Disgraced former Speaker John Bercow arrives in Makerfield to campaign for Andy Burnham sparking hypocrisy charge from Reform

By CHRISTIAN CALGIE, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE Published: 16:59, 18 June 2026 | Updated: 17:01, 18 June 2026 Shamed former Commons Speaker John Bercow was spotted campaigning for Andy Burnham in Makerfield today, sparking outrage from onlookers. Despite being administratively suspended by the Labour Party four years ago following a damning bullying report into his behaviour while serving as Speaker, Mr Bercow was photographed leaving Mr Burnham's campaign headquarters in Makerfield. He also posed for a smiling photo with activists, with MP Karl Turner saying: 'Bercow is running the board with my East Hull crew'. But the shamed ex-Speaker's involvement in Mr Burnham's campaign has now been condemned by Reform MP Sarah Pochin. Labour's Makerfield campaign has repeatedly made allegations about their Reform opponent's attitude towards women. But Ms Pochin blasted Labour and demanded an explanation for Mr Bercow's involvement in their campaign. The Runcorn MP told the Daily Mail: 'Labour cry sexism when it suits them, but when it comes to standing up against those that bully women in the workplace, use sexist language or dismiss women that complain about sexism, they do nothing. 'The Labour Party need to explain why Mr Bercow has been allowed on their campaign in Makerfield despite his abhorrent attitude towards women.' John Bercow was snapped campaigning for Andy Burnham on the final day of the Makerfield by-election He posed for selfies with Labour activists despite his suspension from the party four years ago A damning report into John Bercow's behaviour as Commons Speaker found him guilty of multiple incidents of bullying staff Former Cabinet minister Simon Clarke branded Mr Bercow's participation in the by-election campaign 'Shameless, indeed shameful'. While Reform UK's Nadine Dorries added: 'He's bored and after a job…' John Bercow's career was left in tatters after being branded a 'serial bully' in a damning independent report in 2022, which said he subjected his staff to violent temper tantrums and scathing verbal abuse. The former Speaker, who rose to fame during the Brexit years and was repeatedly accused of trying to frustrate Britain's departure from the EU, was subsequently banned from Parliament over his behaviour. The report said that the ex-Tory MP was a 'serial liar' who had routinely subjected three members of staff to appalling treatment. Among his tyrannical behaviour were episodes where he threw a mobile phone so that it shattered over a secretary, and berated another by calling them 'f*cking stupid'. Mr Bercow was also accused of sexism by Conservative ministers at the dispatch box a number of times, including by Dame Andrea Leadsom, who said he had called her a 'stupid woman'. He was administratively suspended from Labour following the bullying inquiry in 2022, with the party saying it would undertake its own investigation. But four years on, the party is yet to say whether its investigation concluded, or provide clarity on whether Mr Bercow is a member of their party. This afternoon, a spokesman for Andy Burnham attempted to distance their campaign from Mr Bercow's involvement. They argued: 'Anyone can turn up to a campaign centre, and I'm sure Reform and Restore have had many people through their ranks today they wouldn't have necessarily advocate for them.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.