Tory MP teaches SNP MPs Westminster etiquette

On Monday when 56 SNP MPs descended on Westminster, the youngest of the new intake Mhairi Black gushed that everyone had been so nice. Two days in, and cross-party relations have begun to cool. Carol Monaghan, the MP for Glasgow North West, claims that Simon Burns, the Tory MP for Chelmsford, scolded her as well as her fellow SNP politicians for their bad etiquette:

Induction in chamber. Tory MP for Chelmsford tells us it is poor etiquette to clap. Rapturous applause from #the56.

— Carol Monaghan MP 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇺🇦 (@CMonaghanSNP) May 13, 2015

However, Burns has clarified the situation to Mr S:

‘I was giving a talk about how to debate in chamber. If you agree you say ‘hear, hear’ and I mentioned that in recent years an unfortunate habit of clapping has occurred and that is deplorable. The talk was to everyone, not just the SNP, and it was fine to clap in this instance. I mean they found it very amusing to applaud me after I said it.’

All rather friendly then, except, Burns says that if they clap in the chamber in the future, words will be exchanged. ‘Clapping is deplorable, I mean it,’ he sighs. Mr S suspects this is going to get messy very quickly.