THE SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has given his first speech in the Commons after parliament was reconvened following the General Election.
Speaking to welcome Lindsay Hoyle back to the Speaker’s chair as part of the opening ceremony, Flynn sparked laughs from MPs after he quipped that the Commons benches contained “a few more new members from Scottish constituencies that I would like to have seen”.
And talking directly to Hoyle, Flynn said: “I think it's safe to say that me and you didn't always see eye to eye during the course of the last Parliament.
“But in politics and in life, I think it's important to let bygones be bygones and to focus on the future.”
The reference was to two incidents earlier in the year which led to Flynn joining calls for Hoyle to be removed as Speaker.
In the first, Hoyle had gone against official advice to change Westminster precedent, allowing Keir Starmer to avoid a sizeable Labour rebellion over his position on Gaza.
And then Hoyle refused to let Dianne Abbott speak in a Prime Minister’s Questions debate, despite her being a topic of conversation due to racist remarks aimed at her by a top Tory donor.
However, Hoyle was welcomed back to the Speaker’s chair on Tuesday with speeches from across the political spectrum, including from Abbott herself as the now mother of the house – the longest-serving female MP.
In his first contribution as the leader of the opposition, former prime minister Rishi Sunak described Abbott as a “trailblazer”.
The Conservative Party leader added on Hoyle: “The last few years in this House have been, at times, difficult and you have always brought this House together.
“It is a privilege to be in this House, our democracy is powerful and, as we have witnessed, it can be definitive.
“But I know that this House will, true to its best traditions, hold the executive to account and I know that Mr Speaker-elect will facilitate that.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Mr Speaker-elect you preside over a new Parliament, the most diverse Parliament by race and gender this country has ever seen.
“And I’m proud of the part that my party has played, proud of the part that every party has played in that.
“Including, in this intake, the largest cohort of LGBT+ MPs of any parliament in the world.
“And given all that diversity, Mr Speaker-elect, I hope you will not begrudge me for a slight departure from convention to also pay tribute to the new mother of the house, Diane Abbott who has done so much in her career over so many years to fight for a parliament that truly represents modern Britain. We welcome her back to her place.”
Hoyle said it was an “honour” to serve his constituents in Chorley and he also remembered his father Doug, a Labour grandee and peer who died in April.
He told the Commons: “It’s been an absolute privilege to serve this House as the 158th speaker. I’ve got to say that four and a half years have flown.
“With the authority of the chair comes great responsibility, which is something that I’ve never taken lightly or for granted.
“I know from experience that decisions have consequences, but with experience comes wisdom and if re-elected I will be guided by that as I continue to be fair, impartial and independent.”
