Speaker of the House of Commons to share insights at Leicester
Speaker of the House of Commons the Rt Hon. John Bercow MP will be welcomed to campus on Friday 27 October, where he will share his unique insight into the workings of Parliament with students and staff. Mr Speaker is visiting our campus to deliver a seminar for a national ‘Parliamentary Studies’ module, which is the result of an academic connection established between our University and Parliament.
The module is only available at 20 universities throughout the UK, all of which had to apply through a competitive process.
A selection of students will have the opportunity to hear directly from and question Mr Speaker, who has a unique insight into the way the Commons works, and how it has been reformed over time. Mr Speaker will share his experience and expertise in a manner that will not only facilitate a better understanding of Parliament, but of UK politics in a wider sense. Following this, he will give a lecture to a University audience entitled “The Making of a Modern Parliament”.
Dr Richard Whitaker from the School of History, Politics and International Relations, said: “We are delighted to be hosting Mr Speaker at the University of Leicester. I know that my Parliamentary Studies students are eagerly anticipating his visit and the chance to question him about how Parliament really works.”
John Bercow’s political career began in a University setting in 1986, when he served as National Chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students. In 1987, he was appointed as Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Collegiate Forum to head the campaign for student support in the run-up to the 1987 general election.
Mr Bercow has since held a number of esteemed Parliamentary posts, including ‘Front Bench Spokesman for Education & Employment’, ‘Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury’, ‘Shadow Minister For Work & Pensions’ and ‘Shadow Secretary of State for International Development’. He was elected as the 157th Speaker of the House of Commons on 22 June 2009.