Tearful John Bercow reveals he will step down as Speaker by 31 October

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John Bercow has said he will stand down as the House of Commons Speaker, as well as an MP, before the end of next month. The colourful Speaker, famous for his bellowing cries of 'Order!' during raucous debates, will quit on 31 October, the same day Britain is due to leave the EU, unless an election is called before then. Throughout the three years since Britain voted to leave the EU, Bercow has angered the Conservative government by repeatedly allowing lawmakers to seize control of parliament's agenda to steer the course of Brexit. He said he was simply fulfilling his role of letting parliament have its say, adding that he had always 'sought to be the backbenchers' backstop'. Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube ► http://bit.ly/guardianwiressub 'Order!' Why Europeans are turning to John Bercow for light relief in Brexit chaos ► https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2019/jan/17/order-why-europeans-are-turning-to-john-bercow-for-light-relief-in-brexit-chaos-video Support the Guardian ► https://support.theguardian.com/contribute Today in Focus podcast ► https://www.theguardian.com/news/series/todayinfocus The Guardian YouTube network: The Guardian ► http://www.youtube.com/theguardian Owen Jones talks ► http://bit.ly/subsowenjones Guardian Football ► http://is.gd/guardianfootball Guardian Sport ► http://bit.ly/GDNsport Guardian Culture ► http://is.gd/guardianculture