You are in > manchester.com  > News > Liberal Democrat ordered out of House of Commons after protest

Politics

Liberal Democrat ordered out of House of Commons after protest

26/02/2008

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Edward Davey has been ordered to leave the House of Commons following an angry argument with the deputy speaker.

Mr Davey voiced his annoyance in the Commons today at the fact that MPs would not debate and vote on Lib Dem calls for a referendum to be held on the UK's membership of the EU.

He was subsequently expelled from the House after receiving numerous warnings from the deputy speaker Sir Michael Lord.

In protest, Mr Davey's fellow Liberal Democrats walked out also.

The Lib Dems were "outraged" at the decision by the speaker Michael Martin not to allow the party's suggested amendment to the Lisbon Treaty of a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union, to be debated.

Mr Davey declared that he was being "gagged" and said "we need to know when we will debate this issue".

"It’s a debate the British people want," he said, before claiming: "It is an outrage to this house."

Deputy speaker Sir Michael Lord however did not share Mr Davey's beliefs and said: "The outrage to the house is in danger of being the honourable member's attitude to the chair."

As Sir Lord tried to start another debate Mr Davey refused to sit down and continued his protest, causing the deputy speaker to order him out.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg afterwards described the decision not to allow a vote on the party's referendum plans as an "outrage".

"To deny Parliament the chance to vote on our proposal to allow the public to have a real say on Britain's membership of the European Union is an outrage."

"To allow a vote on restrictive Treaty referendum but deny one on the real issue of our membership of the EU is absurd," he said.

The Conservatives however were unsympathetic to the Lib Dem cause, with Tory MP John Redwood claiming it was a "discourtesy" that Nick Clegg's party had walked out.