Odds slashed on Bercow resignation following Big Brother launch
By Phil ScullionFollow @PhilScullion
Sally Bercow's presence in the Celebrity Big Brother house makes it more likely that Commons Speaker John Bercow will resign, according to bookmakers.
Odds of 20-1 on the Speaker to step down are being offered by William Hill, whilst the couple splitting this year is set at 8-1 following weekend reports that he was extremely angry over her decision to appear in the programme.
The chances of Mr Bercow being given access to his wife to plead for her to leave the show is set at 16-1.
The Speaker's wife entered the Celebrity Big Brother House last week and admitted that her husband was "not happy about it".
"John Bercow's credibility as Speaker in the House of Commons is under threat and it is easy to see their relationship taking a tumble," said William Hill's spokesman Rupert Adams.
Ms Bercow has developed a considerable media profile since her husband was elected Speaker of the House in 2009.
She appeared on popular comedy-news quiz Have I Got News For You and is a prolific Twitter user, with over 30,000 followers on the website.
However this rise in profile has also brought potential embarrassment for the Speaker, who many Tory MPs claim is unduly influenced by his Labour supporting wife, despite his 12-year stint as a Conservative MP.
She featured in the London Evening Standard wearing just a bed sheet in February this year, claiming that Mr Bercow had become a "sex symbol" since taking the Speaker's chair.
Producers of Celebrity Big Brother, which moved from Channel 4 to Channel 5 this year, were quick to capitalise, organising a task lead by Ms Bercow where all the housemates dressed up in bed-sheets.
Despite the substantial number of column inches dedicated to Ms Bercow, the Speaker of the House, who is on official business in India, may be given some respite as she is favourite to be the first evicted at 8/11.
Ms Bercow broke down in tears upon being told she would face the public vote and will need to defeat model Bobby Sabel and reality TV stalwart Kerry Katona to stay in the show.
