LONDON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- John Bercow, who served as speaker of Britain's House of Commons (lower house of Parliament) during fraught debates over Brexit, has been suspended from the Labour Party, local media reported on Tuesday.
Bercow's membership has now been suspended, pending the outcome of an internal Labour probe, according to the Independent and Sky News. He joined the Labour Party in 2021.
His suspension came after a report published earlier in the day by an Independent Expert Panel (IEP) described him as a "liar" and a "serial bully".
In a damning 89-page adjudication, the panel reprimanded Bercow for his conduct while he held the highest office in the country's Parliament. He faced 21 allegations made by three senior House of Commons staff members.
The IEP sub-panel, headed by eminent High Court Judge Stephen Irwin, found Bercow's conduct to be so serious that he should never be allowed a pass to the parliamentary estate. The panel added that if he were still an MP (Member of Parliament) they would have recommended expelling him from the House of Commons.
The bullying and harassment policy was breached repeatedly and extensively by Bercow, the panel said.
Announcing the decision, the panel said: "In all, 21 separate allegations were proved and have been upheld. The House may feel that his conduct brought the high office of Speaker into disrepute. This was behavior which had no place in any workplace. Members of staff in the House (of Commons) should not be expected to have to tolerate it as part of everyday life."
"His behavior fell very far below that which the public has a right to expect from any Member of Parliament," the report concluded.
Bercow served as an MP for Buckingham from 1997 to 2019 and as a speaker from 2009 to 2019, chairing often rowdy debates during clashes in the House of Commons over Britain's departure from the European Union. ■