THE future of the Commons Speaker was last night hanging by a thread after sparking meltdown in a Gaza ceasefire debate.
Dozens of MPs stormed out of the chamber in protest at a decision by Sir Lindsay Hoyle to allow a vote on Labour’s call for a pause in the fighting.
He faced calls to resign amid accusations of bending parliamentary rules to save Sir Keir Starmer suffering another bruising internal revolt on the issue.
Labour have confirmed Sir Keir met with Sir Lindsay to lobby him to accept their amendment.
The decision infuriated Tory MPs who claimed he was breaking convention to help Labour, while also enraging the SNP deprived of voting on their own similar motion.
Amid the fury, 33 Tory and SNP MPs tabled a motion of no confidence over the Speaker's handling of the vote.
Sir Graham Brady - the senior Tory MP in charge of the powerful backbench 1922 Committee - was among the signatories.
Extraordinary scenes saw Scot Nats leader Stephen Flynn demand Sir Lindsay be dragged to the Commons chamber after sending his deputy to moderate the votes.
Top Tory and Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt blasted Sir Lindsay - who is supposed to be neutral - for inappropriately inserting himself into a Labour row.
She claimed he had "hijacked" the debate and "undermined the confidence" of the House in its long-standing rules by selecting Labour's bid to amend the SNP motion calling for an "immediate ceasefire" in the Israel-Hamas war.
What was the background?
It was the SNP’s turn to hold an Opposition Day debate - a typically innocuous affair that gives smaller parties the chance to debate a subject of their choice.
The result is non-binding, meaning in reality it makes not the blind bit of difference to government policy. Many MPs do not even bother to vote.
But the SNP had tabled a motion calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, a highly emotive and current issue.
It especially posed a headache for Sir Keir Starmer, who faced the prospect of many of his backbenchers backing the Scottish Nationalists - something beyond the pale.
So Labour tabled an amendment to the SNP’s motion also calling for an immediate ceasefire, albeit slightly different wording and more caveats, but at least ceasefire-minded Labour MPs had something to vote for.
The Government also tabled its own amendment calling for a “humanitarian pause”.
Hoyle’s controversial decision
Convention dictates that the Speaker should only take a vote on the SNP’s original motion and the government’s amendment.
Arcane Commons rules means that if the Labour amendment was also selected, there was a high chance the SNP’s original motion would not get to a vote.
But the Speaker selected both the government AND Labour amendments for votes, ignoring even his own top official who warned against this.
It sparked fury among Tories who accused Hoyle - originally a Labour MP - of making an exception for Starmer, while also enraging the SNP who now could be deprived of their own Opposition Day motion.
Chaos in the Commons
With Hoyle engulfed in a bias storm, the Tories said they would play no further part in the debate and withdrew their government amendment.
It meant that the Labour amendment would be voted on first, and would almost certainly pass without opposition from Tory MPs who would abstain.
This meant there would be no vote on the original SNP motion text, which was stronger in its calls for a Gaza ceasefire.
It left the Scottish Nationalists seething, with its leader Stephen Flynn demanding the Speaker - who had sent his deputy to the chamber - to be summoned to the Commons to explain himself.
He roared: “It’s called Opposition Day! That’s the point! It’s not called Labour Day!”
Utter carnage then ensued, with MPs storming out, demanding the House was suspended and that they turn off the Commons cameras and boot out journalists.
Speaker apology
Eventually Hoyle returned to face the music, and made a grovelling apology for how the day’s farce had unfolded.
He said he made his decision in the interests of MPs’ security - presumably because many Labour MPs were getting threats if they did not vote for a ceasefire, and giving them a Labour amendment to vote on would allow them to do this.
His grovelling did not wash with the SNP nor many Tories who called for him to quit.
The end result
Amid the chaos, Labour’s motion for an immediate sustainable ceasefire was passed.
And despite all the farce, it will not make any difference to the fighting in Gaza whatsoever.
Many of the MPs walked out en masse before the carnage prompted the Speaker to eventually return to face the music.
He said he would “reflect” on his decision and offered his “deepest apologies” to the SNP for wrecking their Opposition Day debate - saying: “I regret how it’s ended up.”
Sir Lindsay said he took the decision to grant a Labour vote in the interest of MP’s security following heightened security threats in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Outside the Commons, protesters were projecting “free Palestine” onto Big Ben.
Sir Lindsay said: “I am, and I regret with my sadness, that it's ended up in this position.
“That was never my intention for it to end like this. I was absolutely convinced that the decision was done with the right intentions.
“I recognise the strength of feeling of members on this issue."
But SNP leader Mr Flynn warned his position was now “intolerable” while many Tories were sharpening their knives.
He said his party had been treated with "complete and utter contempt" - and was disappointed that a "pantomime" in the Commons was "detracting" from the crisis in Gaza.
Here's the full list of Conservatives:
And from the SNP:
One minister said the Speaker “is probably finished” while a fellow MP said he had “brought shame” on the job.
Sir Keir accused the Tories and SNP of "choosing political games over serious solutions".
Chaos had ensued after Sir Lindsay allowed Labour to make an amendment to an SNP motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war.
Sir Keir put forward his own bespoke alternative also calling for a ceasefire with slightly different language to stop his MPs voting with the Nats.
Sir Lindsay agreed to accept Sir Keir’s motion despite being warned by the top Commons official this would mark a major “departure” with precedent.
Opposition parties cannot usually amend opposition motions - only the Government.
When the Government announced it was pulling its own motion for a “humanitarian pause” it threw out the SNP’s own chance of a vote.
The day of farce ended with Labour’s non-binding motion passing without a vote, with Tories claiming they could not hear the question amid the chaos.
The rival proposals submitted to MPs are:
- The original SNP motion calling for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and "an end to the collective punishment of the Palestinian people".
- Labour's amendment calling for an immediate ceasefire, emphasising this involves both sides agreeing to lay down their arms and the return of all hostages taken by Hamas, and calling for a diplomatic process for achieving a two-state solution and a lasting peace.
- The Government amendment saying ministers want an "immediate humanitarian pause" in the fighting before supporting "moves towards a permanent sustainable ceasefire" that involves Hamas freeing all hostages and relinquishing control of Gaza, and international efforts to create a two-state solution.
- A Liberal Democrat amendment calling for an "immediate bilateral ceasefire", the release of hostages and a two-state solution with Hamas not in power
