If British MPs accuse the Prime Minister of lying, they are ordered to leave the chamber.

I am sharing two video clips from the British Parliament, together with an article on British parliamentary procedure. In the British system, which, like ours, follows Erskine May procedure, MPs are not permitted to accuse any member — including the Prime Minister — of lying. If they do so, the Speaker will ask them to withdraw the remark. If they refuse, they may be ordered to leave the chamber. Imagine if our Speaker were to ask MPs to leave in such circumstances: he would immediately be accused of acting despotically and in breach of the rule of law.

Your Party MP Zarah Sultana has been removed from Parliament after branding the Prime Minister a “bare-faced liar” over the appointment of former Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

The Your Party MP will now likely face a five day suspension from the Commons for refusing to withdraw her comment about the Prime Minister in a dramatic rant targeting the PM.

She became the second MP to be kicked out of the chamber on Monday, after Reform UK’s Lee Anderson was also seen to brand the Prime Minister a “liar”.

Under Parliamentary protocol, MPs are not allowed to accuse other members of lying – with any such suggestion requiring the individual to withdraw such a comment.

Addressing the Commons earlier in the afternoon, Starmer had insisted he “would not have appointed Peter Mandelson” as UK ambassador to the US had he known the former peer had failed Foreign Office security vetting.

Speaking in the Commons for the first time since it emerged that Mandelson had failed his security vetting, the Prime Minister continued to insist he knew nothing of Mandelson’s vetting failure until Tuesday.

Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay on Monday as he asked the MP for Coventry South to leave the chamber. Picture: Alamy

He added that he was “frankly staggered” that he was never informed the disgraced peer had failed his security vetting.

However, shortly after his address, the PM faced questions from MPs, with Sultana stating: “We all know that the Prime Minister appointed Mandelson because he owes his job to him. He appointed him, he defended him, and now he claims to know nothing.”

The MP for Coventry South continued: “He is gaslighting the nation. So let’s call this out for what it is. The Prime Minister is a bare-faced liar.”

A comment was met with gasps from the House, speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle was heard to say: “Leave now, I’ll name you otherwise, I’d go now if I were you.

“I’ve given the option to name. I’d leave if I were you, very quickly.”

Ms Sultana attempted to interject and said: “I have a duty to the House to tell the truth.”

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, April 20, 2026 to face a showdown in Parliament over the appointment of Peter Mandelson. Picture: Alamy

Sir Lindsay was then seen to hold a vote, brought by Government whip Gen Kitchen, which said: “I beg to move that Zarah Sultana be suspended from the services of the House.”

The vote is in-line with standard Parliamentary protocol, with MPs voting in favour of her removal.

“Leave, I’m sorry you’ve done this, I really am,” Sir Lindsay said.

Sir Keir told MPs: “I should not have appointed Peter Mandelson. I take responsibility for that decision. And I apologise, again to the victims of the paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, who were clearly failed by my decision.”

Peter Mandelson failed vetting checks carried out by quango, UK Security Vetting (UKSV) on behalf of the Foreign Office, which were carried out between 23 December 2024 and 28 January 2025.

No 10 has insisted red flags were not disclosed by the Foreign Office, with Sir Keir blaming officials for not passing on this information to him when he was telling MPs that “full due process” was followed.