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by Kirsteen Paterson
13 July 2022
Two MPs thrown out of Prime Minister's Questions

Two MPs thrown out of Prime Minister's Questions

Two Scottish MPs were ejected from Prime Minister's Questions today as Boris Johnson took the floor amidst a Tory leadership contest.

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle repeatedly ordered a rowdy chamber to "shut up" before Neale Hanvey and Kenny MacAskill of the Alba Party were thrown out of the session.

Struggling to control the session as Johnson attempted to speak, the Speaker told the members to "sit down" and warned they'd be named and could face suspension from the House if they refused to comply.

He then ordered the Serjeant at Arms to escort them out to allow the questions to begin.

One MP, Labour's Chris Elmore, said it had been an "absolutely jaw-dropping start" to the session.

Both MacAskill and Hanvey were elected as SNP MPs before defecting to the alternative independence party.

SNP MP Joanna Cherry tweeted that "whatever you think about the interventions" of the men "the reaction and the rage shown towards them contrasts sharply with the seeming inaction in the face of repeated lying by the PM at the despatch box".

Under Commons rules, those named and removed from the chamber face censure including the loss of five days' pay.

At the end of the session, Hoyle named both men and MPs voted to suspend them from the House.

In a statement, they said they were ensuring that "Scotland's voice will be heard" and accused Johnson of refusing a "consented and legal Scottish independence referendum to take place, in accordance with the democratic mandate given by the Scottish people to their elected representatives in the Scottish Parliament".

Later, Hanvey shared a clip on social media, telling followers he had been recorded "leaving work early".

 

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