- becky morton
- political reporter
Watch: Commons confusion over Gaza ceasefire vote
A House of Commons debate on calls for a ceasefire in Gaza descended into chaos after the speaker was accused of allowing Labor to “take over” Gaza.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle broke with tradition and allowed Labor to vote on a motion calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, infuriating the SNP and Conservatives.
He later apologized and said he had acted with “the right intentions.”
But the SNP said they were “treated with complete and utter contempt”.
Labour's amendment passed with a resounding “yes” vote without a formal vote after the government said it would not take part in the protests.
This meant there was no vote on the SNP's motion for an “immediate ceasefire”, which was originally supposed to be the focus of the debate.
The government does not have to adopt Labour's position as the vote is not binding.
In an unusual scene, SNP MPs and some Conservative members walked out of the chamber over the handling of the Speaker's vote.
Following calls for him to return to explain his decision, Lord Lindsay told the House of Commons to vote on the Labor motion to allow MPs to express their views on the “widest range of proposals”. He said he decided to allow it.
Amid calls for his resignation, he said, “I thought I was doing the right thing and the best thing, but I regret it and am sorry that it turned out this way.'' Ta.
“I take responsibility for my actions, which is why I want to meet with the key players involved.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn accepted the speaker's apology, but House of Commons officials warned that the decision could mean the party's vote, which was supposed to be an anti-SNP day, was not held. said.
Visibly furious, he said his party had been treated “with complete and utter contempt.”
“I will fully persuade you that your position is not intolerable now,” he added.
In a statement after the debate, Mr Flynn said: “It is disgraceful that Sir Keir Starmer and the Speaker conspired to prevent a vote on the SNP motion.”
“This should have been a chance for the UK Parliament to do the right thing and vote for an immediate ceasefire between Gaza and Israel, but instead it has become a Westminster circus,” he added.
image source, british parliament
Lord Lindsay returned to the chamber to apologize to MPs.
The comments came after House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt said Lord Lindsay had “undermined confidence” in the Commons and suggested his decisions had allowed the debate to be “hijacked” by Labor. was.
He said this “raised the temperature in this House on an issue where emotions are already running high.”
Earlier, a source close to the chairman said suggestions that he had been put under pressure were “absolutely false”.
Sir Keir accused the Conservatives and SNP of “choosing political games rather than serious solutions”.
“Today was an opportunity for Congress to come together and speak with one voice about the dire situation in Gaza and Israel,” he said in a statement after the debate.
Lord Lindsay was first elected as a Labor Party MP, but after becoming Speaker he renounced his party affiliation, as is customary.
He said he would meet with key MPs from the major parties to discuss what happened, but intense pressure on the speaker remains.
Initial motions are rarely debated, but allow MPs to show support for the issue.
Hundreds of people line up to lobby MPs over Gaza ceasefire vote
The discussion took place as thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Parliament Square.
Long lines formed outside the parliament building throughout the day, with demonstrators hoping to directly lobby parliamentarians to support the ceasefire.
Lord Lindsay's decision allowed Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer to threaten a new rebellion over the party's position in the Gaza Strip, as Labor MPs were able to show support for the ceasefire without voting in favor of the SNP motion. It means avoiding sex.
The motion went further than Labor's motion, calling for an end to the “collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
Labour's shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, also claimed that this “does not offer a path to sustainable peace” and “appears to be unilateral”.
“For a ceasefire to work, all sides must necessarily abide by it,” he added.
Labor's own amendment points out that Israel “cannot be expected to stop fighting if Hamas continues its violence,” and calls for a diplomatic process to achieve “a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state.” I asked for
Earlier this week, Labor pivoted to calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” after months of backbench and activist pressure.
The government supports moves toward a “permanent and sustainable ceasefire” and calls for an “immediate humanitarian end.”
Israel launched an operation in Gaza after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and over 240 hostages.
Since then, Israeli military operations have killed more than 29,000 people in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Authority's Hamas-run Health Ministry.
