There is something very shabby about Boris Johnson's act. His refusal to follow precedent and grant John Bercow the customary peerage given to retiring Speakers is just one more example.
So I am pleased to see that Bercow's successor Lindsay Hoyle has called for the precedent top be followed.
The Evening Standard quotes Hoyle as saying:
"My view is every speaker has been offered a peerage, so custom and practice says that's what's always happened.
"It doesn't have to be taken but, personally, I think if that has always happened then we should continue with that.
"I think it should be offered to him. He has served the House, he served for 10 years, he did some great things. And that's what makes the difference."Good on Sir Lindsay. I was afraid that he would be one of those speakers who comes over as a character but is in reality a bit of a pussy cat towards the government. But maybe there is more to him than that.
For he has played down reports that he will ensure Big Ben will ring the UK out of the European Union on 31 January:
"What I'm willing to do is allow the House to make that decision.
"But the story suddenly was, 'Lindsay Hoyle was going to bong Big Ben himself', by the sounds of it."
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