Structure and Role of House of Commons

• What is the House of Commons?

  The primary chamber of the uK legislature, directly elected by voters
• How many MPs are there?

  650
• Constituencies are roughly equal size between 60,000 to 80,000 voters
• Nearly all MPs in the uK represent what?

  A political party
• Independent (non-party) MPs have occasionally been elected but this is rare
• MPs are divided into what?

  Frontbenchers and backbenchers
• Around how many frontbench MPs are on the governing side?

  90
• Frontbench MPs in the governing party are ministers and party officials appointed by the Prime Minister
• Around how many frontbench MPs are on the opposition side?


  50
• Backbench MPs can be more independent but are still expected to show party loyalty
• Members of minor parties are also considered backbenchers
• What are backbenchers?


  MPs or Lords who do not hold any government office
• What is a party whip?

  A party official appointed by the party leader whose role is to maintain party discipline and loyalty, to inform MPs about parliamentary business and to act as a means of communication between backbenchers and party leaderships
• Party whips persuade reluctant MPs to support their party’s line
• Whips may inform their party leadership how MPs are feeling about an issue and may warn of possible rebellions and dissidence.
• What is a Speaker of the House?


  An MP who is elected by all other MPs who chairs debates in the Commons
• What is the first step to becoming an MP?

  Be selected as a candidate by a party.Selection is carried out by local party constituency committees, which draw up a shortlist of proposed candidates and interview them, much as if they were applying for any job.
• What type of MPs are bound by collective ministerial responsibility?

  Frontbenchers
• What would whips do to avoid defeats due to potential large scale rebellions?

  Encourage the party leadership to modify its position
• What must happen if a three line whip is issued?

  MPs are required to attend a vote and to vote as demanded by the leadership.
• What happens if the party whip is withdrawn?

  MP lose their membership of the parliamentary party
• How many Conservative whips were withdrawn in September 2019 by Johnson?

  21
• Why were 21 Conservative whips withdrawn from high profile former ministers?

  Supported the House of Commons taking control of EU withdrawal negotiations.

  Sone ministers include:

  Kenneth Clarke and Rory Stewart
• What does the speaker of the house do?

  Arranged parliamentary business with leaders of the main political parties, ensures that proper procedure is followed and reside over debates in the Commons
• Who was suspended by the speaker in 2022 for claiming that Johnson had wilfully mislead Parliament over lockdown parties?

  Ian Blackford, former leader of the SNP at Westminster
• How did John Bercow stand up for the rights of Parliament against the executive?

  Ensured mPs were allowed to ask more ‘urgent questions’ which ministers had to respond to the same day
• What did John Bercow stop Theresa May doing in March 2019?

  reintroducing her unamended Brexit deal into the Commons
• What likely encourages conformity and reduce debate in the backbench?


  The prime minister’s significant patronage power. Backbenchers support the government in the expectation of political advancement
• When was the Backbench Business Committee established?

  2010
• What does the Backbench Business Committee do?

  provides backbench MPs with 35 days a year in which they can control parliamentary business
• What does the Parliamentary Backbench Business Committee give the opportunity to do?

  Generate debate on areas that might otherwise be neglected by government
• Examples of debates held by the backbench business committee in 2021-2022

  Black History Month and gender specific religious persecution
• When was the Petitions Committee created?

  2015
• Why was the Petitions Committee created?

  To schedule debates on petitions that had reached 100,000 signatures
• Example of a debate arranged by the Petitions Committee in March 2022

  Debate on waiving visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees
• What are adjournment debates?

  Debates that take place at the end of each day’s sitting where MPs can apply to the speaker to ask a minister a question
• Under what order can an MP request an emergency debate?

  House of Commons standing order 24
• Example of an emergency debate in September 2019 regarding Brexit

  Oliver Letwin’s case for an emergency debate on the House of Commons blocking a no deal Brexit was approved by the then speaker John Bercow. When it passed (328–301) this enabled the Commons to successfully demand that the government extend its Brexit negotiations by a margin of 329–300.
• What happens after an MP applies to the speaker to ask an urgent question?

  If the speaker decides that this will serve the public interest, the minister is required to explain to the House of Commons ‘what the government is doing on the issue raised’.
• Example of an urgent question from October 2022 about the economy

  Labour tabled an urgent question about the state of the economy. Liz Truss did not answer the question herself. Instead, leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt answered on her behalf