Lindsay Hoyle fury: How new Speaker told off Remain MPs for singing EU anthem

Mr Hoyle, a veteran Labour MP, has represented Chorley since 1997 and has been the Deputy Speaker since 2010. He has previously shown zero-tolerance towards rowdy Remain MPs, after aggressively telling off SNP members for singing the EU anthem Ode to Joy in 2017. Ahead of the vote to trigger Article 50, SNP MPs started singing the song in protest.

Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony was adopted as the European anthem in the Seventies.

Mr Hoyle shouted down the MPs in the middle of their rendition, saying: “Order! It’s very good to hear a choir but what I would say is, I don’t mind singing, but I certainly can’t allow it in the chamber.

“Because before we know it we could hear other tunes and I don’t want to get into that.”He jokingly added that some MPs “haven’t quite got the voice on this side of the chamber”.

Then he said: “It’s been a very tense week already. I just don’t need any extra.”

All 45 SNP MPs in Westminster for the vote sided against Theresa May’s Brexit Bill that would trigger the process of leaving the EU.

Mr Hoyle’s reaction to their singing protest has been seen by some as sympathy towards Brexit, but it could also just be seen as an impartial decision by the Chair to keep order in the House.

Either way, his actions stand in contrast to Mr Bercow who was accused of pro-Remain bias in parliamentary decisions, especially when he departed from convention to help anti-Brexit backbenchers.

Unlike his predecessor, Mr Hoyle has never revealed which way he voted in the 2016 EU Referendum.

However, this is not the first time he has clashed with the SNP over Brexit.

Mr Hoyle had a fiery exchange with former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond during the debate for the same bill.

Mr Salmond accused the then-Deputy Speaker of cutting off SNP MP Joanna Cherry while she was speaking and the row escalated as Mr Hoyle shouted that Mr Salmond “should know better” and ordered him to “sit down”.

Mr Hoyle implored Ms Cherry to wrap up her comments, but the staunch Remainer, who used her speech to move devolution amendments, said she felt she should be allowed as much time as she liked.

Mr Hoyle tried to move on to hear from Brexit minister Robin Walker, but Mr Salmond angrily raised a point of order.

Mr Salmond said: “It is quite clear that the Honourable Lady had not resumed her seat, Sir.

“Being in the Chair accords you many privileges, but you cannot reinterpret the wishes of an Honourable Lady who is on her feet!”

Mr Hoyle quickly retorted: “As the Chair, I have the right to make decisions on this House.

“What I say is, quite rightly I wanted to bring the Honourable Lady in, which I did.

“When the SNP whip comes and asks me to give a couple of minutes to ensure that you got another voice, I did.

“I certainly don’t expect advantages to be taken of the Chair on the agreement that I make.”

Opposition MPs jeered and shouted and Ms Cherry was seen walking out of the Chamber, while Mr Salmond continued to make protestations.

In these Mr Hoyle displayed a willingness to stand up to Remainers that perhaps wasn’t seen in Bercow.

He was elected the new Speaker after four rounds of voting eliminated the other six candidates yesterday.