The role and significance of backbenchers

Question 1

Describe the reputation of commons MPs

Answer 1

Recently developed a poor reputation. Some self inflicted, some misplaced

Question 2

What happens to much of the commons MPs work?

Answer 2

Much of their work goes unnoticed

Question 3

Why should the performance of frontbench and backbench MPs be assessed differently?

Answer 3

Their job is to sit on legislative and select committees and question ministers, so their performance should be assessed differently to frontbenchers

Question 4

How are frontbenchers different to backbenchers?

Answer 4

Frontbenchers are different because they have much more media attention and focus most of their time on their executive functions

Question 5

What kind of work do backbenchers do?

Answer 5

Backbenchers do the crucial work of legislating, scrutinising frontbenchers and providing representation

Question 6

List the main roles of backbenchers

Answer 6

Debating and voting on legislation

Debating on government business

Speaking in backbench debates in order to air either national or constituency issues

Scrutinising bills in their committee stage

Possibly being a select committee member

Being an active member of a campaign committee of MPs for issues they are passionate about

Being part of a committee created by their party to formulate policy on a specific issue

Lobbying and speaking on the behalf of an outside cause

Redress of grievances

Hold constituency surgeries so that constituents can air concerns to them in person

Attending important constituency events

Listening to and perhaps joining local campaign groups

Question 7

What do some MPs do despite their long list of responsibilities and why has this been decreasing since the 1990s?

Answer 7

Despite this long list, some MPs also take on outside work, often as journalists or members of outside associations. However, this has become less common since the 1990s due to the growing workload of MPs and the increasing professionalisation of commons work

Question 8

How does the extent to which backbenchers attend debates vary?

Answer 8

Some attend debates with regularity, while others simply go to the debates their whips tell them to

Question 9

What other kind of things vary depending on the MP in question?

Answer 9

Committee membership and attendance varies, as does the extent of constituency work

Question 10

Give the arguements that backbenchers are of limited significance

Answer 10

Often described as ‘lobby fodder’ or ‘party hacks’. This describes them as a group that simply does what the whips tell them uncritically, hoping that their loyalty will one day be rewarded through promotion

Powerless in the face of frontbench domination. They have little influence over legislation and fail to effectively hold the government to account

Debates often sparsely attended, suggesting they lack interest in policy

Long recesses where the executive can effectively work unchecked

MPs often unknown in their constituencies

Question 11

Give the arguements that backbenchers are of great significance

Answer 11

Numerous independent minded MPs who are willing to put their principles above the party interest

Showed how they good be significant in the 2017-9 minority government as they blocked lots of key legislation

Parliament has been more willing to defy the government since 2010. Select committees are becoming increasingly effective at holding the government accountable

Much of their work is carried out unnoticed in committees. Despite being less high profile than frontbench work, it is still significant for the good working of parliament

The long recesses do not go to waste, as MPs use this as an opportunity to catch up on constituency work, which helps establish a strong connection between people and parliament

Many MPs undertake heavy workloads representing constituency interests, even if they are not well known

Question 12

What party does Mhairi Black belong to?

Answer 12

The SNP

Question 13

What party does Mike Freer belong to?

Answer 13

The conservatives

Question 14

What party does Yvette Cooper belong to?

Answer 14

Labour

Question 15

How is Mhairi Black an example of an influential backbencher?

Answer 15

Youngest member of the commons, only 20 when elected

Quickly made a member of the work and pensions select committee despite her youth, specialising on welfare inequality

Prominent spokeswoman for LGBT rights. Moved to the frontbenches in 2019, becoming the SNP spokesperson on Scottish affairs

Question 16

Why is Mike Freer an example of an influential backbencher?

Answer 16

Reputation as a hard working constituency MP

Long time champion of breast cancer screening and the interests of the state of Israel

Supporter of improved inter community relations encouraging integration between the Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu communities in his constituency

Served on the work and pensions committee, Scottish affairs committee and the housing, communities and local government committee and since Jan 2020 has sat on the selection committee, which decides which backbench MPs will be put on the various other committees

Question 17

How is Yvette Cooper an example of an influential backbencher?

Answer 17

Having been part of the New Labour government and then in various frontbench opposition positions, she resigned as Shadow Home Secretary in 2015 in order to return to the backbenches

Elected chair of the Home Affairs select committee in 2016 and has become a visible and important backbench MP, particularly in terms of scrutinising the Windrush scandal, helping prompt to resignation of Home Secretary Amber Rudd in 2018

In 2019 she introduced a Private Member’s Bill, which narrowly passed despite government opposition, to prevent a no deal Brexit

Campaigned for the rights and protections of refugees in the European refugee crisis

Question 18

When are lords given an opportunity to shape to political debate?

Answer 18

From time to time the lords is asked to debate a great national issue. This gives them an opportunity to influence these debates.

Question 19

Why is it arguably right that the lords should have an opportunity to influence important political debates?

Answer 19

They are often in a position to do this as they will often be former government ministers of civil servants or heads of businesses or pressure groups

Question 20

Give an example of a peer that was in a good position to influence the debate on certain political issues

Answer 20

For instance Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson, former paralympian and wheelchair racer, has used her experience to make speeches and contribute to debates on issues relating to sport governance, women in rowing, wheelchair services and hotel facilities for the disabled

Question 21

How has the lords gained more of an influence on legislation in recent years?

Answer 21

The Lords is an important part of the legislative process. Before 2010 the Lords rarely had much impact on legislation, largely because governments normally enjoyed large commons majorities and could therefore claim a strong mandate for their proposals. This changed between 2010-9, where governments either had a slim majority or no majority at all. This meant that the government had to take any potential Lords opposition seriously, and any controversial policy needed assured support in both houses. This gave peers increased influence over the principles and detail of legislation

Question 22

Why does the need for lords support encourage bipartisanship?

Answer 22

The government cannot have a lords majority, so it must gain the support of crossbench or opposition lords in order to prevent obstruction

Question 23

Why is it arguably right that peers have a role in scrutinising legislation?

Answer 23

Peers scrutinise legislation. Here, their experience and knowledge can be useful in improving legislation and in protecting minorities

Question 24

How can peers hold the government to account and what is the counter to the idea that they can hold the government to account?

Answer 24

Each government department has a representative in the lords. Peers can therefore call the government to account by questioning this minister. However, it is acknowledged that this a relatively minor role. Also, there are no adversarial select committees in the lords as there are in the commons

Question 25

What political affiliation does Lord Adonis have?

Answer 25

Labour

Question 26

What political affiliation does Lord Dannatt have?

Answer 26

Crossbencher

Question 27

What political affiliation does Baroness Floella Benjamin have?

Answer 27

Lib Dem

Question 28

Why is Lord Adonis an example of an influential peer?

Answer 28

Former academic and minister who is an expert on economics, education and transport issues. Plays a key role in advising the two major parties on these issues

Question 29

Why is Lord Dannatt an example of an influential peer?

Answer 29

Formerly chief of the general staff and thus the UK’s most senior soldier

Now lends his huge knowledge of military matters to the house of lords

In 2015-6 he fought for UK ground troops to be redeployed in Iraq to fight ISIS

Question 30

Why is Baroness Floella Benjamin an example of an influential peer?

Answer 30

Former children’s presenter, businesswoman and activist

One of the most active and hardworking peers, working on and raising awareness of issues relating to education, healthcare and immigrant children

In 2013, marked International Women’s Day by making a speech about the dangers of violent porn on children and the role it plays in the objectification of women

Question 31

Why are all three of these peers influential?

Answer 31

These three peers are full or part time parliamentarians

They are as influential as any backbench MP

As well as their knowledge and experience, they also have a higher media profile than most MPs, which gives them more importance in the political system

Question 32

Why are these three peers not representative of all peers?

Answer 32

However, for every active and influential peer, there are as many who are inactive and invisible

Question 33

What is the downside of the lords being unelected?

Answer 33

Because they are not accountable to the electorate, there is no check over the quality and quantity of their work