What happened in the House of Commons tonight?

[Bookridden]

I'm struggling to understand what is going on and would be grateful is someone can explain to me in simple terms.

Why were Labour worried about the safety of MPs?

Why were the SNP unhappy?

Why were the Tories unhappy?

What's likely to happen next?

Are MPs who don't take a Pro-Palestinian stance really putting their lives at risk?

God, I forgot that. Driving out of the car park in Westminster. Literally in the Westminster estate.

Ok good job you quoted half a sentence

And the solution? No votes where threats exist or what?

Same with Brexit but votes still continued.

Labour are seriously grubby to have been involved with this. If there was GENUINE concern then all votes should have been suspended!!

The only (?!) Problem with the SNP motion was that it accused Israel of using collective punishment against Palestinian people.

while that may well be true, the United nations supreme court is yet to decide it. Collective punishment being one example of genocide.

So, for parliament to pre empt the UN decision, and accuse Israel of genocide is to put this country in a very difficult position. If the UN subsequently decided Israel is not/ has not committed genocide, this country would be a pariah.

had the SNP genuinely wanted to support the people of Gaza, they would not have included this emotive phrase.

on the other hand, if the SNPs purpose was to embarrass the Labour Party, then including the phrase would achieve that. Because some Labour MPs would feel it necessary to vote for a cease fire (which it appears all parties want) despite having to accuse Israel of genocide.

Meanwhile, in the real world, children continue to die and starve, whatever our parliament says.

This is basically it. Labour could never have voted for the SNP motion and they knew it.

So don’t vote for it then

Why couldn’t that be the outcome?

So they should have had all 3 votes.
As was offered.

Breaking procedure because Starmer faced revolt

That pretty much confirms what I said @BigFluffyHoodie although obviously mine was the bare bones. The point I was making was that it was the SNPs motion, not that they had posted an amendment.

@amberedover1 the SNP did indeed walk out according to that BBC link.

Conservative MPs walk out in protest and SNP MPs also leave the chamber. The Labour motion is carried without a formal vote

I understand that MANY Labour MPs including some on the front bench were preparing to vote with the SNP. That was precisely the problem.

Despite the media silence on the issue, he Labour Party have been wrestling with this implosion for months.

So why didn't the Conservatives just vote down the Labour motion? They hold the majority after all.

Yes this was the problem for Starmer

Obviously his main concern was avoiding this

Excellent points here.

So why didn't the Conservatives just vote down the Labour motion? They hold the majority after all.
I don't understand this either

I think the Tories didn't want to be seen to be voting against what seems, from what I can make out, to have been a very reasonable motion.

Because they actually preferred the Labour motion?

They had their own amendment

Labour were the only ones facing a major revolt

So in summary, as far as I've been able to make out...

Labour MPs were happy to, and did, support a motion which called for a ceasefire in Gaza and also condemned the massacre by Hamas.

But the other parties tried to use a technical procedure to create a visual where Labour MPs either did or didn't vote for the SNP's motion which failed to mention the Hamas massacre and effectively accused Israel of war crimes, with the aim of cherry-picking this to sell to a carefully segmented audience. So that Muslim voters would be told that Labour was anti-Muslim, and simultaneously Jewish voters would be told that Labour was anti-Jew.

All very much as TRAs attempt to provoke, and then screenshot what they then claim as gotchas by removing the context.

Labour's amendment avoided this planned cleft-stick, and the Tories, who don't give a monkey's about Parliamentary procedure or convention and would have faced a split themselves if they'd actually voted, are now shouting very loudly in faux rage to attempt to salvage something from the night.

Is that about right?

Oh the Labour Party are always imploding over something or other according to the Tory shills on here.

No, it’s completely wrong.

The Labour shills do a good enough job of ignoring a potential revolt all by themselves

Yes, that's right. It's the usual pre election smear campaign against Labour.

Labour are smearing themselves with the most appalling dog shit.