structure + role of parliament

• House of Lords:

  • 92 hereditary peers, since the 1999 House of Lords Reform Act
  • 26 Church of England Bishops
  • no max number of peers
• The Speaker- oversees debates, ensures a range of MPs can speak, administers rules

  -John Bercow (then speaker) suspended Dennis Skinner for calling David Cameron "Dodgy Dave"

  -voted in by MPs
• Leader of the House of Commons

  • their role is to see that the executive's perspective runs smoothly
  • bills are properly timetabled
• Whip Example

  • 2019 Johnson removed the whip from 21 Tory rebels who defied the whip's instruction about how to vote on parliamentary business around Brexit
• Frontbench

  • MPs who are ministers or shadow ministers
• Backbenchers

  • ordinary MPs that aren't ministers or shadow ministers