Monday’s Commons debate on Theresa May’s decision to call off her Brexit vote ended in high drama as a Labour MP seized the ceremonial mace in protest.

The mace represents the Queen’s authority in parliament; without it, parliament cannot meet or pass laws.



As the government formally declared it would not continue with the debate on the withdrawal agreement, Lloyd Russell-Moyle marched forward to grab the mace in protest and held it up in the centre of the chamber to widespread outrage from the Tory benches.

Conservative MPs shouted “Disgrace” and “Expel him” as he raised the five-foot silver gilt object aloft.



The Brighton Kemptown MP appeared unsure of his next step and handed the mace back to Commons officials, as the Speaker, John Bercow, demanded he put it back down. The MP was suspended for the rest of the sitting.



Russell-Moyle initially refused the order and remained in the house until Bercow said: “No, no. He must leave or be escorted. He should leave.”



Speaking to reporters afterwards, the MP said: “The symbolic gesture of lifting the mace and removing it is that the will of parliament to govern is no longer there has been removed. I felt parliament had effectively given up its sovereign right to govern properly.



“They stopped me before I got out of the chamber and I wasn’t going to struggle with someone wearing a huge sword on their hip.”

Although the tradition of civic maces goes back to the 13th century, the Commons mace is believed to date back to the 17th century, with its current incarnation thought to have been made for Charles II.

As the symbol of royal authority in the house, the mace is carried every day into the Commons chamber by the serjeant at arms, who places it on the table of the house.

Labour MPs had earlier won an emergency debate on the cancellation of the Brexit vote. It is due to be heard on Tuesday and is backed by the Tory MPs Peter Bone and Sarah Wollaston.

The official feed of parliamentary proceedings, broadcast on BBC Parliament, did not show the mace being seized in common with a policy on not showing protests.



However, the footage was tweeted by a journalist in the BBC political research unit and swiftly went viral, potentially setting up a conflict with the parliamentary authorities, who fear giving airtime to such incidents can encourage MPs to take part in similar protests.

The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, was the last MP to take the mace from its place in 2009, when he was a backbencher.

McDonnell was suspended from the Commons for five days for grabbing it in protest at the government’s decision to allow a third runway at Heathrow airport.

In 1976, the then shadow industry secretary, Michael Heseltine, waved the mace at the Labour benches after his Conservative opposition lost by one vote on a bill. His shadow cabinet colleague James Prior wrested it from his hands and the Speaker suspended the sitting. Heseltine was made to apologise the next day.

