London (Parliament Politic Magazine) – Rishi Sunak criticizes House of Commons chaos over Gaza vote, warns against bending to extremists, and expresses concern over altered parliamentary processes.
Rishi Sunak has cautioned parliament should never bow to “extremists” as he slammed the speaker of the House of Commons after a vote on Gaza descended into chaos.
The prime minister attacked how Sir Lindsay Hoyle had altered the “usual ways in which Parliament works”, citing fears for the protection of MPs.
Mr. Sunak expressed it was “very concerning” as it “seems that the usual processes and the way that the House of Commons works were changed.”
While “we should never let extremists intimidate us into changing how Parliament works… and just because some people may want to stifle that with intimidation or aggressive behavior, we should not bend to that. That’s a very slippery slope,” he alerted
Sir Lindsay is fighting to save his job after he was charged with ‘hijacking’ a debate on the war and pulling up parliamentary procedure to favor Labour.
Downing Street continually refused to say whether Rishi Sunak had trust in the speaker, while more than 60 MPs have marked a motion urging his head following chaotic scenes in parliament.
Keir Starmer was also pushed to deny using threats to provide Labour got its way on a vote on Gaza. The Labour leader stated he had “simply urged” the ex-Labour MP to allow the “broadest possible debate” on a motion calling for a ceasefire.
The Commons leader Mordaunt also informed the authorities are investigating reports a controversial pro-Palestinian message was launched onto Parliament. As he battled to keep his job, Sir Lindsay again took the unusual step of apologizing to MPs, saying he had earned the “wrong decision” and blaming “frightening” threats to MPs’ safety.
He stated he “never, ever wanted to go through a situation where I pick up a phone to find a friend of whatever side has been murdered by a terrorist”.
He added: “I also don’t want another attack on this House. I was in the chair on that day. I have seen, I have witnessed. “I won’t share the details but the details of the things that have been brought to me are frightening on all members of this House, on all sides. I have a duty of care and I say that and if my mistake is looking after members, I am guilty. I am guilty because… I have a duty of care that I will carry out to protect people. It is the protection that led me to make a wrong decision.”
Tory MP James Grundy also informed that after a previous vote in the Commons “my elderly parents were threatened with being stabbed to death.”
In a bid to ease uncertainties, the Speaker presented the SNP, the third largest party at Westminster, an emergency discussion, after they were unable to vote on their original ceasefire motion.
However, the SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, called on the speaker to leave. Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf also considered in, explaining his position as “untenable”.
Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the house, blamed Sir Keir for pressuring the speaker.
Ms. Mordaunt blamed “weak and fickle” Sir Keir for the settings that saw Tory and SNP MPs storming out of the section. But she declined to pile in amid mounting pressure on Sir Lindsay, branding him a “decent man”, adding: “The speaker came to this House last night, he took responsibility for his actions, he apologized, he is reflecting on what has happened and he’s encountering with all parties.
Read More: Victim Blames Rishi Sunak Over Horizon IT Scandal Compensation
“And I hope that everyone who was involved in those events yesterday, and the consequences of them, will also reflect on their actions and take responsibility for them.” She argued that Sir Keir is “happy to do what he knows to be wrong”