Tory Bercow elected Commons speaker

LONDON, June 23 (UPI) -- A Conservative member of Britain's Parliament known as a thorn in the side of Tory leader David Cameron has been elected speaker of the House of Commons.

John Bercow gained the post Monday night with significant support from the Labor Party after being warned by his Tory colleagues that his reign as Commons speaker might be a short one should Cameron emerge victorious in the next general election, The Times of London reported.

Bercow, a maverick former right-winger who has moved to the left, won the final round of voting by 322 to 271 as Labor MPs cheered loudly and most Tories glumly sat on their hands, The Times said.

He reportedly said upon taking the speaker's chair that he was keenly aware of the obligations into which he had entered, including that of impartiality.

An unnamed Tory shadow minister quoted by the newspaper said Bercow would face a challenge unless he showed total impartiality.

"He has to demonstrate in the chair that he will hold the executive to account," the unnamed official said. "He has to show that he believes in modernization and that modernization is not going to be defined by the people who helped get him the job."