Sir Lindsay Hoyle sparked fury and uproar in the Commons this lunchtime, at a level not seen since the fevered Brexit rows of 2019.
The Speaker drew comparisons with his predecessor John Bercow, after tearing up the rule book to allow a vote on a Labour motion around Gaza and Israel.
The SNP have been allocated a day’s debate today, and chose Gaza and Israel in the hope of splitting the Labour Party.
However last night Labour submitted their own amendment to allow its divided MPs to unite over the controversial foreign policy issue.
The Government also submitted an amendment backing Israel’s right to self-defence, and precedent would dictate that the Government’s amendment would be voted on instead of Labour’s.
However in a departure from longstanding rules, Sir Lindsay announced MPs would vote on both Labour and the Government’s amendments.
The confirmation after hours of rumour and deliberation sparked immediate Commons chaos among both Tory and SNP MPs.
In a tense point of order, the SNP’s Chief Whip in Westminster demanded to know what the point of their opposition day debate now is after Labour has been given such sway over what’s being voted on.
Such was the anger, one MP shouted “Bring back Bercow” after Sir Lindsay confirmed his decision. Another MP compared the Speaker’s lengthy deliberation over whether to break Commons rules as “Bercow levels of s**t”.
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