A SOMERSET MP has come under fire on social media for allegedly shouting the word "suicide" during a Commons debate - but he says he was 'misquoted' - and branded those making the claims 'petty *******'.
A number of MPs claim the Bridgwater and Somerset MP shouted the word after Scottish MP Ian Blackford asked what options are open to Scottish MPs for a proper debate on devolution and Brexit.
Stewart McDonald, another Scottish MP, voiced his concerns on his social media page, claiming Mr Liddell-Grainger had shouted the word "suicide" in response.
But the Somerset MP says he actually said 'politcial suicide'.
Floods of tweets condemning the comments have since been posted online.
The original comments took place during a point of order by Ian Blackford MP, when Mr Liddell-Grainger was in the house.
Then a consecutive point of order was raised by Jonna Cherry, SNP MP, over the incident. This is the point of order Mr Liddell-Grainger claims to have missed due to leaving the house shortly before.
She said: "On a point of order, Mr Speaker. When my right hon. Friend the Member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber (Ian Blackford) was asking you what options were open to Scottish parliamentarians to raise their concern about what has just occurred today, the hon. Member for Bridgwater and West Somerset (Mr Liddell-Grainger) shouted, “suicide”. Is that in order, Mr Speaker?"
Speaker, John Bercow, said: "I would say to the hon. and learned Lady that I did not hear that. I am not disputing it; I am simply saying that I did not hear it. If I had heard it, I would not have approved of it.
"What I would say to the hon. and learned Lady, and for the benefit of people listening to our proceedings, is that I would judge that, frankly, to be distasteful. Is it disorderly? It is almost certainly not disorderly.
"The hon. and learned Lady will probably know—she is a student of these matters—that the House long ago dispensed with the idea of a formal list of disorderly words, not least because the list became too long and therefore unmanageable.
"Therefore, everything has to be judged in context—on the basis of the context in which a particular word or phrase is used. Is the word “suicide” disorderly? No, but in this context, it is distasteful, and I am sorry that it was used."
Speaking today, Mr Liddell-Grainger told the County Gazette he had uttered the phrase 'political suicide' and it has since been taken out of context
He said: “I was misquoted.
"I wasn’t even in the chamber, I wasn’t even there when they made the point of order. It was during Points of Order, not even in the main debate, around 10 minutes after I’d left.
“They’re a petty bunch of ******* who have ruined my country – I am a Scotsman.
“They’ve done it out of mischief, this is how they operate.
“The tweets come from Stewart McDonald, I don’t know him. I’m hardly going to lose sleep over it.
“It’s the cowards way of doing stuff. As a fellow Scot I’m deeply embarrassed by them.”
When asked about the intentions of his comment, he said he would 'never make light of mental health'.
He added: "I'm an ex-solider. I am more acute to mental health than most.
"Of course I wouldn't make light of mental health. It's not something I have ever done in my political career and nor would I ever."
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