John Bercow joins a long line of well-known local dignitaries including MPs who have supported the choir since its first inaugural concert on 20th December 1859. This concert was supported by two Patrons, being the two! Members of Parliament for Buckingham at the time, the Rt Hon Sir Harry Verney and John Gellibrand Hubbard, 1st Baron Addington.
John was born in 1963 and was educated at Finchley Manorhill School and the University of Essex where he graduated in 1985 with a First Class Honours in Government.
He became a Conservative councillor in the London Borough of Lambeth in 1986 (until 1990) and serving from 1987 to 1989 as deputy leader of the 21 strong Conservative Opposition Group. At the time John was the youngest deputy group leader in the country.
John has been Member of Parliament for Buckingham since May 1997.
On 22 June 2009, John was elected as the 157th Speaker of the House of Commons.
Outside politics, John enjoys tennis, squash, swimming, reading and music. He has enjoyed a successful dual career in the tennis world as competitive junior player and qualified coach. In June 2014, John published a new book Tennis Maestros: The twenty greatest male tennis players of all time, in which he sets out to determine just who is the greatest of the greats. Quite a challenge!
