Wigan borough MPs sign no-confidence motion in Speaker

Leigh’s James Grundy and Chris Green, whose Bolton West constituants include local residents, have joined a fast growing list of more than 50 Parliamentary members declaring their lack of belief in Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Sir Lindsay issued an apology after a day of acrimony that saw MPs pass Labour's amendment to the opposition day motion as Conservative and SNP politicians walked out of the debate in protest.

But he continues to face calls to resign ahead of a meeting with Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, who accused him of having "undermined the confidence" of the House in a bitter attack on Wednesday.

Sir Lindsay decided the Commons would first vote on Labour's amendment before moving on to further votes on the SNP's original motion and then a Government proposal seeking an "immediate humanitarian pause".

He disregarded warnings from the House of Commons Clerk over the unprecedented nature of the move, which provoked uproar in the chamber.

His decision sparked fury from the Conservative and SNP benches, who accused him of helping Sir Keir Starmer avoid another damaging revolt over the Middle East issue.

The chaotic Commons scenes overshadowed the debate on whether there should be a ceasefire in Gaza as fighting continued overnight and thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside in Parliament Square.

Labour's amendment ended up passing unopposed without a formal vote after the Government pulled its participation.

It marked the first time the Commons formally backed an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, though the Government does not have to adopt the position as the vote is not binding.

The SNP were ultimately unable to vote on their proposition calling for "an immediate ceasefire", which was meant to be the focus of their Opposition Day.

SNP MPs and some Conservatives staged a walkout in protest at the Speaker's handling of the matter in extraordinary scenes.

After calls for him to return to the chamber to explain his move, Sir Lindsay apologised to MPs and vowed to hold talks with senior party figures.

Amid shouts of "resign", he said: "I thought I was doing the right thing and the best thing, and I regret it, and I apologise for how it's ended up."

He said he took the decision to allow all sides to "express their views" and that he was "very, very concerned about the security" of MPs who have received personal threats over their stance on the Gaza conflict.