Lindsay Hoyle latest: Sunak criticises speaker over Gaza ceasefire vote as MPs sign no-confidence motion

Prime minister Rishi Sunak criticised Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s handling of the Gaza ceasefire vote as “very concerning”, but said the Commons Speaker was “reflecting on what happened”.

He warned that parliamentarians should never be intimidated by “extremists”.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak criticised Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s handling of the Gaza ceasefire vote as “very concerning”, but said the Commons Speaker was “reflecting on what happened”.

He warned that parliamentarians should never be intimidated by “extremists”.

The number of MPs who have signed a no-confidence motion in the speaker has risen to 65.

Trust in Sir Lindsay has been eroded after the events of Wednesday evening, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has said.

The Speaker has “an awful lot of work to do” to rebuild the confidence of MPs, he added.

Speaking to journalists in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Ross said: “I am going to reflect on the discussions that the Speaker has with party leaders and with chief whips.

“But I don’t think anyone should understate the seriousness of the situation and the trust that has been eroded from someone who I like and respect and have worked well with, the Speaker of the House.”

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has called for a no-confidence vote in the speaker and suggested he quit after Wednesday’s vote “descended into farce”.

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Addressing the Speaker in the Commons on Thursday, he said: “My colleagues and I were denied the ability to vote on a matter which is of grave concern to us and which over recent months we have sought to raise in this chamber at every available opportunity.

“It ultimately turned into a Labour opposition day. That quite frankly is not acceptable.

“As I have expressed to you privately prior to proceedings here today, we do not on these benches therefore believe that you can continue in your role as speaker.”

The number of MPs who have signed a motion of no confidence in the speaker has risen to 61.

All of them are either Conservative or SNP.

A Conservative MP has revealed his elderly parents were threatened with being stabbed to death following a previous opposition day debate.

MP for Leigh James Grundy told MPs: “We all face difficult votes in this House. I myself saw the consequences of one of those votes when after an opposition day debate some time ago, my elderly parents were threatened with being stabbed to death.”

He added: “When we do vote on difficult matters, we should all do so under the same set of rules. I think that is very important.

“I think that yesterday, certainly many on this side of the House felt that the changing of the order of business meant that whilst entirely legitimately Labour MPs were protected from potential threats of violence and murder, people on this side of the House were consequentially more exposed to such threats.”

Mr Grundy continued: “We cannot continue like this – such breaches of procedure are unacceptable. Everyone’s right in this House to vote in the way that they wish and their security should be equal across all benches.”

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt replied: “It is not just what is directed against us, it is directed against members of our family, perhaps most appallingly honourable members’ children as well.”

Authorities are investigating reports that the words “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – widely considered antisemitic – were projected on to Parliament on Wednesday, Penny Mordaunt has said.

Conservative former minister Andrew Percy told the Commons: “Last night a genocidal call for ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ was projected on to this building.”

The Commons Leader said: “With regard to the projections put on this building last night, that is being looked at by both the Speaker’s Office, parliamentary security, the Metropolitan Police, and Westminster City Council, who will be responsible for pursuing prosecutions in that case.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Mr Percy said: “If we have a re-run of the debate we had yesterday we will have exactly the same thing happen again which is that members will not vote with their heart because they are frightened and they are scared.”

Ms Mordaunt said she believes all MPs have been subject to threats, “increasingly death threats”, and that she has herself. She said there are measures that can be taken to better ensure security.

But she told MPs: “We have to show courage, and our constituents need us to show courage on these matters. We must vote and do what we think is right.”