Parliament Examples

example of backbencher significance in parties

1922 committee

• committee including all backbench conservative mps that meets weekly to discuss forthcoming parliamentary business and its chair plays an important role in keeping leaders up to date with backbencher’s views

parliamentary labour party

• not exclusive to backbenchers, with front and backbenchers being part of the committee, which also meets to discuss upcoming business and giving leaders opportunity to update backbenchers on current issues and plans or backbenchers to give feedback

examples of the increase in legitimacy of the house of lords

• house of lords act 1999 passed to remove all but 92 of hereditary peers

• house of lords (hereditary peers) act 2026 removed all remaining 92 hereditary peers from house of lords

• life peers act 1958 - gave pm authority to nominate life peerages to house of lords

• 2000 - responsibility for non-political appointments transferred to new, non-partisan, independent body called the house of lords appointments commission, which also scrutinises political appointments made by pm to ensure no financial concerns

• house of lords reform act 2014 allowed members, for first time, to retire from house of lords - any member of lords who does not attend at all in a session is also considered retired at end of session

examples of ways in which mps can scrutinise executive and debate issues

parliamentary backbench business committee

• provides backbenchers with 35 days a year in which they can control parliamentary business

• can ask to raise an issue with committee and generate debate issues

petitions committee

• created to schedule debates on petitions that have reached 100,000 signatures

adjournment debates

• take place at end of each day’s sitting

• mp applies to speaker to ask a minister a question

• to raise issues of public interest, only take 30 mins

early day motions

• motions introduced by mps urging debate on issues

• most do not each floor of house of commons

emergency debates

• mp has 3 minutes to make a case for an emergency debate which speaker has to allow

urgent questions

• mps can apply to speaker to ask an urgent question and if speaker decides that it will serve public interest, minister is required to explain to commons what govt is doing on issue raised

examples of parliament’s legitimation

• parliamentary bills require consent of commons before can be enacted

• commons has right to approve budget, and consulted over committing british forces to military action

examples of limitations on house of lords

• salisbury doctrine - house of lords will not vote down a bill from govt’s manifesto in 2nd or 3rd reading

• 1911 and 1949 parliament acts - 1911 lords could only delay a bill up to 2 years, 1949 changed to only up to a year

• 1911 act also stopped lords from being able to vote on money bills (like annual budget)

examples of controversial ways in which pm recommends life peerages

• harold wilson appointed close friends on his “lavender list”

• david cameron appointed his chief of staff, head of policy unity and head of operations

• boris johnson had peerages for a leading conservative donor and owenr of evening standard

examples of private members’ bills

abortion act 1967

• act to amend and clarify law relating to termination of pregnancy by only a registered medical practicioner

• legalised abortion in england, wales and scotland under specific circumstances, requiring approval from 2 doctors and meeting at least one of 7 legal grounds, including greater risk to patient’s or family’s physical/mental health, or likelihood of child being born with severe abnormalities, with 24-week limit in most cases

murder (abolition of death penalty act) 1965

• abolished death penalty in great britain

• a person convicted of murder sentenced to life imprisonment as opposed to capital punishment

sexual offences act 1967

• decriminalised private homosexual acts between consenting men aged 21+

• restrictions in place of what considered private and act only applied to england and wales

access to medical treatments 2016

• bill to make provision for access to innovative medical treatments

• enables creation of database of these “innovative treatment” and their outcomes, allowing doctors in england to access this information as a knowledge base

voyeurism offences act 2019

• act which amends sexual offences act 2003 to make upskirting a specific offense of voyuerism

assisted dying bill 2025

• bill to allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards and protection, to request and be provided with assistance to end own life

• will give terminally ill, mentally competent adults option to control manner and timing of death

examples of representation in house of commons

• commons membership that was elected in 2024 was most socially representative, with highest number of female mps (40.5%), bame mps (14%) and lgbtq+ (9.8%)

• however in 2019 election 80% of mps had had a business or professional career so working class significantly under-represented

examples of ways in which backbenchers can get involved in parliamentary business

urgent questions

• if urgent or important matter arises which an mp believes requires immediate answer from govt minister, may apply to ask an urgent question

• mps may request that speaker consider application for urgent question each day

• applications for urgent questions must be submitted to speaker to recieve oral answer on same day

• eg. 14/10/24 urgent question on ministerial ‘gifts’ - mp asking urgent question: “to ask the prime minister if he will make a statement on the reporting and acceptance of ministerial gifts and hospitality” - ellie reeves said the govt will close the “tories’ freebies loophole” by making rules for declaring mininsters’ hospitality same as that for mps

emergency debates

• debate called at short notice in hoc on matter that should have urgent consideration

• mp may apply to speaker for emergency debate on mondays to thursdays during sitting time under roles of standing order no. 24

• if speaker has given mp leave they will have 3 mins to make speech after question time and any urgent questions or ministerial statements

• speaker then decides whether to submit application to house; speaker does not have to give reasons for decision reached

• eg. covid-19 response bill - emergency debate on conduct of house business during coronavirus pandemic - mp expressed concern about implications members having to be physically present to participate in proceedings

ministerial questions

• from monday to thursday both houses start with questions to govt ministers, known as “question time”

• question time for ministers take about an hour in commons and up to 30 mins in lords

• ministers questions take place at start of every day but prime minister’s questions takes place every wednesday at 12 and is most “theatrical” part of parliament

early day motions

• motions submitted for debate in commons without a fixed date

• as no specific time allocated very few are debated, however, many attract a great deal of public interest and media coverage

• used to put on record views of individual mps or to draw attention to specific events or campaigns - topic vary widely

• by attracting signatures of other mps, can be used to demonstrate level of parliamentary support for particular cause or point of view

• eg. children of ukraine - tabled for sep 16 2025 signed by 3 members, house commended bravery and resilience of ukrainian children vladyslav, valeriia, roman who came to parliament to share their experience of putin’s war of aggression, commended work of film children in the fire, expressed anger that 19,000 ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred to russia during conflict

backbench business committee

• committee responsible for determining, on behalf of backbenchers, business before the house for approx 1 day each week

• includes thursday sittings in parallel debating chamber, known as westminster hall, which are considered half days

• amendments on standing order 14 give committe 35 days per session of which at least 27 are taken on floor of house

• 1 ½ hour topical debates, which count as quarter days, are also within ambit of committee

• eg. backbench business committee debate on the nhs: parliamentary briefing - looked at funding and workforce, and set out key threats to future of nhs identified by health leaders: lack of capital investment undermining efforts to reduce waiting lists, significant workforce shortages, social care workforce shortages, rising cost of living causing public health crisis

parliamentary privilige

• grants certain legal immunities for members of both houses to allow them to perform their duties without interference from outside of house

• includes freedom of speech and right of both houses to regulate their own affairs

private members’ bill

• can be introduced by backbench mps who can choose topic of bill, and bill generally attempts to change law on a specific area

• priority in debating time given to those mps who have appeared near top of ballot

• have to go through all legislative stages in both houses of parliament before become law

• eg. safer phones bill - social media companies could be forced to exclude young teens from algorithms to make content less addictive for under 16s, and commit govt to review of sale of phones to teens

backbench rebellions

• mps voting against own party’s policy or legislation

• way for backbenchers to scrutinise and hold govt accountable

examples of scrutiny by select committees

• eg. liaison committee, privileges committee, public accounts committee, defense committee etc.

• committee scrutiny of boris johnson - priviliges committee filed a report which concluded that johnson deliberately misled parliament and suggested 90 day suspension then having to go through recall system, eventually leading to his resignation

• liaison committee - made up of chairs of each select committee and takes evidence from pm on matters of public policy, chooses select committee reports for debate in westminster hall, recommend topics to be debated in main chamber in backbench time, considers general matters relating to work of selecting committees - eg. scrutinising rishi sunak on hostages taken by hamas

• housing, communities and local government select committee report 2018 on importance of private rented sector encouraged govt’s build to rent programme, which increased number of houses available for rent

examples of scrutiny by sessional committees

• secondary legislation scrutiny committee is sessional committee that plays valuable role in highlighting when statutory instruments are so badly worded or poorly drawn up they may not achieve their purpose

• small number of joint committees of commons and lords - 3 are permanent and meet regularly: human rights, national security strategy, statutory instruments

examples of scrutiny by opposition parties

• parliamentary timetable allows 20 opposition days when opposition parties can choose subjects for debate in commons - main opposition party chooses motion for debate on 17 of them

• opposition mps scrutinise proposed govt legislation in public bill committees and offer amendments - however support of govt required to be accepted

• shadow ministers expose mistake sand failures of opposition numbers in govt

• eg. in 2022, angela rayner, labour deputy leader, attacked boris johnson in house of commons over allegations that he had broken lockdown regulations

• in parliamentary debate, opposition parties play important role in forcing govt to justify its policies

• opposition day debate - while govt business dominates commons timetable, limited amount of time reserved for debates chosen by opposition and backbench mps - standing orders state that in each session of parliament 20 days must be set aside for opposition parties - official opposition allocated 17 days and remaining 3 days allocated to second largest opposition party

• eg. 21 feb 2024 - snp had scheduled a debate over call for immediate ceasefire in gaza - lab and con both put forward alternative motions - speaker chose to allow lab’s motion over snap even though had been their debate - speaker, sir lindsay hoyle, allowed vote on labour amendment during snp opposition day debate

examples of accepted amendments from house of lords

internal market bill *

• lords successfully passed amendments that require govt to seek consent from devolved administrations when using certain powers in bill

• another amendment passed to ensure representation for scottish, welsh, northern irish administrations on competition and markets authority board

leasehold and freehold reform act

• accepted amendments related to subjects like retirement housing, national trust properties and homeowner leases

public order bill

• amendments made to offence of interfering with abortion services removal of custodial sentences, and exemptions for private dwellings and those accompanying someone to clinic with consent

eu withdrawal agreement bill

• revised wording on north-south cooperation in good friday agreement and modified conditions for border arrangements with eu

examples of commons rejecting lords amendments

police, crime and sentencing bill 2022 (now scrapped)

• despite strong opposition from mps, lords and campaigners, uk police had unprecedented powers to restrict protests they deem “too noisy”

• police bill alliance is an informal coalition of 350+ uk organisations opposing bill’s assault on freedom, rights and marginalised communities

public order act 2023

• number of more technical lords amendments accepted, but many key amendments were overturned or govt-alternative replaced

• act has several new criminal offences, expanded police stop and search powers, serious disruption prevention orders, abortion clinic safe access zones, safeguards for journalists

• lords tried to entirely remove power of police to stop and search people without suspicion but overturned, amendments to new journalist protections disagreed with, an alternative to the lords amendment of the definition of “serious disruption” replaced by commons