Rishi Sunak was branded “Pontius Pilate” by an opposition MP during exchanges over the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Commons has been told.

South Dorset Conservative MP Richard Drax said he and others heard the ‘extremely unpleasant’ heckle during Prime Minister’s Questions.

Mr Drax initially accused an SNP MP of making the remark before withdrawing this claim after it was denied by the party’s chief whip.

When raising a point of order with Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing, later, he told the Commons: “Insofar as the debate on Gaza is concerned, it’s getting far more emotive and the language used is questionable in one or two individual cases as I’m sure she is aware.

“One of the SNP asked a question about Gaza and after the question was answered, a member of the SNP – I cannot identify them – accused the Prime Minister of being ‘Pontius Pilate’, which we heard over here very clearly.

“That language is extremely unpleasant because Pontius Pilate washed his hands and handed Jesus across to a murderous death.

“That is not what the Prime Minister is doing; he has an impeccable record on this topic and is leading with great courage and conviction in a dispute, a war in Gaza that is indeed highly emotive.”

Independent MP Angus MacNeil, who previously sat on the SNP benches, later confirmed that it was him who shouted the comment.

He told the PA news agency: “It was myself who said it, the PM was washing his hands from answering the points raised by Neale Hanvey.”

The clash occurred just minutes after Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle pleaded with MPs to exercise “self-restraint” in debates.

Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor who presided over the trial of Jesus and ordered his crucifixion.

During PMQs, Alba Party MP Neale Hanvey (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) said Mr Sunak had called him 'naive' in November after he appealed to the Prime Minister to choose “de-escalation and peace over violence, death and destruction”.

He said: “So far over 26,000 souls have perished in Gaza. In a powerful and moving open letter in Monday’s New York Times, the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council cited Deuteronomy, ‘I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse – choose life’, accusing President Biden of choosing death.

“If the Prime Minister won’t listen to me or the ICJ (International Court of Justice), will he listen to the Rabbinical Council or will he call them naive too?”

Mr Sunak replied: “I’ve been clear on multiple times that we’re deeply concerned about the impact of the fighting in Gaza on the civilian population.

“Too many people have lost their lives and there is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support in Gaza.

“I won’t go over all the debates we’ve had about the conditions that are necessary for an immediate pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire, but I can assure the House we’re doing everything we can to get more aid into the region as quickly as possible.”

Tory MPs shouted after a heckle was heard when Mr Sunak answered.

SNP chief whip Owen Thompson, raising a further point of order, said: “It was not a member of the SNP who said any such thing.”

Dame Eleanor said: “It’s very sad if somebody made the comment which (Mr Drax) has described.”

She added: “I don’t care who made such a remark, it is wrong to try to whip up bad feeling in this House or anywhere else about the tragedy that is unfolding in Israel and Palestine.”