The Speaker of Britain's House of Commons set off a political firestorm Monday when he said he would seek to prevent Donald Trump from speaking in parliament during an upcoming state visit. Speaker John Bercow suggested the new US president's "racism and sexism" made him unfit to address British lawmakers.
The unprecedented comments by Speaker Bercow sparked fierce criticism that he was overstepping the bounds of his non-political office, and may have jeopardized a bilateral relationship that is critical for Britain as it eyes a post-Brexit future. But leading opposition MPs supported his stance, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn applauding Bercow for standing up for British values and saying Trump's state visit, due to take place in the summer, should be called off.
Bercow, whose role demands he remain nonpartisan, shocked MPs when he said that he would seek to prevent an address from Trump, saying permission to speak in Parliament was "not an automatic right," but an "earned honor."
The Speaker is the highest authority in the House of Commons, the lower chamber of Britain's parliament, presiding over debates in the house. As one of three "key holders" to parliament—along with the Speaker of the House of Lords, the British parliament's upper chamber, and the Lord Great Chamberlain, who represents the Queen—the Speaker must give his permission for visiting dignitaries to address the institution.
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