This morning I asked a few bookies to price up whether John Bercow will still be Speaker on the 1st of January 2018, Graham Sharpe of William Hill obliged with the above odds. After much consideration, I’ve decided to take the 5/1 on him not lasting until 2018, the tweets below are indication why.

What makes the Speaker's snub to Trump so extraordinary is that it's a deliberate & very public assault on Prime Minister's foreign policy.

— Nick Robinson (@bbcnickrobinson) February 7, 2017

Talk of a vote of confidence in the Speaker doing the rounds in Tory circles…

— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) February 7, 2017

Javid sticks it to the Speaker – said he hoped Housing white paper would dominate morning news "but someone beat me to it." Bercow froths.

— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) February 7, 2017

Lords Speaker Norman Fowler to voice "disappointment" with John Bercow for failing to consult ahead of Trump vetohttps://t.co/QOzE3YX6cB

— Joe Murphy (@JoeMurphyLondon) February 7, 2017

So Speaker Bercow has managed to upset the Prime Minister, the Government, and his fellow Parliamentary officials, which makes his life very difficult. He might win a confidence vote but if a significant number of MPs vote that they have no confidence in him, I believe his position becomes untenable.  I know he’s not universally loved on the Tory benches and when he was first elected as Speaker, one MP said Bercow was the second consecutive Labour Speaker.

Because the subject isn’t a minor matter, it concerns the President of the United States, I’m someone who detests and loathes Donald Trump but I still respect the office, given the potential embarrassment this could cause Her Majesty and the impact on British foreign relations and our post Brexit future, this is an issue that won’t go away. Bercow’s announced his intention to stand down in 2018, so he might bring that forward to save himself and the country problems and embarrassment. It might also pay out if we have an early general election.

TSE