Now the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, has suffered the indignity of being abused in public by a Conservative backbencher, who snapped “you’re not f—— royalty” during an ugly confrontation in a Westminster corridor.
In the latest display of animosity between Tory members and the Speaker, Mark Pritchard delivered the four-letter insult after Mr Bercow had refused to call him to ask a question in the Commons.
The Speaker claimed that he turned down Mr Pritchard’s requests to intervene during routine business questions because the Tory MP had not been present at the start of the sitting. In fact, Mr Pritchard had been there, but had temporarily left the Chamber half way through the session to visit the lavatory.
He was so outraged that he immediately wrote a letter of complaint. But as the MP walked from the Chamber to deliver the letter he encountered the Speaker and his ceremonial entourage walking towards him in a corridor adjacent to the Chamber.
Mr Bercow then stopped, pointed at Mr Pritchard and said: “The courtesy of the House is that Honourable Members should stand aside when the Speaker passes by”.
Mr Pritchard, who is vice-chairman of the Tory 1922 back-bench committee, refused to be cowed and retorted: “Mr Speaker, don’t point at me. I am not here to be abused by you.”
But Mr Bercow demanded: “You will obey the courtesies of the House!”
To the astonishment of MPs who were passing, Mr Pritchard replied: “You are not f—— royalty, Mr Speaker,” before walking away. In an attempt to have the last word, Mr Bercow said: “Well, a good morning to you, Sir.”
Mr Pritchard later stood by his actions, telling reporters: “I have not been sent to Parliament to be abused by anybody. When somebody abuses me in this House, they are abusing my constituents.”