A Bolton MP has called for Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to resign.
An Early Day Motion tabled yesterday evening has been signed by Bolton West MP Chris Green.
Speaking to The Bolton News, Mr Green said Sir Lindsay position was on a ‘knife edge’ and that the Early Day Motion expressing no confidence in him was the first he had signed in his nine-year Parliamentary career.
More than 50 MPs have now signed the motion calling for the Speaker to go.
It comes after Sir Lindsay Hoyle selected a Labour amendment to an SNP motion calling for an ‘immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel’.
Sign up to our newsletters to get the latest stories sent straight to your inbox.
The Labour amendment instead called for an ‘immediate humanitarian ceasefire’ – with the caveat that Israel would only be expected to cease fighting if Hamas provided assurances it would stop violence.
Selecting the amendment was controversial, as the day was set aside as an SNP ‘opposition day’.
Under Parliamentary rules, 20 days are set aside for opposition parties to control the business of the House, with 17 allocated to the leader of the largest opposition party, currently Labour, and three to the second largest opposition party, currently the SNP.
Green: Labour ‘terrified about splits in their own party’
Chris Green now thinks the speaker should go.
The Conservative MP said: “Their [the SNP] motion was clear and unambiguous in demanding a ceasefire now, but the Labour party tried to usurp it with their own amendment because they are terrified about splits in their own party.
“The normal operating procedure in the House of Commons is that their motion should have been debated and voted on, and because of the decision of the speaker of the House of Commons, the actual question over the ceasefire in Gaza was not put, and only the Labour amendment, which is a very serious compromise and did not have the words about delivering a ceasefire now, was used instead.
“This is a gross political manipulation by Labour to avoid having an honest debate on Gaza.”
Mr Green said he would have voted for the Conservative amendment to the SNP motion, which ‘supports moves to a permanent sustainable ceasefire’ but ‘acknowledges that achieving this will require all hostages to be released’ as well as the formation of a new Palestinian Government.
Meanwhile, Bolton North East MP Mark Logan, also a Conservative, has broken with his party to call for an ‘immediate ceasefire’.
Follow The Bolton News on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and TikTok.
Mr Green added: “I want peace to be delivered for the people of Gaza as soon as possible, but any reasonable person knows that requires the return of the Israeli hostages.
Asked if he would like to see a pause in the fighting given the number of civilian casualties, Mr Green said: “That’s what the Conservative amendment was saying and what I would have voted for, but we couldn’t even have an honest vote on the SNP motion, which was a clear and unambiguous vote for a ceasefire now.
“I would have voted for peace, but not the way the SNP are approaching it – which would not deliver it.”
On whether Mr Hoyle’s position is tenable, the MP said: “His position is at a knife edge. It’s the duty of the Speaker of the House of Commons to represent all Members of Parliament equally, and he clearly broke the normal conventions.”
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has reiterated his apology for his handling of the Gaza ceasefire debate, while Sir Keir Starmer “categorically” denied threatening him to select Labour’s amendment in a move that unleashed chaos.
Sir Lindsay came under pressure amid accusations he helped the Labour leader avoid another damaging revolt over the Middle East issue by upending parliamentary convention in approving Labour’s bid to alter an SNP motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Issuing a further apology on Thursday, Sir Lindsay emphasised concerns over the security of MPs who have faced threats over their stance on the Gaza conflict, saying: “I have a duty of care and if my mistake is looking after members, I am guilty.”
In a bid to calm tensions, he offered the SNP the chance of an emergency debate after they were unable to vote on their proposition amid Wednesday’s turmoil.
The Speaker told the Commons: “I will reiterate I made a judgment call that didn’t end up in the position where I expected it to.
“I regret it. I apologise to the SNP… I apologise and I apologise to the House. I made a mistake. We do make mistakes. I own up to mine.”
His voice faltering, he added: “And it has been said, both sides, I never ever want to go through a situation where I pick up a phone to find a friend, of whatever side, has been murdered by terrorists.”
If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel