By Ben Kerrigan-
The leader of the House Of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has accused the British government of treating the Commons with “contempt” in relation to coronavirus restrictions.
Mr.Hoyle condemned the process undertaken by the government in pursuing legislation in relation to the coronavirus as unsatisfactory, as he called for a remedy to the situation.
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The speaker said: The way in which the government has exercised its power to make secondary legislation during this crisis has been totally unsatisfactory.
All too often important statutory instruments have been published a matter of hours before they come into force and some explanations as to why important measures have come into effect before they can be laid before this house has been unconvincing and shows a total disregard for the house.
As I hope my early comments show I have not taken this decision lightly. I am looking to the government to remedy a situation I regard as completely unsatisfactory.
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I am now looking to the government to rebuild the trust with this house and not treat it with the contempt that it has shown.
He explained why he would not allow votes on amendments in the debate on the Coronavirus Act tonight. He said:
When I became Speaker I made it clear that I would take decisions on matters relating to procedures guided by professional advice.
I have concluded on the basis of advice that I received that any amendment to the motion before the House risks giving rise to uncertainty about the decision the House has taken.
This then risks decisions that are rightly the responsibility of parliament’ ultimately being determined by the courts”.
It comes after the prime minister was accused of creating mass confusion over coronavirus rules by Sir Keir Starmer as they clashed at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). The Labour leader said: “How does the prime minister expect the rest of the country to follow the rules?”
Meanwhile the Prime Minister will lead a Covid-19 briefing at 5pm following the highest number of daily coronavirus cases since the outbreak began.
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