Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
Labour uproar after Skinner ‘silenced’

THE state opening of Parliament was hit by a “censorship” scandal yesterday amid claims that the microphone closest to Dennis Skinner was deliberately turned away from him. 

The “beast of Bolsover” has been disrupting the annual pomp and ceremony with cutting one-liners since 1987 and didn’t disappoint fans this year. 

As parliamentary security chief Black Rod summoned MPs to the Lords for the Queen’s Speech, Mr Skinner shouted “hands off the BBC” to cheers from the Labour benches. 

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Count Binface reacts after the declaration for the Clacton by-election count at Clacton Leisure Centre in Essex, August 14, 2026
Politics / 14 August 2026
14 August 2026

Parliamentary probe into the Reform UK leader’s £5m gift from crypto-billionaire to resume

Prime Minister Andy Burnham (right) waves following a visit to Alstom Transport in Derby, July 28, 2026
Politics / 28 July 2026
28 July 2026
Andy Burnham surrounded by Labour Party supporters at the launch of his campaign as Labour's candidate for the Makerfield by-election during a press conference at Stubshaw Cross Community and Sports Club in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester, May 22, 2026
New leadership / 10 July 2026
10 July 2026

IAN LAVERY MP warns that decades of neoliberal policies have left former industrial communities behind — but a renewed Labour commitment to working people could change the political landscape