Starmer will not be probed by Commons
Claims he put pressure on Speaker Hoyle dismissed
KEIR Starmer will not be referred to the Commons Privileges Committee for investigation over the Gaza ceasefire debate, deputy speakers have said.
SNP, Conservative and Plaid Cymru MPs had requested an investigation alleging the Labour leader pressured Lindsay Hoyle to select his party’s amendment during an SNP Opposition Day last month.
But in a letter, all three deputy speakers have unanimously ruled: “The Speaker’s role requires his conversations with Members to remain confidential. All parties should be able to rely on that confidentiality. Allowing matters of privilege to be raised on the content of confidential conversations would undermine that principle.”
The letter – seen by The Times – addressed to the SNP’s chief whip Owen Thompson, the Conservatives’ Graham Brady and Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville Roberts adds there is a “high bar” for raising complaints of breach of privilege.
The deputy speakers Rosie Winterton, Nigel Evans and Eleanor Laing said their ruling was based on advice and precedence.
It goes on: “The complaint is founded on third-party reports of conversations held in confidence between Mr Speaker and others, including the Leader of the Opposition.
“The Speaker regularly has conversations in confidence with Members, including party leaders and whips. This is normal practice.
“There is no precedent for granting precedence to a complaint based purely on allegations of what might or might not have been said in a private meeting.
“There are no direct accounts of what was said from anyone who was actually in the room.
“We have decided not to give this matter precedence. Our decision is unanimous.”
Almost 100 MPs signed a motion of no confidence in Hoyle after he broke with convention to select a Labour amendment as well as a Government one to be heard on an SNP Opposition Day.
This eventually resulted in an SNP motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and highlighting the “collective punishment” of Palestinians by Israel not being voted on.
The Labour amendment – which did call for a ceasefire but did not mention collective punishment – was nodded through.
Starmer “categorically” denied having threatened the Speaker after accusations were made that Hoyle helped the Labour leader avoid another damaging revolt over the Middle East issue. He claimed he “simply urged” Hoyle to have “the broadest possible debate” by putting a number of options in front of MPs.
Labour MP Chris Bryant admitted he was ordered to filibuster to block progress on the SNP’s motion and accepted the party had brought itself “terribly into disrepute”.
The Speaker subsequently denied the SNP an emergency debate on Gaza despite explicitly offering one after the chaos caused by his decision.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen
Flynn accused him of “failing the people of Gaza”.
Meanwhile, Starmer has been accused of “not being honest” about cuts a Labour government would impost on public services – after he repeatedly dodged the question on Sky News.
The Labour leader appeared on Politics Hub with Sophie Ridge on Monday evening where he was grilled on whether he was going “to tax more, borrow more, or are you going to become the austerity Prime Minister?”
Starmer refused to answer Ridge when she asked, saying “What we learned last week was a terrible incitement of 14 years in government.”