Carlisle MP candidates react to parliament chaos amid ceasefire vote

Carlisle's parliamentary candidates have reacted angrily to  speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle change of amendment. 

The speaker eventually said sorry and that he made his decision to allow MPs to vote on a range of views as he was worried about their safety after some faced threats of violence in their constituencies.

"It is regrettable and I apologise for the decision," he told parliament.

"I did not want it to end like this."

Carlisle Labour candidate Julie Minns said: “Israel must not go ahead with the Rafah offensive, and Hamas must ensure the safe and immediate release of the Israeli hostages."

Julie Minns (Image: Supplied)

Gavin Hawkton, the city’s Green Party candidate at the next election, has long-called for a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.

He said: “After months and months of silence, we get a brief statement that avoids answering the important question of whether Julie would have backed the SNP motion in parliament for an immediate ceasefire,” 

Gavin Hawkton (Image: Supplied)

Mr Hawkton added: “The SNP motion referred to the collective punishment of the Palestinian people – a crime under international law.

“This was an important motion that could have begun to build the pressure that is needed to make Israel stop its mass killing.

"Instead, Kier Starmer placed pressure on the speaker to deny the SNP their democratic right to a motion.

Brian Wernham (Image: Supplied)

Brian Wernham, the Lib Dem candidate for Carlisle said he’s ‘on the side of innocent civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli’, and repeated condemnation of the October 7 attack, but added that Netanyahu’s government is ‘doing another terrible thing, and on a larger and state-sponsored scale’ in an earlier statement.

He said: “Under international law only a targeted and proportionate military response to an immediate threat is legal.

“What Israel is doing is indiscriminate, it is ineffective in eliminating Hamas and it will almost certainly lead to even deeper resentment to the Israeli occupation of Gaza.

“IDF troops even shot their own citizens waving white flags and escaping Hamas kidnappers,” he said.

He later added: “The Lib Dems have called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and negotiations which would not include Hamas."

John Stevenson, MP for Carlisle, said prior to the vote he intended to vote with the Tory amendment, which called for a ‘sustainable ceasefire’, adding that this means one which can be ensured both sides will not return to fighting for a long time.

He also further stated Israel’s ‘right to defend itself’ and said its actions are overall necessary to destroy Hamas which is a net good.

He further added that the SNP's motion does not call for Hamas to give up arms and therefore is inappropriate.