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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Steph Brawn

The nine most notable Westminster moments of 2022

IT would be an understatement to say it's been a rocky year in and around the House of Commons as Number 10 turned into a revolving door.

We've taken a look back at some of the most notable moments of the year...

Ian Blackford chucked out of the House

Long before Boris Johnson was pushed out the Number 10 door, Ian Blackford began his relentless pursuit of the PM and was thrown out of the House in January for calling him a liar.

Blackford had heavily criticised the initial findings of the Sue Gray report into Partygate, branding it a “fact-finding exercise with no facts”.

He pointed out that Johnson told the House all guidance was followed during lockdown and he believed he’d been at a work event. “Nobody believed him then and nobody believes you now prime minister … he has wilfully misled parliament.”

After Blackford refused to retract his statement, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle threw him out of the chamber.

Partygate

The publication of the full and final Sue Gray report in May of this year into events that occurred at Number 10 during the Covid pandemic made for one of the biggest political scandals of all time.

The report uncovered 16 events which occurred when lockdown rules were in place, including a party for Johnson’s birthday in which up to 30 people gathered in the Cabinet Room to present the then-PM with a cake.

Restrictions at the time banned most indoor gatherings involving more than two people.

Johnson was also pictured at a gathering understood to have taken place in the Downing Street flat in November 2020 to celebrate the departure of his former senior adviser Dominic Cummings, and Downing Street was forced to apologise to the Queen for two events that happened on April 16, 2021, the day before Prince Philip’s funeral where the late monarch grieved for her husband by herself.

The police fined Johnson, his wife Carrie and then-chancellor Rishi Sunak for their involvement in the gatherings.

It sparked the downfall of Johnson and the start of a tumultuous few months in Westminster.

Johnson resigns

He held on for dear life, but eventually Johnson lost the confidence of his party and was left with no choice but to go on July 7.

Over the previous 48 hours, he resisted calls to quit from all angles as junior ministers and members of his frontbench resigned within minutes of each other. Even newly-appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi said he should go after the previous incumbent Sunak left his post in protest over Johnson’s leadership.

He said it was “painful not to be able to see through so many projects and ideas” as he departed Number 10. We can all be grateful those never saw the light of day after the Brexit debacle.

Liz Truss becomes PM…for 49 days

After a farcical Tory leadership contest to decide the next prime minister, former foreign secretary Liz Truss won the hearts of Tory members and was handed the keys to Number 10.

But she barely had time to open her moving boxes before she was sent packing. Her short tenure saw her destroy the economy with her infamous mini-budget which sent interest rates through the roof as the pound plummeted in value.

Like Johnson, she did her best to delay the inevitable, but just 49 days after she pledged to “tackle the issues that are holding Britain back” she was forced to quit after losing two key ministers along with the confidence of her party.

It sparked a week-long emergency leadership contest – which briefly involved a rumoured bid from Johnson - before Sunak was eventually made PM by default in what many considered an insult to democracy.

The Queen’s passing

The death of Queen Elizabeth in September inevitably stands out as one of the most notable moments of 2022, as the late monarch was taken from Balmoral down to London before the coffin lay in state for mourners to pay their respects.

Many will also remember the moment in Westminster shortly before the news broke when a note was handed to deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner in the House of Commons, which she then had to relay to Keir Starmer.

With rumours circulating and an unusual statement from Buckingham Palace stating the Queen was unwell, people began to suspect the worst before it was confirmed.

Stephen Flynn becomes SNP group leader

In a turning point for the SNP, Aberdeen South MP Stephen Flynn came in as Westminster leader earlier this month after Blackford announced he was standing down.

Flynn beat Alison Thewliss in a party group vote which was not without its controversy. There had already been reports Flynn wanted to replace Blackford as leader which he was forced to deny. He had to do so again when he speculation emerged he was plotting against the Ross, Skye and Lochaber MP.

Some reports described the appointment of Flynn as a “blow” to Nicola Sturgeon after he made clear he wanted more independence for SNP MPs at Westminster.

Alba walkout

Two Alba MPs were escorted out of the House of Commons in July as Boris Johnson faced MPs for the first time since his resignation.

After a Tory MP was given the first question, shouting could be heard from the opposition benches - where the Alba representatives were staging a pro-independence protest.

The pair expressed their fury over Johnson ruling out granting a Section 30 order while his cabinet fell apart around him.

After a fiery exchange with the Speaker, Kenny Macaskill and Neale Hanvey were escorted out.

Fracking vote descends into chaos

MPs voted against a ban on fracking in October and although it had no bearing on the ban in Scotland, it was hard to ignore what unfolded.

On the night of October 19 Conservative MPs were subject to a three-line whip during a vote on a Labour motion which sought to formally ban fracking in England.

In the wake of the vote – where members reported witnessing “bullying, screaming and shouting” in the lobby – chief whip Wendy Morton and deputy whip Craig Whittaker reportedly lost their jobs, with Whittaker allegedly telling colleagues: “I am f***ing furious and I don’t give a f*** anymore.”

During an interview on BBC News Tory backbencher Charles Walker said the scenes were “inexcusable” and the conduct of the government was “a shambles and a disgrace”.

Suella Braverman resigns...and then gets her job back

In what has to be one of the most mind-boggling recruitment procedures in Westminster ever, Suella Braverman somehow managed to break the ministerial code and then get her job back.

After being appointed Home Secretary by Liz Truss, it later emerged the reason she had done so was because of data breaches in which she admitted to sending official government documents from a personal email.  

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