I tried to watch Wednesday’s Westminster ceasefire debate over Israel’s campaign of genocide in Gaza but found it such pantomime that I wasn’t able to stomach much and still don’t really know whether the United Kingdom has called for a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave or not.

I’m aware the debate ended in uproar after Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle’s handling of it angered Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party and the Scottish National Party, which had put forward the motion, but had long-since parted company with proceedings before the point when both groups stormed out in protest allowing Labour leader Keir Starmer’s amendment to the SNP motion to pass by default without resistance from the government.

The important matter at hand was to add the UK’s voice to calls to bring an end to Israel’s campaign of ethnic cleansing in Gaza, with the ins and outs of the debate totally irrelevant. But through Hoyle’s actions the entire narrative has been flipped to focus on him and not the outcome of the vote, just typical UK obfuscation of the highest order and all designed as a face-saving strategy to prevent government ministers from being held accountable for their actions in supporting or rejecting the SNP call for a ceasefire, while also allowing Starmer enough wiggle room to avoid a similar Labour rebellion to that which followed the last vote on the matter in November last year... FULL STORY