A CONSERVATIVE MP disowned by his own side but backed enthusiastically by Labour MPs will lead the clean-up of the Commons after being elected Speaker last night.

John Bercow triumphed after three rounds of voting stretching over six hours, comfortably defeating fellow Tory Sir George Young, in the final run-off.

However, some Tories were muttering yesterday that they would not accept the new Speaker if they win the next election convincingly, but would instead try to unseat him.

In a sign of the distrust in his own party, it was reported that one Bercow-supporting Labour MP told David Cameron he had voted for a Tory, only for the Conservative leader to reply: “John Bercow doesn’t count.”

Minutes after the result was read out, Mr Bercow was dragged to the chair in a traditional ceremony before describing it as “the greatest honour I have enjoyed in my professional life”.

Pledging to be “completely impartial”, he was quick to remind MPs of the scandal that had triggered the election.

He said: “We have faced quite the most testing times, it has been a gruelling experience.

Many members feel very sore and very vulnerable, but large sections of the public also feel angry and disappointed.”

The election – the first to be carried out by secret ballot – followed the resignation of Michael Martin, the first Speaker to be forced out in more than 300 years.

Mr Martin was attacked for overseeing a system that apparently encouraged MPs to fiddle their expenses, while fighting to prevent the release of receipts that proved the scandal.

In his hustings speech to the Commons, Mr Bercow described himself as the “cleanbreak”

candidate – someone who would go out into the country to explain the role of Parliament and the work MPs do, as well as listening to the public’s concerns.

Many Labour MPs voted for him because they believed he will lead reform and help Parliament stand up to an overmighty Government.

But many others backed him to “stuff the Tories” – Mr Bercow quit the frontbench over its refusal to support adoption by gay couples, and is suspected of flirting with defection to Labour.

He triumphed despite his own expenses controversy.

Last month, he repaid £6,500 in capital gains tax on the sale of two properties after it was disclosed that he had “flipped” his designated second home.

Mr Bercow defeated Sir George by 322 votes to 271, after the original ten candidates for Speaker were whittled down to two.

The biggest surprise was that former Labour Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett won only 74 votes in the first round – and dropped out after slumping to 70 in the second – despite being the bookies’ favourite.