Another week, another angry ticking off in the House of Commons by speaker Lindsay Hoyle. Today it was Conservative MP Paul Bristow who felt the full might of Hoyle’s wrath after being singled out for heckling Labour leader Keir Starmer during Prime Minister’s Questions.
Standing at the despatch box, Starmer had challenged Rishi Sunak’s grip on illegal immigration. To the sound of taunting from the government benches, he said: ‘Mr Speaker, if anyone wants to see what uncontrolled immigration looks like, all they’ve got to do is wake up tomorrow morning and see what this government…’
It appears that Hoyle managed to make out Bristow’s voice amongst the hecklers, because at this point he cut Starmer off and rounded on the unfortunate member for Peterborough.
With the air of a primary school teacher itching to banish his naughtiest student from the classroom, Hoyle thundered, ‘Mr Bristow, I think you’re going to be leaving.’ Gesticulating at the door, he continued, ‘I’m asking you to leave now, otherwise I’ll name you. I’m not having it and I’ve warned you before. It’s the same people!’
Just to make sure all things were fair and square, Hoyle then turned to the opposition benches and threatened, ‘And the same thing will happen on this side!’
Wisely, if Mr Steerpike may say so, Bristow took the hint and departed the chamber before Hoyle could carry out his threat of ‘naming’ him, a punishment that risked the MP being banned from the Commons for five days. As it stands, for being given the boot during PMQs, Bristow is banned from the parliamentary estate for the rest of the day.
It wasn’t the first time today that Hoyle had called for order on both sides of the house, with the speaker having already told boisterous MPs to pipe down twice within the first five minutes of the session. Phew…just a day to go until recess!
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