John Bercow has defended his comments about Donald Trump by saying his remarks were made ‘honestly and honourably’. Today’s editorials, however, do not see it that way. ‘This time he has gone too far,’ says the Daily Mail, which calls the Speaker an ‘egotistical publicity speaker’ and a ‘pipsqueak’. The Mail goes on to say that Bercow has shown that he is far from politically neutral. It calls the Speaker – who has welcomed visitors from North Korea to Parliament – a hypocrite, and says that his ‘persistent bias’ and ‘lavish expenses’ also show that he is not an asset to the Commons. So what should Bercow do? The answer, the Mail says, is simple: it’s time for him to go. Frankly, the paper concludes, Bercow is an ‘embarrassment’ and he should realise that his ‘love of the sound of his own voice’ isn’t shared by other MPs who he is meant to represent.
Despite his apology, the Times says it’s clear that Bercow overreached himself in hitting out so directly at Donald Trump. What was strange about his remarks were that no one had actually even asked him, suggesting that his willingness to wade into the debate showed his comments up for what they really were: an ‘unnecessary act of parliamentary showmanship’. Of course, Bercow like any one else, is ‘entitled to his personal opinions’. But the problem comes when sharing them isn’t ‘relevant’ to his job. What’s more, given that neither Downing Street or Donald Trump have mentioned the President speaking in front of Parliament on his state visit, Bercow has elevated a remark made by Nigel Farage, allowing it to ‘set the agenda’. It’s also obvious, the Times argues, that Bercow is something of a hypocrite – pointing to the invitations he extended to President Xi of China and Kuwaiti Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah. Instead of being guided by lofty principles, is it possible that Bercow is following instead his ‘fondness for the limelight’?
Bercow’s comments are coming back to bite him, says the Sun, which has little sympathy with the sticky situation the Speaker has landed himself in. It seems the Speaker thought it would be an ‘easy win trashing Trump’. But Bercow didn’t count on the backlash and nor did he reckon for the Lord’s Speaker saying he might still offer an invite to Trump. While Bercow’s comments are an obvious example of ‘grandstanding’, it’s worth remembering he isn’t the only person guilty of doing that over Trump. The Sun says ‘Jeremy Corbyn is repulsed by Trump’s “misogyny and racism” yet romanticises murderers from the IRA and Hamas’. It’s time for Trump’s ‘more hysterical critics’ to get a dose of reality and find some perspective, the Sun says.
John Bercow might have snatched away many of the headlines but it was far from being all about the Speaker in Parliament yesterday. The Government staved off a rebellion on its Article 50 bill. While Sajid Javid unveiled a White Paper on tackling Britain’s housing crisis. The FT says that the Government’s plans finally demonstrate a ‘solid start’ to facing up to the problem of housing in Britain. Admittedly, Sajid Javid’s answers are ‘about incremental change and offer no radical solutions’. But his plans are a ‘welcome change from the more ideological path followed by David Cameron’s government’. His willingness to try and ‘improve conditions in the rental market’, for example, demonstrates a sensible step away from the ‘fixation on home ownership’. While his bid to ‘support smaller builders’ is also a helpful step in the right direction. Of course, not everyone will be pleased with what was – and wasn’t – announced yesterday. For one, the ‘decision to leave greenbelt land untouched’ will annoy some. Yet it’s obvious that such a policy would ‘never have been the natural impulse of a Conservative government’. Now the real test lies ahead: whether Tory councils in ‘leafy shire’ put her plans into action
This won’t fix a broken market, says the Guardian, which suggests Said Javid’s plans are a ‘missed opportunity’. The White Paper is light on detail and lacks the ‘ambitious, radical reforms’ needed to do something about Britain’s housing woes. In contrast to the FT’s analysis, the Guardian says it’s clear the Tories are still obsessed by home ownership and are dancing to the tune of the ‘property-owning democracy’. It seems, says the Guardian, that ministers know ‘they have to push the market firmly towards promoting rental options, but can’t bring themselves to say that home ownership is not the ‘pot of gold’ answer’. Instead of offering a proper solution in the form of giving ‘real protections for renters’, the Government has, once again, missed a chance to do something to address Britain’s housing crisis.
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