Summary
A vote to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as Israel is expected to begin a ground invasion of Rafah, the last part of Gaza remaining before the Egyptian border, has been chaotically hijacked.
A vote to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as Israel is expected to begin a ground invasion of Rafah, the last part of Gaza remaining before the Egyptian border, has been chaotically hijacked.
Following a last minute rule change to Opposition Day proceedings, the Speaker of the House, Lindsay Hoyle, has walked out of the House, after choosing to prioritise a Labour amendment before the SNP one, despite it being the SNP’s Opposition Day.
The consequences of this are that the Labour amendment to the SNP’s motion would be added on to the motion if successful. Labour’s ammendment would involve the UK to support Israel’s right to continue fighting as long as Hamas continues to threaten violence. The SNP claims this would effectively undo their peace-centred motion, which calls for an immediate ceasefire to prevent a ground invasion in Rafah.
The government has backed out of voting on any Opposition Day Motions, as Labour accuse the Tories of lacking the party unity, with Shadow Leader of the House Lucy Powell saying the Tories could have voted against the motions if they had the unity to.
Security of MP’s has been questioned, with Lindsay Hoyle expressing concern for the safety of MPs and their families. In a surprise reappearance after he walked out, he apologised. He claims he “wanted to ensure they (MPs) could express their votes and all sides of the house could vote”. He was accused of bias for the Labour Party, with one Tory MP claiming a BBC reporter believes that Labour threatened Hoyle with a loss of his position if Labour were to win the next election if favour wasn’t shown to them in this vote.
After an apology from the speaker, a furious Stephen Flynn responded in the house to Hoyle: “You were warned by the clerks of the house that your decision could lead to the SNP not having a vote on our very own opposition day. As a result we’ve seen the SNP Opposition Day turn into a Labour Party Opposition Day. That is treating myself, and my colleagues, and the SNP with utter contempt. I will take convincing to think that your position is not intolerable”
The sentiment of small party fury was echoed by Liz Saville Robert of Plaid Cymru, who asked “How can we ever have faith in the future that our voices and our votes will actually be heard or will it be always the two big parties?”
Overall, the behaviour of MPs was zoo-like, with Conservatives and SNP members alike walking out of the chamber in outrage. Questions over MP’s safety and the position of smaller parties remain unanswered. The vote for a ceasefire in Gaza was passed, but with Labour’s amendments added.
For more information about the conflict in Palestine, read Brig Files educational: Israel and Palestine: Questions Answered
Featured Image Credit: Pexels
4th year Politics and Journalism student.
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