An emotional Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he never wants to pick up the phone “to find a friend has been murdered” – as he defended his actions in the Commons on Wednesday.
The Commons Speaker is facing a backlash for allowing a vote on a Labour amendment to an SNP motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Politics Live: Starmer ‘categorically’ denies threatening Speaker
Usually there would only be a government amendment to an opposition motion, but Sir Lindsay said he wanted all sides to have a say given the importance of the topic, and the fact MPs are facing increasing levels of abuse over their views on the war.
However some Conservative and SNP MPs have accused Sir Lindsay – a former Labour MP who must be impartial in his current role – of making a “political decision” and said they no longer have confidence in him.
Having already apologised for the chaos that ensued last night Sir Lindsay again said sorry to MPs today.
“I made a mistake – we do make mistakes, I own up to mine,” he said.
But he stressed the safety of MPs was at the forefront of his mind when he made the decision – revealing that he had held meetings with police yesterday about threats posed to MPs.
“I will defend every member in this House. Both sides, I never ever want to go through a situation where I pick up a phone to find a friend, whatever side, has been murdered by terrorists.
“I also don’t want an attack on this House.”
Sir Lindsay said “the details of the things that have been brought to me are absolutely frightening”.
Appearing emotional, he added: “I am guilty because I have a duty of care that I will carry out to protect people. It is the protection that led me to make the wrong decision.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
Source Agencies
