UK parliament

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the UK’s House of Commons, is fighting for his political survival this morning after a day of chaos in parliament reminiscent of the Brexit era. Hoyle apologised after his handling of a vote on a Gaza ceasefire resulted in Scottish National Party and Conservative MPs walking out of the chamber. The details are technical but important: Hoyle broke with precedent by including a Labour motion in Wednesday’s vote, even though it was an opposition day earmarked for the SNP. He also called for a review of these “outdated” rules. The decision was greeted with fury by SNP and Conservative MPs. Those who didn’t walk out eventually approved Labour’s amendment, which called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza. But this was more about political manoeuvrings than what is unfolding in the Middle East.