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The House of Commons was a scene of absolute chaos due to the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyles, handling of Scottish National Party’s (SNP) motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. His decision overruled the House rules and allowed for a Labour amendment which sparked many questions regarding his ability to be fair.

SNPs Motion:

The original motion tabled by the SNP called for “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” and that “the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza, including women and children who have been besieged by Israeli forces, must stop”. The motion highlighted the importance of “affirming that international humanitarian law… must be upheld” and “an immediate ceasefire” to occur.

The Labour Party’s amended motions’ main points can be found below:

• “This House believes that an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah risks catastrophic humanitarian consequences and therefore must not take place”
• “Condemns the terrorism of Hamas who continue to hold hostages”
• “Supports Australia, Canada, and New Zealand calls for Hamas to release and return all hostages and for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, which means an immediate stop to the fighting and a ceasefire that lasts and is observed by all sides, noting that Israel cannot be expected to cease fighting if Hamas continues with violence and that Israelis have the right to the assurance that the horror of the 7th October cannot happen again”
• “And urges all international partners to work together to establish a diplomatic process to deliver the peace of a two-state solution, with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state”

Opposition Day:

Within Parliament, opposition day refers to when political parties who are not in government are given the opportunity to set the agenda, propose motions, and question that government. This is considered democratically significant as it allows the opposition to be able to debate the current governments proposed plans and policies.

On this particular instance, the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, delayed voting on the motion through unusual decisions that led to an ‘unprecedented intervention’. This series of odd behaviours caused the SNP and Tory MPs to walk out of the chamber in despair and declare no confidence in the speaker, accusing the Labour Party leader, Kier Starmer, of using “every trick in the Westminster book” to stop the motion being discussed and voted on. With the Speaker breaking regular parliamentary procedure to allow the Labour Party’s amendment, there is severe concern over whether inherent biases and parliamentary pressures are disrupting what should’ve been a straight-forward democratic opposition day.