The British House of Commons experienced heated debates and chaotic scenes on Wednesday, February 21, during the vote on a motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, considerably weakening the position of the speaker, Lindsay Hoyle.
Strongly criticized, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the subject of calls for his resignation after allowing the Labor opposition, contrary to custom, to table an amendment on a motion from another opposition party, the Scottish National Party (SNP, the Scottish independence party), during a session supposed to be dedicated to the latter.
The SNP motion called for an “immediate ceasefire” and demanded an “end to collective punishment against the Palestinian people,” while a Labor amendment called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire.” , and a diplomatic process to achieve a two-state solution and lasting peace.
For Keir Starmer’s Labor Party, favored in the polls ahead of the elections expected this year, this approach was interpreted as aiming to avoid reviving divisions within the party on the issue.
Excuses and “contempt”
For its part, the Conservative government tabled an amendment calling for “an immediate humanitarian pause”, which it ultimately withdrew.
Obviously upset and facing an extremely agitated Parliament, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, ended up apologizing for the way things had turned out, after explaining that his initial approach was intended to allow a broader debate .
Ultimately, the Labor amendment was adopted without a formal vote, under conditions which were also contested.
The SNP’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, denounced the “contempt” he said his party had been subjected to, as calls for resignations rang out from both sides of the House of Commons at the address of the speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, in this position since the end of 2019.
Among the deputies, many voices were raised to denounce the fact that this affair had turned into a psychodrama in Westminster rather than devoting itself to the crisis in the Middle East, so several thousand people supporting the Palestinians demonstrated near Parliament to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
