PMQs: SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford expelled from Commons prompting mass walkout from party colleagues

Prime Minister’s Questions descended into chaos today as the SNP leader was expelled from the Commons – prompting a mass walkout from his party colleagues.

Ian Blackford was ordered out by a flustered John Bercow after he refused to sit down in a protest over the failure to debate what he called a Brexit “power grab” from Scotland.

The row held up questions for several minutes before the SNP MPs left the chamber en masse – some shouting and pointing angrily at the speaker and Tory MPs.

The SNP was furious after a strict guillotine on debate on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill left just 15 minutes to discuss a series of devolution controversies on Tuesday evening.

Theresa May has also rejected Holyrood’s plea not to “break the 20-year-old devolution settlement” by ploughing ahead with her Brexit plans in the teeth of Scotland’s opposition.

Speaking immediately afterwards, Mr Blackford denied his protest was “a stunt”, insisting it was justified by the government’s “democratic outrage”.

Holyrood was exposed to losing powers in crucial areas including trade deals, environmental standards and food safety, he argued.

“The prime minister gave a commitment that she would treat Scotland as part of a ‘union of equals’. Yet, last night, she pressed ahead with a power grab in direct opposition to Scotland’s elected parliament,” Mr Blackford said.

“The Tories haven’t won a democratic mandate from the people of Scotland for over 60 years, yet they press on to claw back powers from Holyrood without consent.

“History will remember this defining moment when the UK parliament chose to reject devolution. This will haunt the Scottish Tories for a generation.”

The Edinburgh parliament voted to withhold consent from the bill last month, when Labour, Green and Lib Dem MSPs joined the SNP in rejecting the legislation by 93 votes to 30.

Westminster can override the opinion, something Ms May vowed to do, insisting the devolution proposals in the bill were necessary to “maintain the integrity of our own common market”.

The controversy blew up after Mr Blackford used the parliamentary device of calling for a vote for the Commons to sit in private, in order to raise attention to his protest.

Mr Bercow urged him to deal with the issue at the end of the question session – rather than to interrupt it – but spent several minutes discussing parliamentary rules with his clerks.

Eventually, the speaker told him that “in light of the persistent and repeated refusal of the right honourable gentleman to resume his seat when so instructed” he was banning him for the rest of the day.

Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader, said she was “right behind” Mr Blackford and accused Westminster of treating Scotland with “contempt”.

In a further sign of the rising tensions, Holyrood called for David Mundell, the Scottish secretary, to come before MSPs “as a matter of urgency”.

A looming Supreme Court ruling on the legality of the withdrawal bill could determine the extent of the constitutional clash to come.