Rishi Sunak has criticised Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s handling of the Gaza ceasefire vote as “very concerning” and warned parliamentarians should never be intimidated by “extremists”.
The Prime Minister condemned the way the Commons Speaker had changed the “usual ways in which Parliament works” by approving Labour’s bid to amend an SNP motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, a move that unleashed chaos in the chamber.
But Mr Sunak acknowledged that Sir Lindsay had apologised and was “reflecting on what happened”.
We should never let extremists intimidate us into changing the way in which Parliament works
Sir Lindsay Hoyle earlier reiterated his apology, emphasising concerns over the security of MPs who have faced threats over their stance on the Middle East conflict.
“I have a duty of care and if my mistake is looking after members, I am guilty,” he told MPs.
Speaking during a visit to North Wales, the Prime Minister said: “What happened in the House of Commons last night is very concerning.
“It seems that the usual processes and the way that the House of Commons works were changed. Now my understanding is that the Speaker has apologised for that and is going to reflect on what happened.”
Mr Sunak continued: “But I think the important point here is that we should never let extremists intimidate us into changing the way in which Parliament works.
“Parliament is an important place for us to have these debates. And just because some people may want to stifle that with intimidation or aggressive behaviour, we should not bend to that and change how Parliament works.
“That’s a very slippery slope.”
