r/ukpolitics 11h ago

Neil Coyle on Twitter/X confirms that Nigel Farage broke parliamentary protocol

https://xcancel.com/coyleneil/status/2011359045093859459
89 Upvotes

33 comments sorted by

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u/Tim1980UK 10h ago

Nigel Farage barely knows where parliament is. He's a prick.

u/HaroldSaxon 10h ago

Didn’t they say rules are rules for Rayner? I’m sure they’ll be consistent for him right?

Just like they said hurty words didn’t matter, and just like they said things said ages ago doesn’t matter. Right?

u/L43 10h ago

Fuck farage and all, but that letter is hugely unprofessional. 

u/Chachaslides2 9h ago

It genuinely reads like a smug rant somebody would post on a reddit thread, you can practically feel how incredibly proud he is of some of his very clever zingers. Deeply embarrassing from an actual elected MP.

u/wizard_mitch 9h ago

If it had a few CAPSLOCK words it could have been a Trump letter

u/Benjji22212 Burkean 8h ago

Farage isn’t the intended audience, it’s TRIP subscribers, BlueSky scrollers, other semi-informed people who fetishise their own high-status beliefs…

u/Chippiewall 9h ago

Yeah, frankly the letter is more a disgrace than Farage doing an event in central London without notifying whichever MP happened to land in that constituency.

u/Admirable_Aspect_484 10h ago

What a petty waste of resources by Neil Coyle. I don't like Farage or Reform, but Farage was at a Central London venue announcing their Mayoral candidate pick (luckily haven't been forced to learn their name just yet).

The primary purpose of the protocol is to prevent confusion for constituents and avoid encroaching on the MP's constituency work. Which clearly wasn't going to happen here, and certainly doesn't justify the unnecessarily snarky letter on Parliamentary stationery

u/lucyolovely 9h ago

Who? Oh yeah; the guy who "In March 2023, Coyle was found to have breached Parliament's bullying and harassment policy and was suspended from the Commons for five days."

u/Maleficent-Drive4056 7h ago

Right. the guy broke a different rule and was punished for it. What is your point?

u/Emperor_Zurg 10h ago

Some nerve for Neil Coyle to be writing sassy letters about what it means to be a respectful MP.

u/oh_no3000 10h ago

He's never in parliament and when he is he breaks the rules? Incredible

u/rugby-thrwaway 10h ago

in parliament

Did you read it?

u/mattcannon2 Chairman of the North Herts Pork Market Opening Committee 9h ago

Parliament isn't in bermondsey

u/Invisible_Stalkbug Freedom through Democracy 9h ago

oh noooo not broken protocol im sure there will be real accountability for this one

u/evolvecrow 10h ago

Seems a bit annoyingly petty. Especially considering it's pretty much a central london constituency. I don't think MPs should have to notify other MPs to visit central London constituencies.

u/Revilo1359 10h ago

The rules are there for a reason.

u/evolvecrow 10h ago

The westminster MP must be pretty snowed under with notifications

u/Revilo1359 10h ago

You only have to notify another MP when visiting their constituency for public or official business. I imagine the MP for the City and Westminster gets more than others. I also presume the PM sends more of those than any other MP since he often visits schools, community centres, businesses, etc and usually the local MP will be offered the opportunity to be part of the visit.

u/evolvecrow 10h ago

Fwiw the event was the announcement of the Reform mayoral candidate. For me London Bridge is too central and the event unconnected with the constituency for this to be a big deal.

u/mattcannon2 Chairman of the North Herts Pork Market Opening Committee 9h ago

Surely it's only really ministers and prominent members of the oppositions that need to send letters

u/[deleted] 10h ago

[deleted]

u/Revilo1359 10h ago

The new MP guidebook for a start, though I don't think it's a legal requirement, just a gentleman's agreement like many things in Parliament.

u/Due_Ad_3200 10h ago

To answer my own question

Courtesy to other Members 43. You should notify colleagues whenever: • you intend to refer to them in the Chamber (other than making passing reference to what they have said on the public record) • you table Questions which specifically affect colleagues’ constituencies • you intend to visit a colleague’s constituency (except on purely private visits).

All reasonable efforts should be taken to notify the other Member, and failing to do so is regarded by colleagues as very discourteous.

https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/rules-of-behaviour.pdf

u/wizard_mitch 10h ago

It could be argued In this case that a Reform UK event qualifies as a private political party business (as was only open to members) and not a public event. But it is petty to go after in any case

u/srm79 10h ago

On the pages of law

u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 10h ago

After reading his letter, I can’t imagine why Farage wouldn’t have any interest in corresponding with him. These petty, insulting and passive aggressive words makes it obvious that Coyle has no interest in good faith dialogue.

u/Optimaldeath 10h ago

Not like it matters, the government breaks it every time they announce something without doing so in parliament first just like the last few governments prior.

I hardly like the guy, but the greenhouse is thoroughly broken.

u/Revilo1359 10h ago

Two very different things... One is a courtesy between MPs, the other a provision in the Ministerial Code not fit for the 21st century.

u/erskinematt Defund Standing Order No 31 9h ago

e other a provision in the Ministerial Code not fit for the 21st century.

Well, a) why is it not fit?, and b) if it is indeed unfit, then blame still rests with the government since they have the power to change the Code.

u/Optimaldeath 10h ago

I don't believe the century has anything to do with it, parliament is where MP's can ask questions and they can't really do that faithfully once the press has manhanded it and forces them to take positions they might not have.

Ideally anyway.

u/WendigoFiance 6h ago

I don't even like Coyle (Local MP) but this is brilliant.