Speaker Hoyle says government has committed ‘blatant breach’ of ministerial code

The commons speaker has once again reprimanded the government for making major policy announcements outside of the House.

In his strongest comments yet, Sir Lindsay Hoyle said the government had committed a “blatant” breach of the ministerial code and called on senior MPs to “inquire into the matter”.

The statement from the chair came ahead of an urgent question on government announcements outside parliament, granted to shadow leader of the House Jesse Norman.

Sir Lindsay said: “This morning, the government published the strategic defence review. The prime minister made the speech and held a press conference in Glasgow, in addition to other media appearances.

“This follows several days of media briefing. I’m disappointed once again, the government appears to have breached the principle set out in paragraph 9.1 of the ministerial code, that when a parliament is in session, the most important announcements of government policy should be made in the first instance in parliament.”

The speaker added: “This shows complete disregard for the House and for honourable members. I know that ministers when they were in opposition were not slow to complain when the previous government made major policy announcements outside parliament…

“I’m not responsible for compliance with the ministerial code. That is a matter for the prime minister. It is the government’s code, not the House’s, but I regard this [as a] particularly blatant breach.

“I’ve invited the honourable member for North Devon [Simon Hoare] to consider whether the public administration and the constitutional affairs committee [PACAC] might usefully inquire into the matter.”

Responding for the government, leader of the House Lucy Powell insisted that the government “has made a number of important oral statements to the House”.

Powell said that she is “satisfied that this government is coming to the House regularly to keep parliament informed.”

Sir Lindsay responded: “I am not satisfied. I think that’s the key, because both backbenches quite rightly should hear it first. I don’t care how many are being done in the House – it’s the ones that are not being done that we should be talking about it.”

Jesse Norman commented: “I mean, really, Mr Speaker, is this the best the leader [of the House] can do. A kind of I speak your way, autocue recitation of points that she’s made in the three previous attempts on which this House has been recently embarrassed and disregarded just over the last three weeks alone.

“It is both a hopeless miscue of response and bordering on a contempt of parliament.”

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