Labour MP calls for probe after claiming some Tory MPs were ‘bullied’ during fracking vote

ITV News' Libby Wiener reports on the chaotic scenes in the House of Commons.

A Labour former minister has urged the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons to launch an investigation after he saw MPs being “physically manhandled” and “bullied” into the voting lobby.

His allegations came after the government won a vote in Parliament on fracking it had earlier told Tory MPs it was treating as a confidence vote.

Labour’s motion was defeated by 230 votes to 326, but the vote descended into chaos with Bryant later urging Dame Eleanor Laing to investigate the “scenes outside the entrance to the No lobby.”

He further alleged MPs were “bullied” and “physically manhandled” to vote.

Raising a point of order, Bryant said “As you know, members are expected to be able to vote without fear or favour and the behaviour code which is agreed by the whole of the House says there shall never be bullying or harassment.

“I saw members being physically manhandled into another lobby and being bullied.

“If we want to stand up against bullying in this House of our staff, we have to stop bullying in this chamber as well.”

Dame Eleanor replied: “If the honourable gentleman cares to bring evidence and facts to me, I will make sure that the matter is properly investigated.”

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But the Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg later dismissed reports that Tory MPs were bullied.

“I think to characterise it as bullying is mistaken,” he told Sky News.

“I did hear one person shout and use an expletive as he marched in. He said everyone should go and vote and he said that loudly. But he didn’t say it to anyone individually. He said it to the assembled crowd.

“There were some people waiting outside the division lobby who weren’t sure whether it was a vote of no confidence or not and there was some discussion on the issue. It was a perfectly normal discussion.”

He said there had been “confusion” after a “junior official” from No 10 had relayed a message to the government frontbench that it was no longer a confidence vote.

“Nobody else was aware of that. Most members though it was a vote of confidence,” he said