Steve Richards has become the preferred conduit for the Speaker’s spin in the ‘Canberra caterer’ row. Having taken copy, Richard’s regurgitated it for the Guardian:

“In small ways he has attempted to move the buildings closer to the real world. There is even a creche now. Each move is met with resistance. One of the forces of conservatism was the outgoing chief clerk, Sir Robert Rogers, who had worked in the house since 1972. Rogers had an admirable commitment to the Commons in an era when it was more fashionable to view the place with casual contempt, but he resisted most of Bercow’s innovations. To give a small example, when Bercow asked for some of the younger clerks to perform the senior role of sitting in front of him in the Commons, Rogers suggested that such an elevation would be appropriate in another 10 or 15 years. Bercow did not want to wait 15 years.”

The Speaker, and thus Richards, conveniently forget though that almost everything praiseworthy Bercow has done – greater use of Urgent Questions, an increase in Standing Order 24 emergency debates and indeed splitting the role of clerk and chief executive – were all proposed by Mister Whiskers himself. For Bercow to be trashing the reputation of his erstwhile mentor shows just how dirty the cornered Speaker is willing to play.