Suspension from the UK parliament

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In the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Members of Parliament (MPs) can be suspended from sitting in the House of Commons by the Speaker for "disorderly conduct".[1] The Speaker can order an MP removed from the house until the end of the day, but more often "names" an MP.

When an MP is named, a vote is held in the house in the same way as a normal vote on legislation. If the vote is successful, the MP named is suspended for five days for a first offence and 20 days for a second offence, during which time they cannot take part in votes and debates in Parliament. They also have their pay suspended.[1]

Members of the House of Lords can also be suspended. This occurred for the first time since 1642[3] in May 2009, when Labour peers Lord Truscott and Lord Taylor of Blackburn were suspended after a newspaper accused them of offering to change laws for cash.[4] It was followed by the suspension of three more peers in October 2010, when Baroness Uddin, Lord Paul and Lord Bhatia were suspended following the Parliamentary expenses scandal.[5]

List of MPs suspended from parliament[]

See also: Naming (parliamentary procedure) § House of Commons (United Kingdom)
Date Member of Parliament Political party Duration Reason
2 July 1931 John McGovern Independent Labour Party Remainder of the session Disregarding ruling of the chair and requiring force to be removed when initially ordered to withdraw.[6]
27 May 1976 Michael Heseltine Conservative ... Seizing the ceremonial mace.[7]
1984 Dennis Skinner Labour ... Unparliamentary language – referring to David Owen as a "pompous sod", and then only withdrawing the word "pompous".[8]
1985 Brian Sedgemore Labour ... Accusing Nigel Lawson of "perverting the course of justice".
15 March 1988 Alex Salmond Scottish National Party 5 days Disorderly conduct.
20 April 1988 Ron Brown Labour 20 days Damaging the ceremonial mace by throwing it to the floor. He had agreed to read a pre-written apology but proceeded to add comments of his own, saying that he was "grovelling".
2 July 1992 Dennis Skinner Labour ... Unparliamentary language – referring to Minister for Agriculture John Gummer as a "little squirt of a minister"
1993 Ian Paisley Democratic Unionist ... Unparliamentary language – refusing to withdraw use of the word "falsehoods" after being instructed to do so by the Speaker.[9]
9 May 1995 Dennis Skinner Labour ... Unparliamentary language — accusing the government of a "crooked deal".
3 March 1998 Ronnie Campbell Labour ... Unparliamentary language, calling Conservative Shadow Agriculture Minister Michael Jack a "hypocrite".[10]
2000 Teresa Gorman Conservative 4 weeks Failing to disclose on the Register of Members Interests between 1987 and 1994 three rented properties in south London and for her failure to register two rented-out Portuguese properties from 1987 to 1999. The Commons' Standards and Privileges committee also found she should not have introduced a Ten Minute Rule Bill in 1990 proposing the repeal of the Rent Acts without registering and declaring a financial interest.[11]
2001 Geoffrey Robinson Labour 3 weeks Failing to declare receipt of £200,000 from outside interest Hollis/Lock in payment for "management services" he provided in 1990.[12]
February 2002 Keith Vaz Labour 2 weeks Negligently overclaiming on expenses.[13]
14 February 2003 Michael Trend Conservative 1 month Obstructing an investigation into his financial affairs.[14]
February 2003 Clive Betts Labour 1 week Agreeing to copy a doctored document for his parliamentary assistant as part of an immigration bid[15]
3 February 2005 Jonathan Sayeed Conservative 2 weeks Using tours of Parliament to promote a travel business.[16]
8 December 2005 Dennis Skinner Labour ... Accused the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne of taking cocaine as a student.[17]
20 April 2006 Dennis Skinner Labour ... Unparliamentary language – accusing Deputy Speaker Sir Alan Haselhurst of leniency towards opposition frontbencher Theresa May "because she's a Tory".[18]
23 July 2007 George Galloway Respect 18 days Questioning the integrity of MPs investigating whether Galloway took money from Iraq.[19][20]
31 January 2008 Derek Conway Conservative 10 days Employing family members in breach of rules on payments.[21]
15 January 2009 John McDonnell Labour 5 days Removing the ceremonial mace.[22][23]
11 May 2011 David Laws Liberal Democrat 7 days Paying rent from his MPs' allowance to his partner.[24]
18 September 2012 Paul Flynn Labour 5 days Accusing Defence Secretary Philip Hammond of lying to the House of Commons
10 July 2013 Nigel Dodds Democratic Unionist Party ... Unparliamentary language – describing answers given by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers to questions about her powers as being "deliberately deceptive".[25]
11 April 2016 Dennis Skinner Labour ... Unparliamentary language – referring to Prime Minister David Cameron as 'Dodgy Dave' and refusing to withdraw the remark.[26]
10 October 2016 Justin Tomlinson Conservative 2 days leaked a parliamentary report to a Wonga employee[27]
13 June 2018 Ian Blackford Scottish National Party ... Not returning to his seat and causing a scene.[28]
24 July 2018 Ian Paisley Jr Democratic Unionist Party 30 days Failing to declare two family holidays paid for by the Sri Lankan Government.
10 December 2018 Lloyd Russell-Moyle Labour ... Removing the ceremonial mace.[29]
31 October 2019 Keith Vaz Labour 6 months Expressed willingness to purchase cocaine for sex workers.[30]
11 May 2020 Conor Burns Conservative 7 days Intimidating a member of the public.[31]
16 December 2020 Drew Hendry Scottish National Party Not returning to his seat against the Speaker's instruction and removing the ceremonial mace.
27 May 2021 Rob Roberts Conservative 6 weeks Breach of Parliament's sexual misconduct policy.
22 July 2021 Dawn Butler Labour Unparliamentary language - Stating the Prime Minister had 'lied' and refusing to withdraw the remark.[32]
31 January 2022 Ian Blackford Scottish National Party Accusing Boris Johnson of "wilfully misleading parliament" about the parties held at Downing Street during Covid-19 restrictions and refusing Speaker's request to withdraw his comment by responding "It's not my fault if the prime minister can't be trusted to tell the truth.".[33]

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Standing Orders (2005)". HMSO.
  2. ^ "Britain: 2 Are Suspended From the House of Lords". The New York Times. 21 May 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  3. ^ In 1642, Thomas Savile, 1st Earl of Sussex was suspended for acting against Parliament on behalf of Charles I.[2]
  4. ^ Sparrow, Andrew (14 May 2009). "Two Labour peers, Lord Truscott and Lord Taylor, face suspension for offering to change law for money". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Three peers suspended from Lords over expenses claims". BBC News. October 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  6. ^ "Glasgow Green (Lay Preachers)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 2 July 1931. col. 1465–1471.
  7. ^ "Mace - Commons". BBC News. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  8. ^ Silvera, Ian (12 April 2016). "Dennis Skinner's record of rebellion: Veteran Labour MP kicked out of parliament yet again". Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  9. ^ thatcheritescot (28 July 2013). "Betty Boothroyd Suspends Ian Paisley". Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2018 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "Labour MP suspended from Commons". BBC News. 3 March 1998. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Standards and Privileges (Hansard, 1 March 2000)".
  12. ^ "Committee on Standards in Public Life Seventh Report 2001". Parliament. 3 May 2001. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  13. ^ Russell, Ben (14 February 2002). "Vaz given one-month Commons suspension". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  14. ^ Woolf, Marie (14 February 2003). "Senior Tory MP suspended over false expenses claim". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 10 March 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  15. ^ "MP suspended from Commons". BBC News. 11 September 2003. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  16. ^ Hencke, David (4 February 2005). "Tory MP suspended for offering Westminster tours". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  17. ^ Westminster, Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons. "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 8 Dec 2005 (pt 4)". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  18. ^ King, Oliver (20 April 2006). "Skinner thrown out of the Commons - again". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  19. ^ "Galloway ordered out of Commons". 24 July 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  20. ^ "Children's Palliative Care/Hospice Services". TheyWorkForYou. 23 July 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  21. ^ "Derek Conway suspended from Commons". London: Daily Telegraph. 31 January 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  22. ^ "MP suspended after mace protest". BBC News. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  23. ^ "Order..." TheyWorkForYou. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  24. ^ Watt, Holly (11 May 2011). "MPs' expenses: David Laws suspended from House of Commons for seven days". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  25. ^ "Dodds ordered from Commons chamber". BBC News. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  26. ^ "Dennis Skinner thrown out of Parliament over 'Dodgy Dave' jibe". Independent.co.uk. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  27. ^ The Independent
  28. ^ "SNP MPs walk out of PMQs in 'Brexit power grab' protest". BBC News Online. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  29. ^ Buchan, Lizzy (10 December 2018). "Labour MP suspended from Commons for stealing ceremonial mace in protest at Brexit vote delay". The Independent. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  30. ^ "MP Keith Vaz suspended from Commons after drug and sex inquiry". BBC News Online. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  31. ^ "Committee on Standards publishes report on Conor Burns - News from Parliament". UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 May 2020.[dead link]
  32. ^ "Dawn Butler reprimanded for saying Boris Johnson 'lied'". ITV News. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  33. ^ "Gray report: SNP Westminster leader Blackford ordered out of Commons". BBC News Online. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
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