-Caveat Lector- Monday, 10 February, 2003, 17:31 GMT Dalyell kicked out of Commons http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/2745795.stm
Mr Dalyell was first elected in 1962 Tam Dalyell - the UK's longest serving MP - has been ordered out of the House of Commons following a dispute with the Speaker over his concerns about the Iraq crisis. The Linlithgow MP was told to leave the chamber after he refused to obey Michael Martin's repeated requests to sit down as he raised points of order about the government's recent dossier on Saddam Hussein. The British people have been deceived .... on a matter which is the basis of peace and war Tam Dalyell Mr Dalyell accused the government of misleading Parliament after admitting part of the dossier was copied from an American student's outdated thesis. Mr Dalyell, known as the Father of the House because he is the longest serving MP, eventually left the chamber unescorted. Later, the Speaker's Office insisted Mr Dalyell had not been suspended and had merely been issued with what was effectively a final warning. 'Deceit' The furore began after a number of MPs from all sides called for a statement on the government's dossier. Mr Martin had privately rejected a request for an emergency debate from Mr Dalyell. Raising a point of order on the issue, Mr Dalyell stressed: "This is a matter of trust and deceit - Parliament has been deceived. "The British people have been deceived ... on a matter which is the basis of peace and war." 'Testing patience' Mr Dalyell argued that the UK was on "a motorway without exit to war". "And the basis that has been produced by a PhD student in California who now says that he is against conflict, apparently, is the heart of what purports to be the intelligence briefing of the British government." The MP sat down, but rose again a few minutes later to reiterate his point, prompting Mr Martin to insist he resume his seat. I think I am the first Father of the House ever to have been asked to go from the Chamber and I feel very, very strongly about it Tam Dalyell Mr Dalyell made continued attempts to get his voice heard, but Mr Martin retorted that he had "tested the patience" of the chair and was "treading on very, very dangerous ground". After seeking guidance from his assistants, Mr Martin eventually conceded: "I say to you that I am in the situation, very reluctantly, that I have to tell you to withdraw [from the chamber]." Mr Dalyell replied, before leaving the Commons: "I don't want to cause you embarrassment, if this is what you wish." 'Threw in the towel' Earlier, Mr Dalyell had complained that plagiarising an out of date PhD thesis "reveals a lack of awareness of the disastrous consequences of such a deception". "This is not a trivial leak, it is a document on which is the basis of whether or not this country goes to war and whether or not young servicemen and servicewomen are to put their own lives at risk and indeed thousands, tens of thousands of innocent civilians," he said. The Speaker's office said Mr Dalyell had not been formerly ordered to withdraw from the Commons. Sir Nicolas Bevan, the Speaker's secretary said: "The Speaker asked him to return to his seat and he did not. "The Speaker said he was on 'dangerous territory', which was a gentle warning and that did not work, and the Speaker then gave him a warning that if he persisted then the Speaker would have no option but to ask him to withdraw. "At that point, Mr Dalyell threw in the towel and left." 'Brandishing the mace' Outside the chamber, Mr Dalyell said he believed he had been ordered out of the Palace of Westminster for the rest of the day. "I think I am the first Father of the House ever to have been asked to go from the Chamber and I feel very, very strongly about it," he said. Mr Dalyell was suspended from the Commons 20 years ago when he accused Margaret Thatcher of "lying" to the Commons during the Falklands War over the sinking of the Belgrano. Tory former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine was suspended in the 1970s after brandishing the mace. It has become increasingly rare for an MP to be ordered to leave the Commons. Full coverage Key stories Paris pact UK rebuffs Iraq plan Your war questions Analysis Deep divisions Nato's 'bad blood' Costs of a war BBC WORLD SERVICE News in Arabic AUDIO VIDEO TV and Radio reports TALKING POINT Is France right to force a split on Iraq? See also: 10 Feb 03 | Politics Profile: Tam Dalyell 07 Jun 02 | Politics MP berates Blair's leadership 31 Oct 01 | Politics Robinson suspended from Commons 07 Mar 02 | Politics Slanging match MPs apologise 19 Feb 02 | Politics Video shows Vaz visa joke 01 Mar 00 | Politics Suspensions from the Commons 07 Feb 03 | Politics Kennedy faces 'appeaser' attack 15 Jan 03 | Politics Who's pressing Blair against war Internet links: CND Muslim Association of Britain Friends of Al-Aqsa Voices in the Wilderness UK Stop the War Coalition The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Politics stories now: UK slates Franco- German 'plan' Naval base named for asylum centre Harman banned for speeding Anthrax jab rejected by half troops Spin inquiry targets Iraq dossier Labour reprimanded over donations 'Slow start' to GM debate NHS to offer patients more choice Links to more Politics stories are at the foot of the page. 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