Two MPs from opposite ends of the political spectrum were ejected from the House of Commons for daring to call Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer a liar, exposing the strict, and some say archaic, rules governing language in Britain’s legislature.
The chaos happened during a heated session addressing the controversial appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, amid ongoing scrutiny over security vetting and government transparency. Reform UK’s Lee Anderson was the first to be removed after accusing Starmer of “lying” throughout the scandal. He complied with Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s order to leave but not before delivering a parting shot: “That man couldn’t lie straight in bed.”
Later in the session, Zarah Sultana, the independent-minded Your Party MP known for her outspoken views, escalated the drama. Rising to her feet, she declared: “I have a duty to my constituents to tell the truth and the Prime Minister is a liar… He is gaslighting the nation.” Despite repeated warnings from the Speaker to withdraw the unparliamentary accusation or leave the chamber, Sultana stood firm.
“The whole country knows it: Keir Starmer is a barefaced liar,” she said
Hoyle, visibly frustrated, named her formally, a procedural step leading to a vote on her suspension, moved by a government whip. Sultana was eventually escorted from the chamber as tensions boiled over.
