Westminster is sexy says Mrs Speaker

Sally Bercow, wife of House of Commons Speaker John Bercow, has risked controversy again by describing the "aphrodisiac" effect of their life at the Palace of Westminster.

Mrs Bercow has posed for London's Evening Standard wearing nothing but a bedsheet, while in an interview for the paper she enthused about the joys of their official apartment.

"The view from Speaker's House is incredibly sexy, particularly at night with the moon and the glow from the old gas lamps," she said.

"When John and I were first courting we used to walk along the South Bank and look at the Houses of Parliament. I never realised how sexy I would find living under Big Ben with the bells chiming."

She even claimed that since her husband was elected Speaker, the couple had become unlikely sex symbols.

"Politicians as a breed aren't particularly sexy but I think politics can be sexy because power is an aphrodisiac," she said.

"Since John became Speaker, the number of women who hit on him has gone up dramatically. I don't get jealous because more men have hit on me, too.

"I think it's hilarious that I have been referred to as the Carla Bruni of British politics."

Her comments are likely to infuriate Tory MPs in particular - some of whom have made no secret of their dislike for her husband and her extrovert behaviour.

In a previous interview, she admitted enjoying binge drinking and one-night stands in her youth.