Labour MP Plays The Mace Card

Labour MP John McDonnell has committed the Parliamentary sin of picking up the Commons Mace and walking off with it.

Daley says it looked like a premeditated stunt, designed to draw attention to the fact that he's not exactly chuffed at the government's go-ahead for a third runway at Heathrow. Nothing like drumming up a bit of publicity, I suppose. When Michael Heseltine did the same thing in a fit of temper a good few years ago he got absolutely slated and it was recalled for years afterwards. Is the same thing going to happen to McDonnell ? I'm not convinced.

Interestingly, there appears to be some censorship going on here. The Youtube video has already been withdrawn, and the BBC coverage cuts to the Speaker as soon as possible after McDonnell picks up the Mace. Someone absuses a symbol of royal authority. Gosh. We can't show too much of that then, can we ?