Week in Westminster - 27/06/2009

If anyone thought that the election of John Bercow as commons speaker would end all controversy on that subject they were wrong. His election was not supported by the vast majority of Conservatives, and the Labour side was accused of cocking a snook at the opposition for having got rid of Speaker Martin. So much for grown-up politics. Frank Dobson, Labour, and Keith Simpson, Conservative, discuss tribal politics. Apart from the election of the speaker the Parliamentary Standards Bill was introduced in the commons this week establishing an independent authority to oversee and regulate MPs' conduct and expenses. David Davis, Conservative, Chris Mullin, Labour, Elfyn Llwyd, Plaid Cymru, and Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrat, consider how brave this new world will be. And as the government succumbed to pressure to revise its terms of reference for the Iraq war inquiry announced last week, Lord Butler, former Cabinet Secretary, and former cabinet minister, Clare Short, discuss what such inquiries can achieve.