the result. If the Tories refuse to do that, they will be exposed as having no respect, either for the House, or for democracy itself."

Conservative MP John Redwood, writing on his blog, agreed with Dorries that Labour "decided to behave tribally and to elect the candidate many Conservatives did not want".

But he added: "Conservatives now have to accept the result, and show respect to our new Speaker. We all need this to work.

"The Opposition should not prejudge this Speaker. He should be judged on how well he does at allowing Parliament to have more teeth and to hold a more central role in public debate."

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