SPEAKER Lindsay Hoyle exploded at Rishi Sunak during Wednesday’s PMQs as the Prime Minister began asking questions of his own.
The Speaker interrupted the session twice to warn Sunak over putting questions to other members, reminding him that the point is for the Prime Minister to respond to MPs.
After Sunak questioned Keir Starmer’s position on restricting protests, following arrests of pro-republic campaigners over coronation weekend, the Speaker intervened.
“Can I just remind the Prime Minister, it’s PMQs – for him to answer! Not for what the Opposition’s doing!”
PMQs rules see the Speaker call on MPs in the order they are listed in the Order Paper.
If MPs are not sticking to the plan, the Speaker is able to remind them of the purpose and expected form of questions and answers.
During the exchange, the SNP had raised the police’s handling of protest during the coronation.
The party’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn told the Commons: “If the Prime Minister was to go to the boot of his Land Rover and pull out some placards which said ‘save our non-doms’ would he expect to be arrested by the police?”
Sunak thanked the police for their work during the coronation, adding: “On this issue we believe the police should have powers to make sure that they can protect the public from unnecessary and serious disruption.
“I respectfully recognise that he disagrees with our position. I guess the question for both of us is what does the Leader of the Opposition [Sir Keir Starmer] think about this? Because it is quite hard to keep up.”
