Starmer denies he threatened Speaker over chaotic Gaza ceasefire vote

The Speaker broke with procedure on Wednesday, allowing the Labour Party to amend an SNP motion calling for a Gaza ceasefire. Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana reports

By ITV News Westminster Producer, Maya Bowles

Sir Keir Starmer has denied he "threatened the Speaker in any way" over the Gaza ceasefire vote which descended into chaos in the Commons on Wednesday night.

The Labour leader instead said he "simply urged to ensure we have the broadest possible debate".

On Thursday Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt accused Sir Keir of using the Speaker for political gain over the vote, saying "he puts the interests of the Labour party before the interests of the British people".

"I would never have done to him (the Speaker), what the Labour party have done to him", she said, calling Sir Keir a "weak and fickle leader".

Stephen Flynn, the SNP's Westminster Leader called for Sir Lindsay Hoyle to resign on Thursday, telling him Wednesday's chaos "descended into a farce because of a decision you made".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak criticised Sir Lindsay's handling of the vote as "very concerning", but said the Speaker is "reflecting on what happened".

Sir Lindsay Hoyle apologised for the second time on Thursday, saying "I made a judgement call... I regret it, I apologise to the SNP".

However, he also reinforced that his decision to grant the Labour amendment was based on his concerns for MPs safety at a time of heightened tensions over the war in Gaza.

"I never, ever want to go through a situation where I pick up the phone to find a friend of whatever side has been murdered by a terrorist", he said.

The prime minister however warned against allowing external threats to affect events inside parliament - "we should never let extremists intimidate us into changing the way parliament works".

The Speaker also announced a new emergency debate on a ceasefire in Gaza will take place.

Sir Lindsay is facing calls from Conservatives and the SNP to resign over his handling of the debate, which resulted in MPs passing Labour’s amendment calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” amid scenes of chaos.

The motion was approved but only after Sir Lindsay Hoyle upended parliamentary convention by selecting Labour’s bid to amend an SNP motion on the Israel-Hamas war.

His decision sparked fury from the Conservative and SNP benches, who accused him of helping Sir Keir Starmer avoid another damaging revolt over the Middle East issue.

Sir Lindsay returned to the Commons and issued an emotional apology after a day of acrimony but continues to face calls to resign.

Over 60 MPs have signed a parliamentary early day motion tabled by a Tory MP declaring no confidence in the Speaker.

There is no threshold for the number of signatures an EDM needs to recieve for it to be debated, but they can attract a great deal of public interest.

All six of the Tory party's 1922 committee have now signed the no confidence motion - Graham Brady, Bob Blackman, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Gary Sambrook, Eddie Hughes and William Wragg.

Labour's Lucy Powell insisted the Speaker "did his utmost to do what he thought was best for the House", urging MPs to "all reflect" on what happened on Wednesday night.

Sir Lindsay will be meeting with party leaders and chief whips today to discuss what happened on Wednesday night.

The row erupted when Sir Lindsay decided the Commons would first vote on Labour’s amendment before moving on to further votes on the SNP’s original motion and then a Government proposal seeking an “immediate humanitarian pause”.

He disregarded warnings from the House of Commons Clerk over the unprecedented nature of the move, which provoked uproar in the chamber.

Sir Lindsay said on Wednesday his decision was based on concern about "the security of all members and their families".

The Speaker suggested he had hoped a vote on all amendments would prevent further division over the wording of different calls for a ceasefire.

After the SNP tabled a similar motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in November, many Labour MPs who abstained feared for their safety after protests in their constituencies.

Many expressed concern after Labour MPs Rushanara Ali, Jo Stevens, and Vicky Foxcroft faced protests outside their constitutency offices after the November vote.

In the Commons on Thursday, Labour's Lucy Powell highlighted the "long shadow" of "threats, intimidation and security concerns" facing MPs.

Conservative MP Charles Walker raised the safety concerns in the commons on Wednesday night, saying "people are frightened".

"Members of Parliament now feel they have to vote in a certain way to protect their safety, and the safety of their family", he said.

As the house descended into chaos on Wednesday night, the SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn demanded Sir Lindsay be dragged back into the chamber to answer questions, bellowing "where on earth is the Speaker of the House of Commons?"

Labour’s amendment ended up passing unopposed without a formal vote after the Government pulled its participation.

It marked the first time the Commons formally backed an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, though the Government does not have to adopt the position as the vote is not binding.

The SNP were ultimately unable to vote on their proposition calling for “an immediate ceasefire”, which was meant to be the focus of their Opposition Day.

SNP MPs and some Conservatives walked out of the debate in protest at the Speaker’s handling of the matter in extraordinary scenes.

Amid shouts of “resign”, he said: “I thought I was doing the right thing and the best thing, and I regret it, and I apologise for how it’s ended up.”

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He said he took the decision to allow all sides to “express their views” and that he was “very, very concerned about the security” of MPs who have received personal threats over their stance on the Gaza conflict.

But SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said he would take significant convincing that the Speaker’s position was “not now intolerable” and claimed his party had been treated with “complete and utter contempt”.

He also called for an investigation as he appeared to suggest Sir Keir and Labour’s chief whip had exerted pressure on Sir Lindsay, a former Labour MP, ahead of his decision to pick the party’s amendment for debate.

Many aid charities have condemned the events in the commons on Wednesday night - Oxfam’s Head of Policy and Advocacy, Katy Chakrabortty, said: “It is a disgrace that there has been so much playground politics in Parliament this evening, while so many lives are at stake.

“The people of Gaza can’t wait for our politicians to stop squabbling.

While Save the Children said "last night was a farce and crucially a distraction from what matters - the need for an immediate, definitive ceasefire."

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