The tumultuous events in the UK House of Commons on Wednesday caused the passage of a Labour Party amendment for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. This notable outcome came as Speaker of the House Sir Lindsey Hoyle flouted convention and selected both a government and Labour Party amendment, resulting in a substantial upheaval in Parliament, follow this link for reference to the amendment.
The disruption to parliamentary tradition, in which typically only the government amendments are meant to be selected, led to an outcry for the Speaker’s resignation, especially from members of the Scottish National Party (SNP). It was the SNP, which had officially tabled its motion pressing for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, that triggered a walkout by Conservative and SNP MPs from the Commons.
In response to these extraordinary events, the leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, announced that the government was withdrawing from the proceedings. The resultant scenario meant that the SNP could not cast its vote. The Labour Party forged ahead to pass its amendment, a move that circumvents backbench rebellion and contradicts Labour leader Keir Starmer’s stance supporting Israel’s ‘right to self-defense’.
Interestingly, the Commons subsequently voted to move to a private session, a seldom-used procedure, with the last private session dating back to 2001. This move resulted in only 20 supportive votes against 212 opposing votes.
While reflecting on the chaotic situation, SNP member and MP Stewart McDonald expressed on X (formerly Twitter) his disappointment at an alleged ‘grubby deal’ developed in Starmer’s office, executed at the Speaker’s office, going against advice from senior parliamentary clerks. McDonald suggests that such maneuvering is a tactical move from Starmer to prevent another rebellion, particularly considering that a previous ceasefire vote in November had seen eight of Starmer’s shadow ministers quit in support of the SNP’s motion and many Labour MPs voting in favor of the motion.
SNP party leader Stephen Flynn made a statement expressing his dismay at the perceived collusion to block the SNP motion for an immediate ceasefire and against the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. Flynn affirms the SNP’s commitment to continue campaigning for an immediate ceasefire.
Speaker Lindsey Hoyle expressed regret for the outcomes of his non-traditional approach and apologized for how events unfolded. In an initial response outside Parliament, Flynn lamented the development as it thwarted an assertion of ‘parliamentary democracy’, expressing satisfaction over the Labour Party’s ultimate backing of an immediate ceasefire yet criticizing the absence of voting rights.