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The Speaker of the House of Commons. John Bercow faced calls for his resignation this week after a report on bullying in the House of Commons said a culture of "acquiescence and silence" had meant the problem had not been tackled effectively. But the role of Speaker has historically been a difficult one: originally intended as an intermediary between the king and the Commons, it remains at times politically fraught position. Paul Seaward, British Academy Wolfson Research Professor at the History of Parliament project, looks at the evolution of the post. Image © PA/PA Wire