In 2018, BBC Newsnight alleged that I bullied staff between 2009 and 2011. I honestly denied those allegations and continued my work as MP and Speaker during a tumultuous period in British politics. In 2019, the House of Commons extended its anti-bullying scheme to cover historic cases of alleged misconduct by MPs without any time limit. Press leaks suggested that there were complaints about me but I was told only in May 2020 that I would be investigated.

The system is bizarre. Non-lawyer investigators appointed with input from the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner recommend full investigations and are then paid to conduct them. The Commissioner does not interview the respondent but pronounces judgment, including declaring someone “guilty” after an investigator has recommended “not guilty”. There is no cross-examination. Witnesses should provide evidence relating to the alleged incidents. Yet investigators interviewed a plethora of “absent witnesses” who couldn’t. 

The English courts are wary of hearsay but such hearsay was often preferred to the testimony of those present. In several instances, investigators made findings without questioning me, thereby violating natural justice. 

In one investigation, 26 witnesses saw no bullying but that still did not satisfy the investigator! Instead of demanding evidence, he opted for a pseudo study of Pinteresque atmospherics by speculating on office mood over a decade ago! Confidentiality in the investigations is demanded, yet details of allegations were leaked to the media with impunity.

Of what am I accused? 

None of us is perfect. Yet in over 20 years in Parliament I enjoyed superb relations with staff, many supporting me as Speaker from start to finish. Of what am I accused? 

Allegedly I stared hate-filled at an employee in 2010. Nine witnesses were not interviewed but I was judged guilty! 

Allegedly I ghosted a staffer on an aeroplane. No, it was a night flight and I went to sleep before addressing 300 people at a conference the next day. 

Allegedly, I twice threw a mobile phone 12 years ago. The two witnesses present did not substantiate the allegation. This inconvenient fact was brushed aside in favour of two “witnesses” who were not present but who had been told of the incidents! 

Allegedly, I swore at an employee sometime in 2009. The witness did not recall this but the investigator reckons it happened. Why ask the only witness, only to dismiss her evidence? 

Allegedly, I made a discriminatory remark – which I would never do. For over two decades, I have championed equality inside and outside the workplace.

The Commissioner has upheld 21 findings against me. Of course, behind the scenes, I have appealed against her verdicts, making my submissions to the so-called Independent Expert Panel, staffed by supposedly impartial lawyers.

This has proved a complete waste of time. I now realise that the IEP is just a rubber stamp for the Commissioner. On every appeal from a respondent, it has sided with the Commissioner; in my case agreeing with her 21 times out of 21! 

‘A Kafkaesque process’

At the end of a two-year Kafkaesque process entailing exorbitant cost to the taxpayer, the panel declares that I should be denied a parliamentary pass which I have never applied for and do not want! That is the absurdity of its position.

So don’t fall for the Establishment spin that I have been banned for life. With the help of a friendly passholder I can always attend debates in the House or go as a member of the public. I have been denied something I do not want.

The anti-bullying policy is defective. An independent report has warned that in historic cases evidence can deteriorate, as records are deleted and memories fade. Indeed, the House has decreed that, from April 2022, bullying complaints must be brought within 12 months. Yet I have had to defend myself against complaints up to 12 years old that would not be heard in court.

It was an honour to serve as Speaker longer than any post-war predecessor. I did not want to be someone but to do something – to reform in the Chamber, the running of Parliament and relations with civil society.

I granted more Urgent Questions and Emergency Debates than ever so that MPs could scrutinise Ministers. That was unpopular with the old guard. Yet it was right to champion the rights of MPs individually to speak up for their constituents and for Parliament institutionally as the check on governmental power.

Outside the Chamber, I modernised the House, establishing a nursery MPs and staff could pay for to balance work and childcare. Building a state-of-the-art Education Centre to allow students to learn about the journey from the Magna Carta to citizens’ rights and duties today was fundamental too. 

Appointing more female and BAME senior staff despite stiff resistance was a huge positive, Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin as Speaker’s Chaplain being the best example of many. Reactionaries objected, I persevered. 

Ensuring that all House workers earned at least the London Living Wage and scrapping unwanted zero hours contracts were progressive battles too. Similarly, against opposition, I created a paid internships scheme to enable people from disadvantaged backgrounds to work in the Commons. 

I opened up Speaker’s House to host over 1,000 charitable events, prioritising children, fighting global poverty and greater equality. I chaired the UK Youth Parliament, and visited their conference, every year for a decade. If we MPs wanted to be respected by young people, we must show respect for young people. One senior MP was puce with rage but he was a neanderthal. 

‘Keep the best and improve the rest’

Throughout, I looked to keep the best and improve the rest. Strengthening the legislature, making the House more representative and fashioning a dialogue with the public. I made friends and incurred enemies. 

A tiny minority sought to block as I fought to deliver my reform mandate. If some people disliked me sticking to my guns, that is regrettable. I wasn’t hunting for trophies but delivering necessary, desired and overdue change. It was a determined approach. 

It was not bullying and no court bar a kangaroo court would find that it was.

John Bercow is the former Speaker of the House of Commons