LABOUR is nominating former Commons speaker John Bercow for a peerage, according to reports.
Sources in the opposition party did not deny the claim to the PA news agency, and declined to comment on the situation.
Such a move would be remarkable given that Bercow was a Tory MP, before being elevated to presiding over the main Parliamentary chamber.
Bercow drew fire from a number of prominent Brexiteers over the past few years as he was accused on helping support a Remain agenda in the Commons.
It was reported that Tory high command was so angered by Bercow's stance that it took the highly unusual decision not to offer a retiring Commons speaker a place in the House of Lords.
However, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has stepped in and nominated Bercow for a peerage, according to the Sunday Times.
The newspaper also stated that Corbyn had also put forward former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson, with whom he had an often tense working relationship, for a peerage.
Corbyn's former key aide and chief of staff Karie Murphy has also been nominated for a place in the upper house, according to the report.
Labour sources would not comment on any of the claims.
The newspaper said that the trio appear on an eight-strong list of dissolution honours nominations put forward by the Labour chief, who will quit his post in April after leading the party to two successive general election defeats.
Vetting will begin on the nominations soon, the newspaper said.
A nomination for Murphy could also prove controversial given the inquiry into alleged instances of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
The Jewish Labour Movement tweeted a statement saying Murphy's nomination was "deeply inappropriate and must be rescinded immediately".
"Jeremy Corbyn is using his final weeks in office to reward failure," the group added.
Labour MP, and longstanding critic of Corbyn, Siobhain McDonagh, endorsed a Tweet by the group Hope Not Hate, which stated: "No one who is a subject in the EHRC investigation should be ennobled before the full EHRC report is released."
Referring to the Tweet, McDonagh said: "A very reasonable view don't you think?"
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel