Keir Starmer 'categorically' denies pressuring Commons Speaker over Gaza vote

Sir Keir Starmer has made it clear that he did not put any pressure on Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle before the vote on the Gaza ceasefire. He said he "categorically" denies threatening Sir Lindsay to choose Labour's amendment during the debate.

Sir Lindsay was accused of helping Sir Keir avoid problems with his party over the Middle East by letting Labour change an SNP motion. This motion called or an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Questions have been mounting about what discussions were had before the vote amid Tory and SNP suggestions that the Opposition sought to influence his controversial decision.

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But Sir Keir, talking in Sussex, said he didn't threaten the Speaker at all and explained that he just wanted Sir Lindsay to let MPs talk about lots of different ideas during the debate.

He said: "I can categorically tell you that I did not threaten the Speaker in any way whatsoever.

“I simply urged to ensure that we have the broadest possible debate so that actually the most important thing, which is what do we do about the situation in Gaza, could be properly discussed by MPs with a number of options in front of them.”

Meanwhile, Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, who launched a blistering attack on Sir Lindsay as the commotion unfolded in the chamber, defended him on Thursday as a “decent man” as she directed her criticism at Sir Keir.

The senior Cabinet minister told MPs that Wednesday’s “shameful events” were nothing “other than party politics on behalf of the Labour Party”.

“We have seen into the heart of Labour’s leadership. Nothing is more important than the interests of the Labour Party. The Labour Party before principle, the