John Bercow tells Aidan Burley to shut up during clash with Ian Austin over Nazi-themed stag do

By Jonathan Walker on Feb 10, 12 02:00 PM in Politics

Cannock MP Aidan Burley receives a right telling off from the Speaker in this video, as he heckles Dudley MP Ian Austin. The Black Country MP was demanding to know when an inquiry into Mr Burley's involvement in a Nazi-themed stag do would report its findings.

John Bercow, the Speaker, tells Mr Burley (Con Cannock Chase) to keep quiet after Mr Burley shouts "disgrace". Only Mr Austin had his microphone on, but Mr Burley's words were more audible in the Chamber than they are in this clip from the TV broadcast.

The footage comes courtesy of Political Scrapbook (who in turn got it from the BBC).

Mr Burley's complaint was that Mr Austin hadn't warned him that he planned to raise the issue in the Commons.

As we've reported, an inquiry into the Nazi-themed party attended by Mr Burley still hasn't revealed its findings. It was announced by the Conservative Party before Christmas and then quietly went away.

As Sir George Young correctly points out in this footage, that makes it a party rather than a Government matter, although it's David Cameron's responsibility either way.

Mr Austin, as you'll hear, believes Mr Burley was also disrespectful during a trip to Auschwitz..

Personally I strongly suspect Mr Burley is stupid rather than evil. I'm not sure he needs to be pursued forever over that party, although I also don't believe he can ever now become a front-bencher.

But the key point is that having announced an inquiry as a way of showing they are taking the issue seriously, the Conservative Party can't be allowed just quietly to forget it. We want to know what it's discovered and what action will be taken as a result.

Otherwise, what was the point of announcing the investigation in the first place - except as a PR stunt?