Thank you for contacting me about the events of 21 February. I would like to begin by reassuring you that the House of Commons will never bow to extremists, threats or intimidation. It has not, will not and must not.
While I may frequently disagree with the Scottish National Party (SNP), its MPs have a right to be heard in the Commons Chamber and debate the issues they care about. Our Standing Orders protect the rights of minority parties to have those debates, and I welcome the Government’s defence of those rights on 21 February.
As you note, following the unprecedented decision taken by the Speaker on 21 February, the Government was not confident that it would be able to vote on its own amendment to the SNP's Opposition Day debate. For that reason, it chose not to play any further part in the proceedings. I welcome that the Speaker came to the House and apologised for his actions.
The Leader of the House was clear that the Government's position on Israel and Gaza remains unchanged. I want to see the fighting in Gaza end as soon as possible and never again want to allow Hamas to carry out the appalling terrorist attacks that Israel was subject to. Just calling for an immediate ceasefire now, which collapses back into fighting within days or weeks, is not in anyone's interest.
Early Day Motions (EDMs) are something that I regularly get asked to sign. EDMs are used to put on record the views of individual MPs or to draw attention to specific events or campaigns. I do not sign EDMs, however much I may sympathise with the cause they are highlighting, as their administration is costly to the taxpayer and they rarely have any influence on the legislative process.
28/02/2024