UK parliament speaker says will step down by Oct 31

John Bercow, the speaker of Britain's House of Commons, announced Monday that he would step down within weeks, amid criticism by Brexit hardliners who say he has twisted parliamentary rules to undermine them.

Bercow said he would not stand again if MPs vote later Monday in favour of an early general election -- and if they do not, as seems likely, he would resign on October 31: the scheduled date for Brexit.

Bercow has served as speaker of parliament's lower chamber for 10 years, overseeing heated debates on Brexit and making decisions as to what the house should do, based on centuries of precedent.

"If the house votes tonight for an early general election, my tenure as speaker and MP will end when this parliament ends," Bercow told the chamber.

"If the house does not so vote, I have concluded that the least disruptive and most democratic course of action would be for me to stand down at the close of business on Thursday, October 31."