News / Politics

Life imitates meme as John Bercow calls Thangam Debbonaire to speak in Commons

By Martin Booth  Monday Apr 8, 2019

Speaker John Bercow enjoyed himself in the House of Commons chamber on Monday afternoon as he called Thangam Debbonaire to speak.

Bercow recreated a widely shared meme of himself saying the Bristol West MP’s name to the tune of Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer.

Here’s the meme:

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And here’s real life during a debate about medical cannabis:

“Thank you, Mr Speaker,” said the opposition whip, pausing to regain her composure as a few parliamentary colleagues on both sides of the house chuckled.

“The dangers of internet memes,” she added, as Bercow theatrically slapped himself on the knee.

Thangam Debbonaire is running the London Marathon on April 28 to raise money for Bristol Drugs Project’s youth groups, supporting children affected by their family members’ drug or alcohol use. Click here to donate.

Read more: Bristol West is the UK constituency with the most people signing viral petition

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