01:08UK: House of Commons speaker John Bercow to step down by October 31
The House of Commons speaker John Bercow announced his plans to resign by the end of October. He was speaking at the chamber in London on Monday.
"At the 2017 election, I promised my wife and children that it would be my last. This is a pledge that I intend to keep. If the house votes tonight for an early general election, my tenure as speaker and MP will end when this parliament ends. If the house does not so vote, I have concluded, that the least disruptive and most democratic course of action would be for me to stand down at the close of business on Thursday October the 31st,'' said Bercow.
The announcement came before a secondary vote on holding a snap election. Boris Johnson's government failed to gain a majority in the first poll on Wednesday. The same result is predicted in the second ballot as the opposition stated its plan to block a No Deal Brexit before supporting a snap vote.
01:08The House of Commons speaker John Bercow announced his plans to resign by the end of October. He was speaking at the chamber in London on Monday.
"At the 2017 election, I promised my wife and children that it would be my last. This is a pledge that I intend to keep. If the house votes tonight for an early general election, my tenure as speaker and MP will end when this parliament ends. If the house does not so vote, I have concluded, that the least disruptive and most democratic course of action would be for me to stand down at the close of business on Thursday October the 31st,'' said Bercow.
The announcement came before a secondary vote on holding a snap election. Boris Johnson's government failed to gain a majority in the first poll on Wednesday. The same result is predicted in the second ballot as the opposition stated its plan to block a No Deal Brexit before supporting a snap vote.