Chaos as SNP stages walkout in protest at ‘post-exit power grab’
UPROAR engulfed the House of Commons yesterday when Scottish National Party MPs disrupted Prime Minister’s Questions with a “stunt”.
Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, was expelled by Speaker John Bercow after repeatedly refusing to take his seat.
The weekly session was halted for more than five minutes as the rest of his party’s MPs stormed out.
Tory MP Kirstene Hair said: “This rehearsed move just demonstrated that the SNP care more about headlines than actually achieving anything for Scotland.
“They are the masters of manufactured grievance and the people of Scotland are sick of it.
“The SNP are playing games with Parliament. It is a joke.”
Farcical scenes unfurled when Mr Blackford tried to start a little-used procedure to clear the public and press to allow MPs to sit in private.
He claimed the demand was in response to a Government “power grab” after Brexit wrests decision-making from Brussels.
He said: “The people of Scotland will not be disrespected. I have no option but to ask that this House now sit in private.”
The Speaker, who conferred with clerks, said: “I have had a mixed sequence of advice. This has not happened before.”
Mr Bercow offered to let MPs vote on Mr Blackford’s request later but after Mr Blackford ignored the requests to sit down, Mr Bercow ordered him out for the day.
Outside, Mr Blackford alleged that SNP’s Ian Blackford resists Mr Bercow ministers had curbed debate about devolution and Brexit during scrutiny of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill this week.
He said: “Not one single Scottish MP was able to speak in a debate that lasted less than 20 minutes.
“That’s undemocratic, that is a slight to the Scottish Parliament and to the people of Scotland.”
He dismissed suggestions that the walkout was just a stunt, saying: “We have a responsibility to stand up for our constituents.”
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said she was “right behind” Mr Blackford and accused Westminster of treating Scotland with “contempt”.
A Downing Street source said: “That sort of stunt effectively means that the SNP can’t represent their constituents.”