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The Speaker was forced to apologize to MPs after the House of Commons descended into farce over a vote on a ceasefire in Gaza.
A Labor amendment calling for a halt to fighting on “all sides” was passed without a vote, allowing Sir Keir Starmer to avoid a major rebellion over the conflict.
But the result only emerged after scenes of chaos and intense political contention, with Tory MPs demanding a vote of confidence in Sir Lindsay Hoyle and a mass strike by SNP members.
The Speaker, who was not chairing the later stages of the SNP Opposition debate on the Gaza conflict, was forced to leave the floor after MPs protested the process, triggering a highly unusual vote calling for the House to be seated in private. forced to return. Turbulent.
Lord Lindsay said he “regretted” the outcome of the parliamentary debate.
The Speaker broke with parliamentary tradition and passed a Labor amendment based on a motion from another opposition party, angering Conservative and SNP MPs and prompting calls for a vote of no confidence in him.
However, Labor MPs had expressed concern that if the amendment was not tabled, they would be putting their security at risk if they did not support the SNP’s motion.
As a result, the government withdrew its own amendment calling for a “humanitarian moratorium” and announced it would boycott all votes, allowing Labor’s amendment to pass.
Returning to the Chair, an emotional Lord Lindsay said:
“It’s unfortunate that it ended like this. That wasn’t my intention. I wanted to make sure everyone could express their views. The fact is that the SNP in particular They could not vote on their own proposals.
“I am disappointed to have ended up in this position. It was never my intention. I recognize the strength of feeling of this Congress and its members. I look back on my role in it. I’ll try it. I don’t want it to end like this.”
He said he planned to “meet with all the key players” in the coming hours to discuss the best way forward.
“I thought I was doing the right thing. I take responsibility for my actions.”
House of Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt said she accepted the apology, adding: “You are our Speaker and we want you to protect the rights of all members of this House.”
“Today I renew my commitment to that responsibility and thank you for coming to the House of Commons.”
At one stage, Conservative MP William Wragg voted on whether the House should sit in private to force the Speaker to return to the floor, a scenario not seen since December 2001. I couldn’t.
Minutes before the vote on the ceasefire in Gaza was taken, Deputy Speaker Dame Rosie Winterton was inundated with requests from furious MPs demanding to know Lord Lindsay’s whereabouts.
The SNP Westminster leader led MPs from the chamber in protest, calling for the House of Commons to be adjourned until they returned to their seats.
Conservative MP Philip Davies, from Shipley, claimed in the House of Commons that the Speaker was under “unbearable pressure” from Lord Keir’s aides, a claim denied by Labor.
He later claimed he had not met Labour’s chief of staff, Sue Gray, after reports she had pressured him to accept Labour’s amendments.
Sir Keir accused the Conservatives and SNP of “choosing political games rather than serious solutions” after the strike.
The Labor leader said in a statement: “Today was an opportunity for Congress to come together and speak with one voice about the dire situation in Gaza and Israel.
“It was in that spirit that Labor tabled an amendment calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.”
He added: “Unfortunately, the Conservatives and SNP have once again chosen political games over serious solutions by refusing to vote on this critical issue and deciding to walk away hand in hand. I did,” he added.
“It is clear that Labor is the only party that has a plan for the challenges facing Britain, both at home and abroad. It is clearer than ever that the only priority is Labor.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said he was disappointed that the “pantomime” in the House of Commons had worsened the situation in Gaza.
“The reality is that we came here to discuss something much bigger than ourselves, much bigger than this Congress.
“It is the security of civilian life in Gaza, the desire and need for an immediate ceasefire, something we have been asking for for months, but instead we are being moved in complete pantomime, by the activities of the Labor Party. They were unwilling to vote for the SNP motion, forcing the Speaker to depart from the process of this House. ”
He called for an investigation into the circumstances leading to the Speaker’s decision and suggested that meetings with Lord Keir and Labor leader Alan Campbell may have influenced him.
“I think there probably needs to be a little bit of investigation into what happened here and all the people involved, but again, in my private conversations with the chairman, I think that hopefully we can clear up the issue. “I’m confident that we can ease it. There are some concerns I have related to that,” he added.
The riot in Parliament drew widespread criticism, with Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Hussam Zomlot telling LBC: Today we have seen British politics at its worst. ”
Halima Begum, chief executive of ActionAid UK, said: “We are extremely disappointed to see Parliament completely paralyzed tonight. Democracy is precious and should be treated as such. is.
“To the British people who expected their political parties and elected representatives to engage in a meaningful debate on an issue that has left more than 100 Israeli hostages and hundreds of thousands of Gazans dead. This is the most serious humanitarian crisis we have experienced in recent times.”
Helen McEachern, director of Care International UK, said: ‘We are disappointed by the political theater we are witnessing in the House of Commons.
“Debates over parliamentary procedures do nothing to help the people of Gaza. They have nowhere to go, live without dignity or safety, and thousands have died from bombs and disease.”
Labor MP Justin Madders tweeted: “I’ve never seen anything like that in the House of Commons. The Conservatives’ (and now the SNP’s) refusal to participate has made Parliament look ridiculous. None of the performances we’re seeing now are anything to fuss about. No.” This is very different from what is happening in Gaza. ”
Senior Conservative Party MP Sir Charles Walker said: People have weaponized this argument in this chamber. The whips are afraid of their flock.
“They’re afraid for their flock because they feel like their members of Congress have to vote one way or another to keep them and their families safe. This is us. It’s a much bigger issue than the discussion we’re having tonight.
“Because if people are changing their votes or changing their behavior here because they’re afraid of what’s going to happen to them or their families, then we have a big problem. Therefore, scoring each point does not solve many problems otherwise.”