First Minister's Questions sketch: Record nine interruptions by food security protesters at Scottish Parliament sums up tetchy FMQs

A record nine interruptions at First Minister’s Questions summed up a tetchy session at Holyrood

The Scottish Parliament has rarely come together in such solidarity as it did when the ninth protester was escorted out of the chamber – as MSPs from all parties took part in a collective eye-roll and tut.

The nine interruptions is the highest a session of Holyrood has ever experienced, beating the tally of six seen during Humza Yousaf’s debut at First Minister’s Questions (FMQs). Holyrood is no stranger to interruptions – if it’s not MSPs bellowing at each other, it has had to deal with protests in recent years. But nothing on this scale.

FMQs was a tetchy affair from start to finish, with Douglas Ross left fizzing over comments Angus Robertson may or may not have made.

A protestor from This Is Rigged is led away from the chamber during First Minister's Questions. Picture: Getty Images

And then came the first suspension by the Presiding Officer as a protester raising the issue of food poverty called on the First Minister to act, shouting the name of their organisation, This Is Rigged, as they were calmly removed from the chamber.

Normal service resumed to allow politicians to shout at each other again, before the second protester leapt to their feet.

The interventions kept coming thick and fast – all pretty much identical. But the patience of the First Minister and other MSPs was wearing thinner and thinner as lunchtime approached. Hanger was kicking in.

The protests didn’t pick all their moments to intervene that well. Some shouting took place while the First Minister was asked about pretty serious and personal accounts of people waiting too long for healthcare – while one of the campaigners completely missed their cue and picked a moment of applause to have their say, being drowned out by clapping as they exited, probably wishing they could have a re-run.

Everyone sitting in the pretty-compact public gallery became a suspect to the suspicious security officers in the chamber wondering who would be next to raise their heads above the parapet.

Mr Yousaf finally had enough of it, using a response to a question about deer management to address the protests, warning the interruptions were “deeply frustrating”.

He said “the issues of food security and poverty are very important to the government that I lead”. But the FM couldn’t help himself.

He claimed it was “up to protesters to decide where they protest”, adding that “I would say to them gently that they are protesting at the wrong Parliament”.

As the Presiding Officer tried to put a stop to Mr Yousaf disrupting proceedings himself, the FM went for it, claiming that it was “Westminster austerity that is causing such issues”.

He then went back to addressing deer management, including highlighting that venison is “a healthy and nutritious food source”.

After everyone had calmed down, the First Minister’s official spokesperson insisted Mr Yousaf “didn’t interact with the protesters”.

The protesters have all been banned from the public gallery for six months, but interruptions are likely to remain part of the furniture at FMQs for the foreseeable future.