Following a chaotic vote on a ceasefire in Gaza that took place on Wednesday, more than 50 Members of Parliament have signed a motion of no confidence in Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the House of Commons. There are doubts regarding his future in the role after Health Minister Maria Caulfield stated that she would “struggle to support” Sir Lindsay, concerning his undermining of parliamentary convention by agreeing to a vote on Labour’s amendment to the SNP’s motion calling for an immediate ceasefire. His decision to allow the first vote to be on Labour’s amendment rather than that of the SNP was met with criticism from Conservative and SNP MPs, who accused him of making the decision to prevent a revolt from Labour backbenchers. A formal motion of no confidence had been signed by mid-morning on Thursday by 53 MPs, causing doubt about Sir Lindsay’s future as speaker.
There is no official way for members of Parliament to remove him from his role but past precedent has seen speakers resigning after facing political pressure, such as Michael Martin in 2009. Sir Lindsay is set to meet with Penny Mordaunt, leader of the Commons, following claims that he had “undermined the confidence” of the House. Pat McFadden, the shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, opposed these claims and defended Sir Lindsay, asserting that the Tories’ decision not to turn up and to walk away from the debate was the reason the situation became chaotic. The debate over whether there should be a ceasefire in Gaza was overshadowed by the events, with thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathering outside the Houses of Parliament. Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s leader at Westminster expressed disappointment, stating that the SNP had been treated with “complete and utter contempt.” John Bercow, Sir Lindsay’s predecessor as Speaker, joined the Labour party in 2021 after being criticized for his stance on Brexit.