The Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, has sparked a fresh row by refusing to allow Diane Abbott to ask a question during a heated session of prime minister’s questions, which was dominated by discussion of a Conservative donor’s comments about her. Abbott had sought to ask a question throughout the 35-minute session, during which MPs debated the comments made about her by Frank Hester, the Conservatives’ biggest donor. The Guardian revealed earlier this week that Hester once said Abbott made him 'want to hate all black women' and that she 'should be shot', comments the MP has called 'frightening'. Hoyle provoked groans in the chamber, however, by ending the session without having called on her – even after the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, and Stephen Flynn, the Scottish National party leader in Westminster, both used their questions to raise the controversy

Source: The Guardian March 13, 2024 20:40 UTC