Sir Lindsay Hoyle has spoken of his disappointment in the Tory Party after months of governmental controversy and instability. The Commons Speaker agreed with the suggestion that the antics of the Conservative Party had made the UK an “international laughing stock” when asked the question on BBC Radio 4’s PM show. Reflecting on the past year in politics, he described the Tory leadership as a “disaster” which had threatened to break people’s trust in politics. Highlighting the “revolving door” of senior politicians after swathes of party members resigned, Sir Lindsay suggested he was forced to become the only aspect of “continuity” of Parliament.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4 PM, Sir Hoyle explained: “It was like a revolving door of ministers.
“I’ve never seen anything like it – it was bizarre.
“We never knew who was going to be at the dispatch box.
“The only continuity of Parliament was myself – we were running out of ministers.”
His comments come after Parliament experienced months of turbulence, initially sparked by the partygate revelations that some ministers had broken lockdown regulations.
As pressure mounted on then prime minister Boris Johnson to resign, a flood of Tory ministers, including some members of the leading Cabinet team, stepped down from their posts.
Following the resignation of Mr Johnson, government duties were effectively paralysed as Conservative Party members voted on a new leader over the summer, eventually selecting Liz Truss.
The fervent instability of government continued under Ms Truss as her short premiership was plagued by resignations among senior officials and characterised by her Cabinet’s disastrous mini-budget.
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