Trouble among British elected officials.
The British House of Commons experienced heated debates and chaotic scenes on Wednesday around a motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, considerably weakening the position of Speaker of the House Lindsay Hoyle.
Strongly criticized, the “speaker” is the subject of calls for resignation after having allowed, contrary to custom, the Labor opposition to table an amendment on a motion from another opposition group, the Scottish independence party SNP, and this during a session supposed to be dedicated to the latter.
The Scottish National Party's motion called for an "immediate ceasefire" and demanded an "end to collective punishment against the Palestinian people", while a Labor amendment called for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire ", and a diplomatic process to achieve a two-state solution and lasting peace.
An amendment adopted under contested conditions
For Keir Starmer's Labor Party, favored in the polls ahead of the elections expected this year, this approach was interpreted as aiming to avoid reviving divisions within the party on the issue.
For its part, the conservative government tabled an amendment calling for “an immediate humanitarian pause”, which it ultimately withdrew.
Obviously upset and facing an extremely agitated Parliament, speaker Lindsay Hoyle ended up apologizing for the way things had turned out, after explaining that his initial approach was intended to allow a broader debate.
Ultimately, the Labor amendment was adopted without a formal vote, under conditions which were also contested.
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The SNP's Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, denounced the "contempt" he said his party had been subjected to, as calls for resignations rang out from both sides of the House of Commons at of speaker Lindsay Hoyle, in this position since the end of 2019.
Among the deputies, many voices were raised to denounce the fact that this affair had turned into a psychodrama in Westminster rather than focusing on the crisis in the Middle East.
At the same time, several thousand people supporting the Palestinians demonstrated near Parliament to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
The conflict was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attacks against Israel on October 7, which left 11,160 dead according to an AFP count based on official data.
The retaliation by Israel, which has vowed to wipe out the Islamist movement in power in the Gaza Strip, has left 29,313 people dead, according to the Hamas health ministry.