MPs were ‘manhandled’ and ‘bullied’ into voting a certain way in Parliament, it has been claimed.

In extraordinary scenes it was claimed by MP Chris Bryant that some members were told to vote in a particular way by ‘force’.

As the scenes were unfolding in the lobby, it was also claimed that the Chief Whip, Wendy Morton resigned.

Deputy Chief Whip Craig Whittaker, is also understood to have quit.

It comes after the Prime Minister survived a crunch vote on her fracking plans but chaotic scenes unfolded in the House of Commons as her leadership continued to be hanging by the skin of her teeth.

The Prime Minister saw MPs vote by 326 to 230 to reject a Labour bid to allocate parliamentary time to consider a complete ban on fracking to extract shale gas.

But there was huge confusion in the Commons after Ms Truss appeared to ditch a plan to turn the issue into a confidence vote on her Government at the last minute.

Labour former minister Chris Bryant urged an investigation into the scenes in Parliament tonight after he saw MPs ‘being physically manhandled into another lobby and being bullied’.

He told Commons Deputy Speaker, Dame Eleanor Laing: ‘If we want to stand up against bullying in this House of our staff, we have to stop bullying in this chamber as well.’

Bryant speaking to Sky News said the MP involved in the incident was Alex Stafford.

He said in the 21 years he has been an MP he had ‘never seen anything like it.’

Shadow minister Anna McMorrin wrote on Twitter that she witnessed one Conservative MP ‘in tears’ in the lobby.

Ms McMorrin, who is the Labour MP for Cardiff North, tweeted: ‘Extraordinary stuff happening here during the vote on fracking which is apparently ‘not a confidence vote’.

‘I’ve just witnessed one Tory member in tears being manhandled into the lobby to vote against our motion to continue the ban on fracking.’

Labour MP Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said he witnessed ‘Whips screaming at Tories’ and described it as ‘open warfare’.

Mr Murray tweeted: ‘I’ve never seen scenes like it at the entrance to a voting lobby.

‘Tories on open warfare. Jostling and Rees-Mogg shouting at his colleagues. Whips screaming at Tories. They are done and should call a general election.

‘Nobody else was aware of that. Most members though it was a vote of confidence,’ he said.

Therese Coffey also denied she ‘manhandled’ Tory MPs to force them to support the Government in the fracking vote, according to sources close to the Deputy Prime Minister.

A source said: ‘Absolutely she was encouraging Con MPs into the government lobby but she didn’t manhandle anyone.’

The MP at the centre of the accusations by Bryant, Tory Rother Valley MP Alex Stafford said he had a ‘frank and robust conversation’ with ministers, following the claims.

Mr Stafford tweeted: ‘Lots of rumours flying around tonight.

‘This vote was never about fracking but about Labour trying to destabilise the country, and take control of Parliament.

‘I had a frank and robust conversation outside the voting lobbies confirming my opposition to fracking, with members of the Government, nothing more, reconfirming my position which I spoke about in the Chamber this evening.’

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5video

Sir Charles Walker also attacked the ‘extraordinary’ scenes in Parliament.

The veteran Tory MP said tonight’s events ‘reflect really badly on the Government of the day’.

Asked if there was any coming back from this, Sir Charles said: ‘I don’t think so. I’ve been of that view since, really, two weeks ago. This is an absolute disgrace.

‘As a Tory MP of 17 years, who’s never been a minister who’s got on with it loyally most of the time, I think it’s a shambles and a disgrace. I think it is utterly appalling.

‘I’m livid. And do you know, I really shouldn’t say this, but I hope all those people that put Liz Truss in Number 10, I hope it was worth it.

‘I hope it was worth it for the ministerial Red Box, I hope it was worth it to sit round the Cabinet table.

‘Because the damage they have done to the party is extraordinary. I’ve had enough of talentless people putting their tick in the right box not because it’s in the national interest, but because it’s in their own interest to achieve a ministerial position.’

The drama unfolded just a few hours after Grant Shapps was selected as the new home secretary after Suella Braverman’s gave a nuclear resignation letter.

The former secretary of state for transport was announced at Downing Street, after a dramatic day in Whitehall.

Former secretary Braverman claimed she was quitting because of a ‘mistake’ in sending an official document from her personal email.

However, the second paragraph appears to have been a very thinly veiled critique of the prime minister.

Braverman wrote: ‘The business of government relies upon people accepting responsibility for their mistakes.

’Pretending we haven’t made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can’t see that we had made them, and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious politics.‘

‘I have made a mistake; I accept responsibility; I resign.’

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5video

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article