Conservative MPs were coerced and manipulated into supporting Liz Truss during a vote on fracking, according to witnesses.
Ministers refuted allegations that physical force was used to convince colleagues to vote with the administration, which won the vote with a 96-vote majority.
However, Labour MP Chris Bryant described what he observed as “obvious bullying.”
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the House of Commons, stated that he has requested an investigation into the incident.
Sir Lindsay expressed his desire for members to treat one another with “courtesy and respect.”
Wednesday evening, uncertainty erupted after Labour introduced a vote on whether MPs should have a role in the government’s fracking plans.
Conservative MPs were initially informed that the vote would be treated as a test of government allegiance – a motion of confidence – and that if they did not reject the Labour plan, they risked expulsion from the parliamentary party.
Tory whips, who are responsible for maintaining discipline within the parliamentary party, directed their MPs to vote against the resolution; however, only minutes before the vote, climate minister Graham Stuart suggested that it was not a vote of confidence.
As whips attempted to convince Conservative lawmakers to vote against the Labour motion, chaos ensued in the lobby.
There were prior rumors that Chief Whip Wendy Morton and her deputy had resigned from their positions. However, the government has announced that both representatives will remain in office.
When asked about charges made by MPs, Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg told, “it would be incorrect to characterize that as bullying.
Mr. Bryant addressed the House of Commons after Labour lost a vote to prohibit fracking, despite a Tory rebellion.
He stated that representatives should be able to vote “without fear or favor” and that “we want to stand up to bullying.”
Mr. Bryant told that what he witnessed during Friday night’s vote was “extremely hostile, quite angry” and “obvious bullying and intimidation.”
“I witnessed a large group of MPs effectively shoving one member through the door. I have photographic evidence of one member of Congress touching another,” he stated.
“I have never witnessed such scenes. All of this is occurring because the government is in full disarray.”
He said that Conservative legislators, including a whip, were “actually bawling on my shoulder.”
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, in response to the scenes in the lobby, hoped that any members of parliament who “harassed” others to vote in favor of the confidence motion would be penalized.
She stated on BBC Radio 4’s Today program, “If some were attempting to push colleagues to vote when they couldn’t for their reasons, that would be a disastrous result.”
She noted that Ms. Truss’s administration was “working” and providing a “wide program,” but she did not indicate whether she will lead the Conservatives into the next election.
An irate Tory MP, though, condemned the events as “chaos and a disgrace.”
Charles Walker, a backbencher, was visibly enraged as he told the BBC, “This entire situation is inexcusable.” It reflects poorly on the Conservative Parliamentary Party at all levels.”
He described the situation as an “absolute disgrace” and stated that there was “no turning back” for the government.
“I hope it was worth it for all those who voted for Liz Truss to be No. 10,” he continued.
Mr. Walker, who has served as the representative for Broxbourne since 2005, said that he would voluntarily leave parliament at the next general election. However, he cautioned that “many hundreds” of Conservative MPs would lose their seats “unless we get our act together and behave like adults.”
Later, he stated, “I expect the prime minister to quit very soon because she’s not qualified for the position.”
In the meantime, fellow backbench Tory MP Simon Hoare stated on the Today Programme that the “excellent work” accomplished by his party “appears to be disintegrating before our eyes.”
“It is unnerving that there is no route plan. It’s hand-to-hand combat daily,” he explained.
He stated that Ms. Truss has approximately 12 hours to salvage her premiership.
The administration won the vote by a margin of 326 votes to 230 votes, a majority of 96 votes.
40 Conservative MPs, including Ms. Truss and Chief Whip Wendy Morton, were absent from the vote, as revealed by a list on the website of the British Parliament.
Anna McMorrin, a Labour shadow minister, reported on Twitter that she saw a Conservative member of parliament “in tears” in the lobby after the vote.
Ms. McMorrin tweeted, “Strange things are occurring during the vote on fracking, which is reported ‘not a vote of confidence.'”
I just observed a tearful Tory member being dragged into the lobby to vote against our motion to prolong the ban on fracking.
Ian Murray, the Scottish shadow secretary of state for Labour, witnessed “whips yelling at Tories” and characterized it as “open warfare.”
Alexander Stafford, a Conservative MP, refuted the claims in a tweet, stating that he had a “frank and forceful conversation outside the voting lobbies reiterating my opposition to fracking with government MPs, nothing more.”
He said, “No one pushes me around.”
The vote was the first parliamentary test of the government’s fracking ambitions, although, given the Conservative majority, it was never likely to change government policy.
