Andrea Leadsom urges John Bercow to treat colleagues with ‘courtesy and respect’

Andrea Leadsom has issued a thinly-veiled attack on the Speaker John Bercow as she urged him to treat colleagues with “courtesy and respect”.

The Commons Leader said she had the “greatest regard for the role of the chair”, but said it was vital that the Speaker presides over the chamber “impartially”.

Mrs Leadsom and Mr Bercow’s fractious relationship has been subject to much speculation in Westminster after he was accused of calling her a “stupid woman”.

The Speaker also faced a political storm last month over his handling of the Brexit process.

In an interview with the Press Association, Mrs Leadsom said: “I have the greatest regard for the role of the chair.

“It’s absolutely vital that the Speaker of the House of Commons presides over the chamber impartially and with courtesy and respect.

“And I also do hope and expect people to treat each other with courtesy and respect, whether inside the chamber or outside of it, so I have no issue at all with the role of the chair.

“I think that it’s an absolutely crucial role but at the same time having spent a significant part of my life in the Leaders’ Office trying to put into place a new behaviour code for Parliament and new complaints procedures, a whole new raft of training, advice and wellbeing support for all of the 15,000 people who work in this place so I really do want to see culture change.

“I would like to see people treating each other with courtesy and respect, whoever they are.”

Asked if that included Mr Bercow, she said: “That includes absolutely everybody, inside and outside the chamber.”

Mrs Leadsom also revealed that she had been spoken to in a “patronising” way by people in Parliament, after her Cabinet colleague Liz Truss told a newspaper that she had been “mansplained” to in Cabinet.

She said: “There’s no doubt that sometimes people can perhaps behave in a slightly patronising way and it’s just people, and I think it’s important to keep a sense of proportion and keep a sense of humour.

“But I think the very serious point is that people do need to treat each other with courtesy and respect and set a standard rather than just behaving in a misogynistic or patronising way or derogatory way towards their own colleagues.”

A spokeswoman for the Speaker’s Office said: “The Speaker absolutely shares the Leader’s ambition to develop a culture of courtesy and respect.

“Indeed, he can be heard every day of the working week encouraging members on both sides of the House to treat each other with respect.”