Peter Bone emails viral video of ex-Speaker saying his name to all MPs

Wellingborough MP Peter Bone is hoping to persuade MPs to elect him deputy Speaker by emailing them a viral video of former Speaker John Bercow saying his name | other

Wellingborough's MP, Peter Bone, has emailed all MPs a viral video of former Speaker John Bercow saying his name, in a bid to persuade them to elect him deputy Speaker.

A clip of John Bercow saying 'Mr Peter Bone' in his distinctive delivery edited to the tune of Beethoven's 5th symphony went viral in March last year.

The clip was created by writer Rhodri Marsden, who shared the video to Twitter and said: "I'm now so obsessed with Bercow saying 'Mr Peter Bone' that I've spent a period of time setting it to the opening of Beethoven's 5th. Brexit is literally driving me mad."

The clip has been liked more than 65,000 times and retweeted more than 21,000 times.

The email was revealed on Twitter by a reporter from The Times | other

Wellingborough's MP has now shared a link to the video in an email to all MPs today (Tuesday) as part of his bid to be elected the next deputy Speaker in a vote by MPs tomorrow.

The email was revealed by The Times' reporter Esther Webber in a tweet.

In the email, Peter Bone wrote: "Dear Colleagues, If my email of yesterday didn't convince you to vote for me as Deputy Speaker, this should be the clincher, as if you vote for me tomorrow, you'll never have to hear this again!"

Mr Bone announced his bid to be the next deputy Speaker in December and told the Northamptonshire Telegraph that he was standing to restore trust in Parliament.

Mr Bone said: "That's the whole point about the reason I wanted to run, as I said in my letter, the Speaker John Bercow, the ex-Speaker, stopped being the referee and started playing for one of the sides and the result of that was Parliament was damaged."

Mr Bone wrote in his letter: "Over the last few months, the reputation of Parliament has been severely called into question. The decision by the previous Speaker, John Bercow, to not only bend the rules of our unwritten constitution, but to actually break them, caused great damage.

"The person who should have been a neutral arbiter of our proceedings became, instead, a player for one side of a political argument."

If elected deputy Speaker, Mr Bone would no longer be able to take part in partisan debates, but he will be allowed to raise constituency matters on behalf of Wellingborough and Rushden constituents.

Mr Bone told the Northants Telegraph: "As far as constituents are concerned, it doesn't affect my constituency work at all.

"If I get elected I will still have weekly surgeries and my office in Wellingborough. It's only my work in Parliament that will change."

The passionate Brexiter also dismissed the idea that remaining impartial might be a challenge and said: "No, no, I have chaired many Brexit Bills. I have proved I can be impartial."

The deputy Speaker election is tomorrow (Wednesday, January 8).