House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has said his experiences of antisemitism "dwindle into insignificance" compared to the abuse directed at Jewish female MPs.

In an impassioned address to the Sara Conference on antisemitism and misogyny, Mr Bercow said: "I've always been very open about my Jewishness and I have experienced antisemitism in my life.

But said it was "very often subtle, not explicit hatred around all sort of words used in criticism short of the word 'Jew'."

But he added: "The code could fairly easily be deciphered without too much effort."

But Mr Bercow continued: "My experience has nothing. It dwindles into complete insignificance and nothingness in comparison with what female Jews have experienced and do experience."

He said Labour MPs Luciana Berger and Ruth Smeeth had faced a "repulsive cocktail" of antisemitism and misogyny over recent years as they spoke out over its antisemitism crisis.

He added: "They are very robust characters, but they shouldn't have to be exceptionally robust. It ought to be possible just to be averagely robust and just be normal and not to have to contend with this vitriol."

Mr Bercow also told the conference about how his late father had implored him never to hide his Jewish background even if he did not embrace religious practice as an adult.

In further revealing insight Mr Bercow told how his father encouraged him to be proud of being Jewish.

He said: "I was taught by my late father the importance of acknowledging who and what you are and never being embarrassed about, or inclined to apologise for it.

"I remember dad who died a very very long time ago saying to me - 'Son I don't mind at all whether you choose to be a practising Jew in adulthood -but I hope in this free open pluralist and democratic society you will never seek to hide your origins.'

"In fact he was extraordinarily and magnificently intolerant to people in free society who had no reason to hide their identity."

Mr Bercow also described his relief in knowing that his three children "do not have a racist bone in their body"

He added: "The idea that one might think of discriminating or vilifying somebody on account of that persons ethnic origin or religious affiliation or even family set up is just unconscionable and it wouldn't occur for any of them."

Mr Bercow heaped praise on Labour MP John Mann, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Antisemitism, calling him "a great ally, an extraordinarily robust character".