Keir Starmer might be gone but Labour is still counting the cost of his legacy. Party membership figures published this week showed that the number of card-carrying activists plunged 20 per cent during the ex-PM’s first year in office, falling from 333,235 at the end of 2024 to 264,754 twelve months’ on. No wonder the Greens are now boasting about being on the cusp of overtaking Labour.
Still, one man who is apparently happy to pay his dues is, er, John Bercow. Yes, that’s right – the disgraced former Speaker of the House of Commons is now a Labour member. Bercow joined the party back in June 2021 but was suspended the following March, after a report by Parliament’s Independent Expert Panel upheld 21 separate allegations of bullying and harassment. One complainant said Bercow had ‘shouted and mimicked’ his employees, while another said the MP often displayed ‘threatening conduct’ and ‘undermining behaviour’. Hardly in keeping with Labour values…
But now Steerpike can reveal that the onetime Tory MP was actually quietly readmitted back in December 2023, following a party investigation. No word of this appeared in the press until The Spectator made an inquiry earlier today. A spokesman for the Labour party told Mr S this evening that: ‘All complaints are assessed thoroughly in line with the Labour party’s rules and procedures.’ So much for all that talk about solidarity, eh?
Comments