‘It is totally wrong!’: Speaker insists minister must deliver statement on US-UK trade deal

The commons speaker insisted that the trade minister, Douglas Alexander, deliver a statement on the US-UK deal after the government attempted to defer it until Monday.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the House, rejected the government’s attempts to defer the statement after Alexander suggested it would be “courteous” to delay its delivery.

Rising initially on a point of order, the minister said: “On a point of order, it had been the intention of the government to make a statement to the House this afternoon immediately following the scheduled press conference by the US president and the words of our own prime minister.

“Both of these sets of remarks were delayed with the result that at this relatively late hour, the government would now suggest respectfully to you that it would be more courteous to the House to be able to provide all members on Monday the opportunity for a full statement.”

The speaker responded: “You’ve got to come forward with the statement… I understand that people were going round telling people to go home, as there’ll be no statement as Downing Street had decided.

“We don’t do business like this!

“It is totally wrong… I’m sure you would like to update the House on the position of where we are now and of course the details – I would expect them to come on Monday.”

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