Former Tory MP Rob Wilson previously claimed that Mr Bercow could “go into an empty room and still find an argument”. Writing in the Telegraph in 2011, Mr Wilson claimed that the Speaker had exhibited a worrying pattern of argumentative behaviour. He cited a biography of the Speaker by Bobby Friedman entitled ‘Bercow, Mr Speaker: Rowdy Living in the Tory Party’.

Mr Friedman apparently claimed that Mr Bercow is always “the outsider” trying to win respect from a certain group, but continually sabotaging himself.

For example, in his early political years, Mr Bercow was reportedly associated with the Monday Club, a right-wing Tory group known for its opposition to immigration and support for the death penalty.

However, once he had their acceptance, he “manufactured a row” with the group and left to enter mainstream Conservatism.

In this new crowd, he worked as a researcher and then sought out a safe seat for election.

Mr Wilson wrote: “But yet again, his reputed instinct for disloyalty or bad temper got the better of him.”

This was displayed in the fact that, while working for Conservative minister Virginia Bottomley, Mr Bercow actually challenged her husband Peter in a selection battle.

Once he was actually elected in 1997 – for Buckingham, one of the safest Tory seats in the country – he was quickly promoted to front benches of the Opposition.

He took up the post of Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2001 and later Shadow International Development Secretary.

And yet, he allegedly alienated his colleagues by denouncing fellow shadow minister Ann Widdecombe and “sneering at others’ contributions in the Chamber”.

Mr Wilson wrote: “His colleagues began to suspect that Bercow could go into an empty room and still find an argument.”

Meanwhile, he ingratiated himself with Labour MPs, reportedly even sending them notes of congratulations on speeches.

Many were sure he would soon cross over to the other bench, but then the 2009 Speaker election took place, which he won with the support of many Labour MPs.

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Mr Wilson added that Mr Bercow is “widely seen as biased against the Tories”.

This dissatisfaction in the Speaker’s potential partiality echoes in today’s discourse surrounding Brexit.

Mr Bercow has previously admitted he voted Remain in the 2016 EU referendum and many Brexiteers feel like he has displayed a relevant bias in the Commons.

Just last month, the Speaker branded Boris Johnson’s decision to prorogue Parliament as a “constitutional outrage” and “an offence against the democratic process”.

He was brought down a peg by Baron John Alderdice, who was Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1998 to 2004, and is now a sitting Liberal Democrat peer.

Baron Alderdice said on Twitter: “I am pro-Remain, but I am also a former Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

“I believe that John Bercow is damaging the position of the Speaker of the House of Commons by his failure to remain non-partisan, as is his responsibility.”

Earlier this year, Mr Bercow threw out parliamentary precedent to allow a vote on an amendment to a Government motion tabled by Tory rebel Dominic Grieve.

The Government lost the vote, meaning that ministers had to come up with a ‘Plan B’ within three days, rather than three weeks after Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement was rejected by Parliament.

A long-standing precedent indicated that the business motion was unamendable, but the Speaker argued that if Parliament was always bound by precedent nothing would ever change.

However, his decision was described as “extremely concerning” by Commons leader Andrea Leadsom.

She told ITV’s Robert Peston: “What happened today was that the Speaker, instead of being the guardian of the rules, decided to unilaterally change the rules.

“It doesn’t just damage me, it damages all of Parliament.”

What’s more, former minister Crispin Blunt questioned whether Mr Bercow was a “neutral referee in our affairs”.

However, Mr Bercow’s actions in Parliament that make life difficult for the Government may not be that surprising in the context of his argumentative nature, as well as his alleged sympathy for the Opposition.

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