An MP has been suspended from the House of Commons after refusing to stop shouting following a debate on the government’s post-Brexit Internal Market Bill.
After a 40-second outburst in which he branded the bill a “democratic outrage” to Scotland, the SNP’s business spokesperson Drew Hendry was formally “named” and barred from the rest of the day’s sitting – with MPs voting shortly afterwards to pave the way for the controversial bill to be passed into law.
Deputy Speaker Dame Rosie Winterton told Mr Hendry to resume his seat but the MP refused, proceeding to pick up the parliamentary mace and walk towards the door of the chamber.
He was stopped by the doorkeepers, who removed the mace – the symbol of royal authority, without which neither House can meet or pass laws – from his possession.
It is the first time an MP has been “named” in this sitting parliament – with Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle having been the most recent official to fall foul of the procedure in December 2018 for grabbing the mace after a vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal was postponed.
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Rival MPs could be heard describing Mr Hendry’s actions as “outrageous” and referring to it as “another boring stunt”.
Dame Rosie remarked that it was “very childish”.
But Holyrood’s Constitution Secretary Mike Russell praised him for “speaking truth to power” over the “undemocratic” bill, which he said should have been withdrawn.
The bill sets out how trade within the UK will operate post-Brexit, but critics feared the legislation in its original form represented a power grab by Westminster at the expense of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Following a number of defeats by the House of Lords and extensive debate and negotiations, the government has made changes that will allow the devolved administrations agreed divergence from internal market rules through so-called common frameworks.
But earlier during the debate, Mr Hendry had warned the amendments do “not protect devolution”, alleging that Tory business minister Paul Scully had “laid that out clearly today for everybody to hear”.
“Westminster ministers will still have the right to impose lower food, environmental and other devolved standards on Scotland regardless of the view of Holyrood,” Mr Hendry said.
“This bill is the biggest assault on devolution in the history of the Scottish Parliament.
“It undermines devolved policy-making, grabs spending powers, and removes state aid from being a devolved responsibility.”
Moments after his expulsion from the chamber, MPs voted to approve peers’ amendments to the bill, ending weeks of parliamentary stalemate and paving the way for the bill to become law.
Additional reporting by PA
