In his maiden speech in the British Parliament, Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, did not mince words in criticizing the conduct of the House of Commons during the Brexit process. Farage was elected as a Member of Parliament in the recent national General Election and was called upon to make a speech welcoming the newly re-elected speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle.
Farage began his speech by poking fun at himself, referencing his eight previous attempts to win a seat in Parliament before finally succeeding. He praised Hoyle, saying that he brought “tremendous dignity” to the role of Speaker, and endorsed him for the position. However, Farage also took aim at his predecessor, John Bercow, who was a source of controversy and frustration for Brexiteers during his tenure as Speaker.
Farage accused Bercow of attempting to “overturn the biggest democratic result in the history of the country” and “besmirching the office” of Speaker. He received a mixture of laughter and heckles from other members of Parliament, but his comments were met with applause from his Reform UK delegation.
Bercow was criticized for repeatedly using his power as Speaker to frustrate the Brexit process, contributing to the chaos of the Theresa May years. After leaving office, Bercow admitted to using his power in this way, even boasting that he had “facilitated” the prevention of a clean-break Brexit.
