Commons erupts into laughter as Tory MP presents a ‘Prime Minister Temporary Replacement Bill’

Parliament can be a sober affair, but one MP had the house in stitches after he presented a slightly more unusual bill to the house.

In a session introducing bills and the dates in which they will be debated, Peter Bone, Tory MP for Wellingborough made MPs laugh by bringing up his ‘Prime Minister Temporary Replacement Bill’.

While it could be perceived as a dig at Boris Johnson, Bone has attempted to pass this bill, which will set in stone a formal line of succession in case a prime minister becomes ill or dies, for a few years now.

He originally raised it in 2013 during the coalition government to stop the then deputy prime minister Nick Clegg from taking power if David Cameron was unable to continue to do his job. However, it failed to attract the support of MPs because they were too busy discussing potentially having an EU referendum...

Eight years on, the bill will now schedule its second reading meaning it is one step closer to becoming law.

But people who thought it would mean Johnson would be temporarily replaced, perhaps for him to get a haircut or something, laughed:

Meanwhile, it is likely MPs found it so hilarious because of Bone’s insistence in pushing it through in the face of years of sustained apathy. Ah, workplace banter.

Whatever way you look at it, it’s nice to see a moment of levity in the House of Commons, even if it does come from a Brexiteer.