Sir Lindsay Hoyle
MP for Chorley · Speaker · United Kingdom
“Before we start questions, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the legendary Sir Billy Boston. He was a pioneer in the rugby world, switching codes from union to league, a record try scorer for Wigan, and the second highest all-time scorer of tries.”
“I inform the House that I have received letters from the hon. Member for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green (Florence Eshalomi) informing me of her resignation as Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, the hon.”
“If there is more than one candidate in any election, the ballot will take place on Monday 14 September between 3 pm and 6 pm in the Aye Lobby. I remind Members that new rules in relation to campaigning for Select Committee Chair elections, which were proposed by the Procedure Committee, were endorsed by the House on 28 April 2026.”
“We now come to the statement from the Prime Minister. There has been a lot of speculation over the recess, and I just say that this is in accordance with the rules of government. The ministerial code is clear. For those who have asked why I have not commented, it is because it is within the rules, which I do not make.”
“Before we come to the urgent question on British Steel, can I say that I am amazed that a statement was not brought to the House on this very important matter that affects different constituencies? Nothing ever seems to change, but can the message go back that just telling me is not an answer?”
“Before we come to business questions, I wish everybody a pleasant recess. I hope we get some downtime; it seems to have been a very heavy Session so far.”
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“Now that you have brought me into it, I will just say that the Intelligence and Security Committee is private and independent, and therefore I would not like to see that it was blocked from information. It would not affect any police investigation, because that information would not go into the public arena. I just want the House to be aware of that. I also thank the Minister for coming to the House. To me, on something as important as this a written ministerial statement is not good enough; I think it should have been brought to the House. All sides are interested in it, and it is right that this House should be informed, so I really am pleased. I am sorry that the Minister has got the short straw, but I thank him for being here. I call the shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.”
“Order. Mr Obese-Jecty, I do not need to hear these side comments, which are now coming from you more often. You are now a Front Bencher, and more restraint is required. I expect so much better of you as an ex-military officer and a gallant Member.”
“I have to notify the House, in accordance with the Royal Assent Act 1967, that the King has signified his Royal Assent to the following Acts: Licensing Hours Extensions Act 2026 Secure 16 to 19 Academies Act 2026 Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Act 2026.”
“Order. May I just say that you did not summon the Minister? I granted an urgent question. Think about the language you choose, Dr Evans, and think that we have given you something.”
“Order. Minister, one of us is going to sit down, and it is not going to be me. Please can we have a little bit more calm? You have come in as the supporting Minister to the Secretary of State. I want you to set the example and not be the naughty one.”
“Order. We are going to learn the rules between us, Minister. Dr Luke Evans, I have granted you this urgent question. Quite rightly, I wanted your question to be heard by the Minister; I did not want any interruption. I expect you to listen to the answer without interruption.”
“The right hon. Gentleman has put that decision on the record. I am not going to extend Northern Ireland questions, so we will move on. Before we come to Prime Minister’s questions, I welcome to the Gallery the President—the Speaker—of the Parliament of Estonia. I thank him and his delegation for being with us today from Estonia.”
“Order. Mr Tice, it is very important that I hear this point of order— [ Interruption. ] No, I need to hear it; I will make a ruling in a minute.”
“I am very clear on this matter. When Members of Parliament go into another Member’s constituency, they should let that Member know in advance. This is not about one party; Members of all parties continue to do it. These are the courtesies that we expect of others, so please remember the rule: let other Members know when you are going into their constituency. The point has been raised, and I will leave it at that.”
“First, that is not a point of order, but the hon. Gentleman has put it on the record. A point of order was made earlier, and this ruling is where I stand: if you are visiting a synagogue for prayer or in a private capacity, the relevant Member should not expect to be told. However, if you are visiting in an official capacity following an invite, it is only right that we must ensure that the relevant Member of Parliament is aware. I will leave it at that. I will not continue the debate, but I just reaffirm to all Members—whether shadow Ministers, Ministers or Back Benchers—that they should ensure that the relevant Member of Parliament is aware of a visit. When I say “visit”, I am talking about one made not in a private capacity but a political capacity.”
“Order. That is certainly not a point of order, but you have rightly put your point on the record. I am sure your constituents are well aware that you are diligent in your replies, and that the delay is down to Royal Mail hanging on to your letter for 12 days. Royal Mail quite rightly has a duty of care. If it says first class, we expect a first-class delivery service. With the price of postage, the Royal Mail should be embarrassed by what you have raised today, but that still does not make it a point of order.”
“Order. Jim, you were not here—you have just appeared—and the problem is that I think you missed the first part of the question. [ Interruption. ] Do not worry, Jim—just get on with it!”
“Order. First, do not walk across the Member who is asking the question. [ Interruption. ] Just sit down. Secondly, if you have asked a question, please wait for the answer—do not keep interrupting. We have to treat people with respect and tolerance in this House.”
“We cannot have points of order; we are just beginning the statement. [ Interruption. ] Those are the rules of the House. I am not going change them especially for you. I call the shadow Minister.”
“Order. The idea was not to talk about the particular court case. I think we will leave it at that. [Interruption.] I think the hon. Member is struggling with my ruling. The hon. Member was talking about a court case and asking what is going to happen with it. We should not be questioning the position. We are crossing a line that we do not cross—that is what it is. I can reassure the hon. Member that I did not want to pull him up. I call the Chair of the Justice Committee.”
“Order. I did not know about the issue that has just been raised; I am very concerned about it. I thank the Leader of the House for his answer, but I want to know why I was not told, so I will take this up.”
“Order. I am going to run business questions until midday or thereabouts, so please help each other. A good example will come from James Wild.”
“The right hon. Gentleman is a very experienced Member, and I know that he will pursue this through the many avenues available. He might wish to catch the Chair’s eye during today’s debate in order to raise those issues. The issues that he has raised are very serious and will be taken seriously. I am sure that those on the Government Front Bench have heard his comments.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I say to the hon. Lady that she had put this on the record— [ Interruption. ] I do not want to continue the debate. She has put it on the record, so it is there.”
“Order. We are getting very carried away with the way in which the work of the Metropolitan police is being thrown around. I am meant to have been contacted, but neither I nor the House has been contacted. The House will understand that I am not responsible for the ministerial answers—let me put that on the record and see if we can tidy this up a little. For the avoidance of doubt, I understand that there is an ongoing police investigation into this case. However, no charges have been brought. The House sub judice resolution does not apply. In that context, it is up to the Ministers how they reply, but the House rules do not prevent them from answering fully. Please do not hide behind the possibility that something is not factual—let us get this on the record. I have still not had a phone call on this matter.”
“Order. Maybe I can help a little. I think the answer was, “We can’t do this, because there is a police investigation.” We have to recognise that that is not a reason, so do not let us play off each other. I have made my point from the Chair.”
“Order. The Minister has been giving way and will give way, but you cannot all stay on your feet shouting, “Will he give way?” Let us give the Minister some time; he will take your interventions when he feels he is in the mood to take them.”
“A manuscript amendment would be a matter for the Chair. As the Chair, I would be sympathetic to what the House needs to ensure that we get the best.”
“The Chair is able to select a manuscript amendment, for which there is a high bar. There is a lot to clear up and I am sure that things can move forward, but in a nutshell, the answer is yes.”
“To help the House, let me say that because this now relates to a person who is not a member of the royal family, the situation is completely different.”
“Order. It is not me who will say when it is 4 o’clock, but I would gently say that this is Opposition day and the Opposition may want to extend the time available for this debate. I am very bothered that not many people will get in given the rate that we are going at. I leave it to Members to take care of time.”
“Order. I can inform Members that this debate will now run until 7 pm to allow more Members to speak. Sorry for the interruption, Stephen Flynn.”
“Order. I must inform the House that a manuscript amendment to amendment (a) has been tabled by the Prime Minister, and I have selected it. For the convenience of the House, the manuscript amendment adds the following words to the end of the amendment: “which shall instead be referred to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament”. Copies of the manuscript amendment are now available in the Vote Office. I will call the Minister to move the amendment formally when winding up the debate.”
“Order. In fairness to the Minister, he has given way time and again to Conservative Members, and now, quite rightly, he is giving way to the hon. Lady. Don’t feel that you have been hard done by, please!”
“Just to sum up, the Metropolitan police have no jurisdiction over what this House may wish to do. It will be a matter of whether or not the Government provide the information. I want to let Members know that the police cannot dictate to this House. I will leave it at that; I am not going to continue the debate, which has been a long and important one. Let us move on.”
“Last week, the House paid tribute to Lord Flight, who served as the MP for Arundel and South Downs from 1997 to 2005. My condolences go to his family and friends. Before we begin, I would like to pay tribute to Lord Wallace of Tankerness, who died last week. Previously elected as the MP for Orkney and Shetland in 1983, Lord Wallace joined the Scottish Parliament in 1999, where he held the role of First Minister on three occasions. On behalf of the House, I offer my condolences to his family and friends.”
“Order. We are now on topical questions. It is very important that we get orders for Lancashire—I am fully behind her on that—but do it quickly. Go on, Minister.”
“Thank you. Can we calm it down? I am sure you will want to catch my eye and I would like to hear what you have to say, so let us not ruin the opportunity.”
“Order. Mr Kyle, you said to me when you were going to China how well you would behave and how you owe me a big thank you. You are not showing it today!”
“Order. I did not want to have to get up. Mr Anderson, one of us will have to sit down, and it is not going to be me. [Interruption.] Order. Who was speaking out then? If they have not got the guts to admit to shouting somebody down, they should leave the Chamber.”
“Order. Dr Evans, do you have to keep chuntering? You have asked the question, and you are getting an answer. I do not need— [ Interruption. ] Order. I wouldn’t bother giving me backchat. I do not need a running commentary. Let’s calm it down a little. It does not look good on TV.”
“Order. No, no, no. You are on the Panel of Chairs. You know that that is not a point of order—it’s not even the start of one. You are trying to continue the debate. I am sure that you are on the list to speak, so you will get to make your points later.”
“Order. It is getting touchy in here. I want the debate to be tolerant and respectful. It is up to the Minister whether she wishes to give way. That word is in order. It has been used from the other side as well, so let us not forget our memories.”
“Before we start today’s business, I want to note that today is Holocaust Memorial Day. I know that the whole House will agree with me about the importance of remembering the 6 million Jewish people murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed as a result of Nazi persecution, as well as those killed in more recent genocides—Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Members will have an opportunity to make further contributions during the debate on Thursday. For now, I know that colleagues will want to join me in thanking the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust for its important work.”
“Order. I can see that you want to round up your question, but this is more of a statement. You are telling the history, which is important, but I hope there is a question coming now, as there are a lot of other Members to get in.”
“If there are issues of market sensitivity, or indeed any other sensitivities, Ministers are welcome to seek advice through my office or the Clerks on how the best balance of these sensitivities might legitimate the need to update me before the media. We have to work together on this. The message is clear. I am not in charge of the code; the Prime Minister is. He needs to take the code more seriously.”
“Before we come to the statement on commonhold and leasehold reform, I once again note, for the second day in a row, my disappointment about briefings to the media before important announcements are brought to the House. As the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee recently stated, “making the most important statements in the first instance to Parliament means doing so before they are made to the media and not at the first available opportunity thereafter”. Those are the Government’s rules in their own ministerial code, and they must do better. I am defending Back Benchers on both sides of the House. They have been elected here to hear it. Hearing it on Sky News and the BBC is not the way we do business.”
“Order. Can I gently say that I want to get everybody in, but I cannot do so if people are going to make longer contributions? I know there is a 40-year clause in the legislation hon. Members are discussing—I don’t want us to hit that today!”
“Order. This is not acceptable. I have to be quite honest, because the other Front Benchers need time to respond. When a statement is meant to take 10 minutes, that is meant to be 10 minutes. If Ministers tell me otherwise in advance, I am willing to work with them, but they cannot just carry on speaking. Minister, I take it that you are now coming to the last page of the statement, not the middle pages— [ Interruption. ] No, I want you to bring it to an end, and quickly.”
“Can I just ask, gently, have you not been advised that this is meant to be 10 minutes? Departments have people who are meant to advise Ministers on how long they have got. How on earth have you got a speech that is longer? It could be 20 minutes. It is unfair to the Members present, and there is other business. Please, this House should be shown the respect it deserves, and unfortunately we are not getting it. I am here to protect Members, not allow Ministers to take advantage.”
“I appreciate that, but when Madam Deputy Speaker is in the Chair, I expect her to be given the same respect, so that when she says that time is up, you do accept that ruling. She felt that you were not stopping in time. I do not want to get into it now, but I will be speaking to the Chief Whip later.”
“Before we start, it would be remiss of me not to say to the Home Secretary that although we have a statement now, I watched this all unfold yesterday and over the past few days. Whether it is the FBI or the merging of police forces, it really needs to be brought to the House before it is taken to the media. I say once again to the Home Secretary, who I know is very diligent in the job, that these are not my rules; they are the Prime Minister’s rules. I do not need the Prime Minister ignoring his own rules.”
“You did run slightly over, by over a minute, so I will give a little bit of leeway to the Opposition Front Benchers. I call the shadow Home Secretary.”
“Order. That is a very important question, and I fully support it, but we have to shorten the questions to get others in. The Minister will give a good example in his reply.”
“Order. I have a lot of respect for the right hon. Member for Newark (Robert Jenrick), but I do not expect him to walk in and start mouthing off the moment he sits down. I am sure that he would like to catch my eye, and that is not the best way to do so.”