THE Speaker of the House of Commons is fighting for his job after he plunged Westminster into chaos on Wednesday.

Multiple SNP MPs have called for Lindsay Hoyle to resign his position, and he is facing a no-confidence motion tabled by a Tory MP.

It comes after Hoyle took the decision to break with “long-established convention” – a key pillar of the UK’s uncodified constitution – and allow a debate on a Labour amendment to an SNP opposition-day motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Hoyle’s decision came despite his chief adviser on parliamentary procedure, clerk of the House Tom Goldsmith, warning that to do so would be a departure from the norm and risked a situation where the SNP motion was not even voted on.

READ MORE: What it was like in Westminster as the SNP ceasefire vote descended into chaos

Amid the fury at Hoyle’s decision, Tory minister Penny Mordaunt gave a special statement where she claimed he had “undermined” the House of Commons and said the Government would be boycotting the vote on a Gaza ceasefire as a result.

Labour’s amendment then passed without opposition because deputy speaker Rosie Winterton declared that the “ayes have it” without going to a vote. Winterton’s move was criticised by both SNP and Tory MPs.

She then insisted: “The fact is I put the question. Nobody called against it.”

But SNP MP Chris Law could be seen shouting “this is a farce” while Tory party chairman Richard Holden appeared to call out: “Yes, they did!”

Jacob Rees-Mogg told MPs: “It is absolutely extraordinary that that noise level was deemed to be ‘aye’. It is inconceivable that anybody hearing it would have thought it was ‘aye’.”

Labour MPs including shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray nevertheless celebrated their party’s motion being passed “unopposed”.

SNP group leader Stephen Flynn demanded three times in the Commons for Hoyle to come and face MPs and explain his reasoning for the decision which had plunged Westminster into chaos.

The Aberdeen South MP was eventually told that Hoyle would not return until Thursday, after which the SNP and many Tory MPs dramatically walked out of the chamber.

Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador in the UK said the scenes in the Commons were “British politics at its lowest”. “This is disgraceful and shameful ... after 100,000 Palestinians killed, maimed, injured,” he added.

As the chaos continued, Hoyle did finally return to give a statement.

The National: Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, and Speaker Lindsay Hoyle

Responding to Mordaunt’s criticism, the Speaker said that he had made the decision with “the right intentions” and without political motivation – despite reports he had met Labour leader Keir Starmer earlier in the day.

“I’ve got to say, I regret how it’s ended up,” Hoyle told MPs. “It was not my intention. I wanted all to ensure they could express their views and all sides of the House could vote. As it was, in particular the SNP were ultimately unable to vote on their proposition.”

Responding after the debate concluded, Flynn said that Hoyle had turned Westminster into a “circus”, called for an investigation, and raised concerns that he had been warned by officials of exactly what could happen.

He told Sky News: “Thanks to the actions of the Speaker of the House of Commons, the SNP has been stitched up to the point that the Labour Party were the only game in town today.”

READ MORE: 'Proud of my colleagues': Nicola Sturgeon reacts to SNP walk-out

Flynn stopped short of calling for Hoyle to lose his job, saying: “I'm going to allow him the opportunity to explain to me why he decided to put the Labour Party before the Scottish National Party's interest. He is supposed to be impartial. That has not happened.”

He went on: “Everyone knows that Keir Starmer was in to speak with the Speaker before his decision today. I think Keir Starmer should be standing here right now and explaining himself why he believed that he couldn't back an SNP motion calling for an immediate ceasefire which condemned Israel for its collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

“And as a result, the Speaker himself has found himself in an intolerable position where MPs, quite frankly, were a complete loss.”

Labour and deputy speaker Winterton both strongly refuted reports that the party had pressured Hoyle to allow their amendment to be debated, threatening to remove him from the Speaker’s chair after a General Election if he did not.

RECAP AS IT HAPPENED: Chaos as Speaker changes rules for SNP's Gaza ceasefire debate

Other SNP MPs have not stopped short of calling for Hoyle to go.

Joanna Cherry said she had signed an early day motion tabled by Tory MP William Wragg, the respected chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, which calls on the House to say it has no confidence in Hoyle.

Pete Wishart, the SNP’s longest serving MP, wrote: “What an absolute circus and it is all on the Speaker. Lindsay Hoyle remaining in place is now intolerable.”

Asked if he had seen anything like it in his 23 years as an MP, Wishart told PA: “Absolutely nothing like this. I’ve been through Iraq, through the whole dramas when it came to the independence referendum, through Brexit – there has never been a day quite like this.”

His SNP colleague, MP Stewart McDonald wrote: “The Speaker is the author of this farce.

“He was well regarded personally by many, but he has driven a coach and horses through any confidence we can have in him remaining in post. Worse, he’s cowardly left it to his deputies to try [to] mop up the mess. He should resign.”

Hoyle said he had taken the decision to allow Labour’s amendment to be debated because he wanted to allow the maximum range of views to be discussed and due to concerns about MP security.

He told the chamber: “The danger is … that’s why I wanted everybody to express … because I am very, very concerned about the security of all members … I was very concerned, I am still concerned, and that’s why the meetings I have had today is about the security of members, their families and the people that are involved.”

Hoyle added: “I am, and I regret … with my sadness, that it’s ended up … in this position. That was never my intention for it to end like this. I was absolutely convinced that the decision was done with the right intentions. I recognise the strength of feeling of members on this issue.”