Lincolnshire MP told off for behaving 'abominably' in the Commons
Victoria Atkins reprimanded by the Deputy speaker during King's speech debate
Last updated 20th Jul 2024
The Louth and Horncastle MP Victoria Atkins has been reprimanded by the deputy speaker of the House of Commons for behaving "abominably" during the King's speech debate.
The Commons had been discussing the greenbelt and rural economy at the time.
The shadow secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Steve Barclay had told MPs: "This King's speech does nothing for the farming and fishing communities and the decisions we've seen so far are ones that take vast amounts of farmland out of food production in order to prioritise the eco-zealotry, which we've heard so often in this house."
During his response Defra Secretary Steve Reed declined interventions from Mr Barclay as well as Conservative front-benchers Kemi Badenoch and Ms Atkins.
The Lincolnshire MP, who is also the Shadow Health Secretary, stood at the despatch box as Mr Reed continued to speak and Tory members continued to call for interventions.
Deputy speaker Christopher Chope called for order, saying "(Ms Atkins) has behaved abominably."
Closing the debate for Friday, Mr Reed said: "After 14 years of chaos, there is once again hope for our environment, hope for our countryside and hope for our rural communities. I welcome the King's speech, I recommend it to this House."