The real reason for the Tory boycott during an Opposition Day amendment has provoked fury on social media.
Penny Mordaunt launched a Commons attack on Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle amid chaos in the Commons last night.
The Commons Leader said Sir Lindsay had “raised temperatures” and put MPs in a “more difficult position” by selecting Labour’s bid to amend the SNP motion calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and Israel.
It had been expected Sir Lindsay would select just the Government’s amendment seeking an “immediate humanitarian pause” to the Israel-Hamas conflict, which could pave the way for a more permanent stop in fighting.
But instead, he decided that the Commons would first vote on Labour’s calls for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” before moving on to further votes on the SNP’s original motion, and then the Government’s proposals if either of the first two were to fail to garner enough support.
The move prompted an SNP and Tory walk-out in the Commons, but according to insiders, things might not have been all they seemed.
John Stevens posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the government’s boycott of proceedings tonight wasn’t actually about anger with the Speaker at all, but not having the votes.
“They say the whips had warned they had too many rebels who were about to vote for Labour’s amendment”, he said.
Labour’s amendment calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza was approved in the House of Commons amid the chaotic scenes.
Labour’s motion emphasises that this involves both sides agreeing to lay down their arms and the return of all hostages taken by Hamas militants, and calls for a diplomatic process for achieving a two-state solution and a lasting peace.
The original SNP motion is shorter, calling for “an immediate ceasefire”, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and “an end to the collective punishment of the Palestinian people” following Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
Stevens’ revelations have prompted fury on social media, with one person saying it shows how the “Mother of Parliaments is corrupt to the core”.
Others asked whether anyone still doubts the Conservatives are “playing politics”, while a third added: “A government that has just stopped governing. Arguably, it never started.”
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