John Bercow faces calls to 'think about his position' after bid to silence Donald Trump
Watch | Bercow: I'm strongly opposed to Trump addressing Parliament
03:07
John Bercow has been urged to "think about" his position as Speaker after he vowed to block Donald Trump from speaking in Parliament and accused the US president of “racism and sexism”.
The Speaker of the Commons said he was “strongly opposed” to allowing Mr Trump to deliver an address in Westminster Hall and directly criticised his administration’s travel ban.
Iraqi-born Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi, who sharply criticised Mr Trump's travel ban after learning he could be caught up in it, has suggested Mr Bercow was a hypocrite.
Mr Zahawi said the Speaker had invited Chinese president Xi Jinping despite MPs being unhappy about his policy on Tibet, and the emir of Kuwait, which bans British dual nationals of Israeli origin, to speak in Parliament.
He said Mr Bercow should now "think about" his position and explain his remarks to Parliament.
The Tory MP told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think it is, in my book, unwise and he opens himself up to the accusation of hypocrisy, that's my point."
Lord Lamont, the former Tory Chancellor, told Sky News he believed Mr Bercow had "gone too far" and "made a terrible error".
John Whittingdale, the former CultureSeecretary, said Mr Bercow’s speech was "damaging to the national interest".
He accused Mr Bercow of "playing to the gallery for as much publicity as possible" and suggested the Speaker could have had a "quiet word" with the Prime Minister rather than speaking publicly.
Lord Speaker Lord Fowler is expected to make his own statement on the issue at 2.30pm this afternoon.
A source close to the peer told the Telegraph he will "express his disappointment that John Bercow did not consult him before he made a statement in the House."
Adding: "No one has had a request for Trump to speak and he believes that it is not their role to take a view before that has come in.
"He is no fan of Trump himself - he has some reservations about some of his policies, but that formal request has not come in.
"Lord Fowler felt put out that John had gone ahead and done this without informing him."
