UK Parliament — House of Commons

Order ID:76

Known as:

Order numbers:

25, 12, 21, 18, 17, 22, 24, 43, 44

Cite as

Current version

Date Title Text
2022 — 30th November 44 Order in debate

(1) Whenever a Member shall have been named by the Speaker, or by the chair, immediately after the commission of the offence of disregarding the authority of the chair, or of persistently and wilfully obstructing the business of the House by abusing the rules of the House or otherwise, then if the offence has been committed by such Member in the House, the Speaker shall forthwith put the question, on a motion being made, 'That such Member be suspended from the service of the House'; and if the offence has been committed in a committee of the whole House, the chair shall forthwith suspend the proceedings of the committee and report the circumstances to the House; and the Speaker shall on a motion being made forthwith put the same question as if the offence had been committed in the House itself. Proceedings in pursuance of this paragraph, though opposed, may be decided after the expiration of the time for opposed business.

(2) If any Member be suspended under paragraph (1) of this order, his suspension on the first occasion shall continue for five sitting days, and on the second occasion for twenty sitting days, including in either case the day on which he was suspended, but, on any subsequent occasion, until the House shall resolve that the suspension of such Member do terminate.

(3) Not more than one Member shall be named at the same time, unless two or more Members, present together, have jointly disregarded the authority of the chair.

(4) If a Member, or two or more Members acting jointly, who have been suspended under this order from the service of the House, shall refuse to obey the direction of the Speaker, when severally summoned under the Speaker's orders by the Serjeant at Arms to obey such direction, the Speaker shall call the attention of the House to the fact that recourse to force is necessary in order to compel obedience to his direction, and the Member or Members named by him as having refused to obey his direction shall thereupon and without any further question being put be suspended from the service of the House during the remainder of the session.

(5) Nothing in this order shall be taken to deprive the House of the power of proceeding against any Member according to ancient usages.

First appearance

1880 — 28th February 25 Order in Debate

(1) That, whenever any Member shall have been named by the Speaker, or by the Chairman of a Committee of the whole House, as disregarding the authority of the Chair, or abusing the Rules of the House by persistently and wilfully obstructing the business of the House, or otherwise, then, if the offence has been committed in the House, the Speaker shall forthwith put the question, on a Motion being made, no amendment, adjournment, or debate, being allowed, "That such Member be suspended from the service of the House during the remainder of that day's sitting;" and, if the offence has been committed in a Committee of the whole House, the Chairman shall, on a Motion being made, put the same question in a similar way, and if the Motion is carried shall forthwith suspend the proceedings of the Committee and report the circumstance to the House; and the Speaker shall thereupon put the same question, without amendment, adjournment, or debate, as if the offence had been committed in the House itself.

(2) If any Member be suspended three times in one Session, under this Order, his suspension on the third occasion shall continue for one week, and, until a Motion has been made, upon which it shall be decided at one sitting, by the House, whether the suspension shall then cease, or for what longer period it shall continue; and, on the occasion of such Motion, the Member may, if he desires it, be heard in his place:

(3) Provided always, That nothing in this Resolution shall be taken to deprive the House of the power of proceeding against any Member according to ancient usages.