Speaker would have faced sack by Starmer if he had not caved in on Gaza debate

Sir Lindsay Hoyle tried to change the rules to help Labour avoid a split vote over a Gaza ceasefire but ended up pleading for his job, writes John Rentoul

Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle announces he has selected amendments tabled by Labour (PA Wire)

While hostages languish in tunnels and another bit of Gaza is reduced to rubble, the British House of Commons did what it does best: played with words and argued about procedure.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, announced that all three main parties could have a vote on their form of words on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. There was uproar because this was a breach of convention. Indeed, the noisiest protests came when he said that the rules of the Commons were “outdated”.

Outdated? Scottish National Party and Conservative MPs were outraged. These were ancient rules, part of the birthright of freeborn Britons (including Scots) and a guarantee of our democratic freedoms. Or something. They date from, er, 1979.