Former speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow is set to share his life story and words of wisdom with young people in our London chapter.

We’re delighted to announce that the former speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, will be addressing our London chapter this year. Mr Bercow has served in parliament since 1997 as an MP for Buckingham and served as the speaker of the House of Commons from 2009 to 2019.

John Bercow has been noted for his efforts to engage young people in British democracy and has cited that respect from young people is not an “automatic right” for politicians; instead it is an “earned privilege”. Mr Bercow has worked with schools since being elected as the speaker of the house in 2009 and aims to raise awareness of how young people can make their voices heard.

Orbit’s Life Story events bring the UK’s leading politicians, business leaders, and athletes to share their stories and “words of wisdom” with our cohort of Orbiteers, volunteers and partners. Mr Bercow will be interviewed for forty-five minutes, followed by fifteen minutes of audience Q&A. Our Orbiteers, volunteers and sponsors will have the chance to meet the speaker in person after the event. Professional photographers and filming teams will also be in attendance.

Previous events have featured billionaire entrepreneurs Sir Tom Hunter, Jim McColl OBE and gold medal winning boxer Charlie Flynn.

Orbit’s managing director, Kieran Aitken, said “I’m delighted that Mr Bercow will be visiting our Orbiteers later this year. We’re determined to continue bringing the UK’s most inspirational business leaders and politicians to visit Orbit’s programme and Mr Bercow will be greeted with a warm reception to Orbit’s London chapter.”

This event was originally set to take place on the 10th September 2019 however was postponed after Mr Bercow had a diary clash. The rescheduled date for the event will be announced in due course.]

08/01/20