Chorley MP and House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle defends his trip to Israel and the West Bank

Mr Hoyle, who is also the Speaker of the House of Commons, made the journey last month in a bid to find a peaceful solution to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

While he visited both territories, many people are under the impression he only visited Israel, and the trip has been criticised by dozens on social media, with people calling for him to resign from his politically-neutral position as Speaker.

Here’s a Q&A with Sir Lindsay on King Charles and all things animal

One Tweet said: “Totally unacceptable for Lindsay Hoyle to visit Israel right now”.

Another said: “Why was Lindsay Hoyle on a trip to Israel??? Why is the Speaker of the House of Commons NOT acting impartially over this?”

Posts on X (Twitter) are also said to be causing consternation among constituents in Chorley, with some people concerned about how local race relations could be affected by the lack of understanding over the trip.

One Muslim man, Shaz Malik from the Chorley Taxi Association, called for calm.

He said: “In our Chorley Borough, it is crucial to avoid any misunderstandings and prevent the division of our community due to the content shared on X.

"We, as individuals, must stand together and demonstrate unity to show solidarity among our smaller communities, refusing to be entangled in any conflicts.”

What Sir Lindsay said in full:

When approached by the Post over concerns in Chorley and online, Sir Lindsay defended his position, saying Speakers from other countries have made similar trips.

He said: “It is extremely disturbing and upsetting to witness the scale of suffering that is taking place in Gaza with thousands of innocent civilians already killed or injured. Likewise, I was truly appalled by the attack instigated by Hamas on 7th October.

“These events underline the crucial importance of reaching a peace settlement, not just to end the current hostilities but to provide a basis for a permanent peaceful solution based on a two-state scenario. My trip to both the West Bank and Israel was aimed at promoting this message, urging both sides to put an end to violence and seek a peace settlement.

My visit involved travelling to Ramallah in the West Bank where I held bilateral meetings with Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority and Rawhi Fattoush, former Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council. I expressed my condolences for the civilians killed, discussed the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the importance of making progress towards peace.

"I visited Israel and a village affected by the terror attack on 7th October. I offered my sincere condolences to the Speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohana and the people of Israel. I also used this opportunity to promote the same message about the importance of working towards a peace settlement.

"Fellow Speaker’s from other European countries and the Speaker of the EU Parliament have made similar visits. I hope that our actions, along with those of senior politicians and diplomats from a variety of countries, can help bring an end to the current situation and work towards a lasting peaceful solution.”