Tory whips accused of physically pushing their MPs through the lobby to allow fracking

[muriel_volestrangler]

For American DUers: voting in the Commons is still literally in 'lobbies' - the MPs walk past the tellers in 'Aye' and 'No' lobbies to be counted. The Tory government has reached the stage where it's getting physical with its own MPs (who either think new fracking is a bad environmental move, or know their constituents do):

Raising a point of order, Thangam Debbonaire has asked if “strong rumours” the government’s chief whip has resigned following a vote on Labour’s fracking motion could be confirmed.

The shadow Commons leader said: “There are very strong rumours that the government chief whip has apparently resigned. I wonder if it is possible to get some clarity more than rumours.”

She added: “I seek your guidance... given that this is a matter of parliamentary discipline.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/oct/19/liz-truss-pmqs-jeremy-hunt-inflation-pensions-triple-lock-politics-live?page=with:block-635042848f08eb546778aaa2#block-635042848f08eb546778aaa2

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

I’ve never seen scenes like it at the entrance to a voting lobby. Tories on open warfare. Jostling and Rees Mogg shouting at his colleagues. Whips screaming at Tories.
They are done and should call a general election.
Two Tory whips dragging people in. Shocking.

Commons veteran Chris Bryant says he saw members being "physically manhandled" and bullied into a voting lobby and calls for an investigation into what happened. Says this goes against behaviour code of MPs

Chris Bryant tells Sky News it was Alex Stafford, Tory MP for Rother Valley, who was physically manhandled into the govt lobby by a group who included Deputy PM Therese Coffey and Jacob Rees-Mogg

So that's the deputy PM (and Health Secretary) and Secretary of State for Business behaving like schoolyard bullies. I have never heard of a British government so out of control. It has got to be the end for them.

[T_i_B]

1. Alex Stafford was elected on an anti-fracking platform

As were other Tory MP's in areas at risk from fracking. (Seen this at first hand in North East Derbyshire).

Whips behaving like this is going to backfire on the Tories in a big way.