Cloak and Dagger: How Starmer Rigged the Ceasefire Vote
Sir Keir Starmer has acknowledged that he had discussions with Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle before the Ceasefire vote, where he admitted to “urging” Hoyle to select his Amendment to the SNP motion.
While he firmly denied threatening Hoyle, he avoided addressing whether any Labour MPs had done so. It was noted that Starmer had meetings with Hoyle and Labour’s Chief Whip, as mentioned by Stephen Flynn on Channel 4 News.
Once again the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer reveals the tawdry machinations behind his polished public facade. His admission that he personally lobbied the Speaker to table his amendment rigging the rules and blocking a vote for an immediate ceasefire exposes the mendacity at the heart of New Labour.
While Starmer denies overt threats, his cloak and dagger meetings with Sir Lynsy Hoyle and Labour’s whips betray his underhand methods. He then crafted his own self-serving amendment, neutering the ceasefire demand. Little wonder after his consultations with the bellicose Netanyahu.
Despite his claims to seek consensus, the truth is he plotted to derail real debate. Such is Labour’s democracy. He shuns principle for political advantage, his plaintiff bleatings mere cant.
No surprise impartial Speaker Hoyle bent to his will. The lure of an ermine robe is speculated to await any who aid Labour’s dissembling leader. Integrity is sacrificed on the altar of preferment and patronage.
Once again Starmer reveals Labour as a party that operates like those of the bad old days of smoke-filled rooms straight out of Yes Minister, with shady deals struck behind closed doors. Backroom deals trump the national interest and any chance of putting pressure on Israel to stop the slaughter.
Seeing is Believing
Ms Caulfield, the minister for women’s health strategy, said that the scenes on Wednesday evening were “a shambles”.
She told LBC’s Nick Ferrari: “We just felt as you saw the scenes unfold we just couldn’t take part in it.
“It wasn’t fair on the SNP and I’m not the SNP’s biggest supporter but to be fair to them they had a right to have a vote on their debate.
“I had hundreds of emails from my own constituents wanting me to vote one way or the other, and it was clear that this was not going to be a fair vote and we felt we just could not take part in it, and we wanted to walk away from the shambles that were ensuing.
“There’s hostages still captured, there’s a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, they are the issues that we should have been debating last night.”
She added that it was “completely out of character” for Sir Lindsay and added: “He was absent from the chamber for most of the morning.
“It was clear there were some negotiations going on, some heated debates in the corridors around the chamber.
“And whether pressure was put on him by Labour, who were going to lose their vote, I don’t know. But he went against the advice of the clerks of the House, that is a bit of a red line, but let’s see what he says when he meets the leader of the House and the chief whips today.”
Asked whether she believed Sue Gray, the former civil servant and “Partygate” inquisitor, could have been involved, Ms Caulfield said: “She was definitely in conversation with heated conversations with Labour MPs who wanted to vote for the SNP’s motion.
“It’s very, very surprising to see someone who’s not an MP such as Sue Gray influencing MPs just ahead of a vote like that.
“You could hear quite raised voices, you could hear huddles going on, very unusual to see scenes like that. There was clearly an issue that the Labour party had with that vote and the rumours are that Sir Keir Starmer went to see the speaker to have a discussion with him.”
The vote was meant to held on the SNP’s call for an immediate ceasefire that would “stop the slaughter of innocent civilians” in Gaza. It also made reference to the “collective punishment” of Palestinians, which could effectively accuse Israel of a war crime.
Labour had concerns about the wording and amid fears that forcing its MPs to abstain on the SNP motion – knowing several of its politicians wanted to vote for it – could lead to resignations, the party tabled an amendment calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”.
The SNP motion called for an immediate ceasefire to “stop the slaughter of innocent civilians” and accused Israel of collective punishment – potentially a war crime. But Starmer feared resignations if Labour MPs were forced to abstain. So he plotted with the Speaker.
Breaking convention, Lindsay Hoyle allowed Labour’s neutered amendment, despite government motions taking precedence. Starmer admitted lobbying Hoyle and crafting the weakened text after consulting Netanyahu. He avoided an Opposition Day motion, intent on controlling the vote and preventing rebellion.
The Conservatives tabled their own amendment calling for a pause, instead of a ceasefire. Usual procedure for opposition days says only government amendments should be selected by the speaker.
The government later withdrew the amendment that should have pushed the SNP motion to the front…
But Sir Lindsay made the unusual move of allowing the Labour opposition party’s amendment to be put to a vote first.
The Labour Party amendment was passed by the House – though it followed the mass walkout in protest at speakers machinations.
Sir Lindsay says he wanted to allow for a broad debate on an important topic, and given the strength of public feeling about Israel’s war with Hamas, was concerned for the security of MPs who are being bombarded with emails from constituents.
Following the spectacle 69 MPs have said they no longer have confidence in him after he broke convention to allow a vote on Labour’s call for an end to the fighting.
Sir Lindsay, a former Labour MP, is understood to have no intention of quitting despite the growing number of signatures on a no-confidence motion.
He broke with convention on Wednesday to allow a vote on Labour’s Gaza ceasefire amendment to an SNP motion calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and Israel. The amendment was later passed without vote.
He said: “I regret it. I apologise to the SNP… I apologise and I apologise to the House. I made a mistake. We do make mistakes. I own up to mine.
“I have a duty of care, and I say that, and if my mistake is looking after members I am guilty.”
He told the Commons on Thursday: “I will reiterate I made a judgement call that didn’t end up in the position where I expected it to.
“I regret it. I apologise to the SNP… I apologise and I apologise to the House. I made a mistake. We do make mistakes. I own up to mine.
He added, as his voice broke: “And it has been said, both sides, I never ever want to go through a situation where I pick up a phone to find a friend, of whatever side, has been murdered by terrorists.”
And he said: “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 a wrong decision but what I do not apologise (for) is the risk that has been put on all Members at the moment. I had serious meetings yesterday with the police on the issues and threats to politicians for us heading to an election.
“I do not want anything to happen again.”
This subversion of due process has shattered confidence in Hoyle’s impartiality. Hoyle pleaded sincerity and then dared to invoke a terrorism threat.
This has left him wide open to the point where Prime Minister Sunak warned that parliamentarians should never be intimidated by “extremists” after dozens of Conservative and SNP MPs signed a no-confidence motion in Sir Lindsay.
The fact is to invoke the threat of terrorism is ridiculous this is a matter of British parliamentarians doing their job. It’s what they should do debate and vote…
Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt blamed the Labour Party for the chaotic scenes.
And all the while people in Gaza continue to die, shame on all their houses…
But what we have seen is that Starmer reveals his slippery lack of integrity. His statesman mask slips, exposing the scheming opportunist beneath. He shames Labour and British democracy through such tawdry machinations, if he does see office for all those who are hoping for change they will be sadly disappointed.
This latest unscrupulous contrivance shreds Starmer’s credibility. The façade of statesman crumbles, exposing another feeble chancer beneath. He damns himself from his own mouth as a man of no conviction and less principle. Even his vaunted forensic skills desert him under scrutiny.
Labour is unfit to govern while led by such hollow men. British politics requires leaders of courage and integrity, not ones who scheme and plot against the interests of peace and justice.
On every count, Sir Keir Starmer has been weighed in the balance and found wanting.
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