John Bercow leaves Tory minister speechless with his scathing criticism of the government

Former Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow left Tory minister, Robert Jenrick speechless with his blistering criticism of the government.

In particular, its decision to send armed naval ships to patrol Jersey, amid rows with the French over fishing licences.

On BBC’s flagship political programme, Question Time, Bercow certainly didn’t hold back when it came to sharing his thoughts on the matter - calling it an “absurd act of gunboat diplomacy” and “a bit of jingoistic sabre-rattling.”

He added: “And if you tell me or anybody does tonight that the dispatch of those ships and the fact of election day are unrelated, I can say only that you will believe anything.

“It’s juvenile, its downmarket, it’s not constructive, it doesn’t advance the cause of the arguments that need to be resolved.”

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In the feisty exchange, the Secretary of State for Housing, Jenrick also accused Bercow of meddling with Brexit during his time as Speaker.

He said: “John obviously sat in the chair using every device and opportunity to make it [Brexit] difficult.”

But Bercow didn’t pull any punches with his snappy response: “It’s called standing up for the rights of the democratic legislature, Robert. I’ll introduce you to the concept.

“A tutorial would be of great advantage to members of her majesty’s government.”

Ouch, burn.

The savage response left Jenrick speechless.

An awkward silence fell over the studio and host Fiona Bruce then commented on the reaction of the show’s virtuall audience: “Some people are applauding it, some people are shaking their heads.”

Of course, social media has plenty to say about the political clash, many praising Bercow’s fierce remarks.

It’s safe to say that the Tories had a better time in Hartlepool than at the BBC last night.