[ad_1]
Labor MP Chris Bryant has denied telling the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, yesterday to ‘screw’ himself in an extraordinary dispute over the rules of social distancing.
Mr Bryant, who is the MP for Rhondda in Wales and chairman of the Commons Standards Select Committee, is believed to have made the comment after Sir Lindsay chided him for being too close to others in the chamber.
The dispute between the two men interrupted Boris Johnson as he answered questions on PMQ yesterday.
Sir Lindsay and Bryant are believed to be long-time enemies, and the Labor MP finished second to the president in the battle to replace John Bercow last year.
Yesterday’s dispute appeared to begin after Sir Lindsay objected to Bryant’s “chatter” during the Prime Minister’s speech.
An MP who witnessed him told The Sun: “ I was standing in the doorway at the back of the Labor benches and stuttering.
The spokesperson told him to be quiet and then said that he should not stand there because he was too close to others who were sitting in their assigned seats.
Bryant disputed this and the spokesperson insisted that he move, to which he threw his hand into the air and said, ‘Oh fuck you.
Sir Lindsay yelled angrily in response, “We are not having such embarrassing behavior.”
Another MP also claimed that Bryant was sworn in, while a Conservative MP, who said he witnessed the exchange, added: ‘It’s pathetic. I understand that there has been a long-standing problem between them. ‘
Bryant told the MailOnline that he did not curse the Speaker.
He said: ‘I’m not really commenting because I don’t want to inflame things, but I can categorically state that I did not swear to either the PM or the Speaker.’
The Spokesperson’s office has been contacted for comment.
Labor MP Chris Bryant reportedly swore in President Lindsay Hoyle, though he denies making the comment.
Sir Lindsay angrily chided the Labor MP. The two are believed to be long-term rivals with Sir Lindsay defeating Mr. Bryant in the battle for the Speaker’s chair.
Yesterday’s dispute appeared to start after Sir Lindsay objected to Bryant’s ‘sting’ during the Prime Minister’s speech and told him to stop being so close to other members.
The exchange came in the middle of a busy day in the Commons, with the prime minister answering questions about the Brexit negotiations.
Sir Lindsay later said that the House of Commons could sit until Christmas Eve if a Brexit bill needed to be passed.
Under current plans, the Commons will stop meeting on December 21, but he told Sky News the recess could be delayed.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed that a “firm decision” on the future of the negotiations should be taken on Sunday, after three hours of talks in Brussels.
The transition period ends on December 31 and any agreement should be ratified by the European Council, the European Parliament and Westminster.
Sir Linsday told the broadcaster: ‘I would like to believe that we will all go up on the expected date of the House.
But if need be, the House is the servant and I am happy to be that servant to ensure that we can run, as far as I am concerned, even until Christmas Eve.
The exchange came in the middle of a busy day in the Commons, with the prime minister answering questions about the Brexit negotiations.
“I would like to believe that we can finish the Monday before Christmas. I’d like to put everything to bed and get everyone out of here.
Britain teeters on the brink of a no-deal Brexit after Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen set Sunday as the final deadline for a breakthrough and warned that “very large” gaps remain.
The prime minister and the head of the EU took stock of the dire situation for more than three hours while eating steamed turbot and scallops, the source of many skirmishes between British and French fishing boats, at the commission’s headquarters in Brussels last night.
But the pair could not find a way to overcome the stalemate that has left trade talks on the brink of collapse, a year after Britain formally left the bloc.
Instead, they are ordering Michel Barnier and Lord Frost to re-engage, with the understanding that unless a resolution emerges within four days, it will be disconnected. However, it is not clear whether they have been given any new political instruction, which is considered essential to overcome the stalemate.
Government sources confirmed that Lord Frost and Barnier will resume talks in the Belgian capital today in an attempt to resolve pending issues.
