Backbenchers are the majority of MPs who do not serve in the government or shadow government as cabinet members. Their responsibilities include representing their constituents and examining government operations. Whether or not the backbench MP belongs to the ruling party determines the caliber of this examination. Some can be perceived as supporting the government and vying for a cabinet post. Other members may wish to ask tough questions of the ministers to put them on the spot. Nevertheless, members of the House of Lords are not dependent on a political party to be reelected, which enables them to hold the administration to account and carry out superior inspections by questioning.
Knowledge of the work of a backbencher in Parliament
The select committee is one of the tools that backbenchers use to check and balance the government. With the formation of the Backbench Business Committee (BBBC), more backbench MPs can now debate and shape legislation on issues that are of importance to them. But since few private member bills are passed, this is not a very effective way to examine the administration.
As most backbench MPs aspire to be ministers one day, they are not prepared to go against the party whips and offend the executive. But backbenchers play an important policy role in controversial issues, particularly where they have a free vote. Indeed, in the case of the Blair administration, a large parliamentary majority was hugely undermined in 2003 when 139 Labour MPs rebelled against the Iraq invasion.
It consists of 650 Members of Parliament, all of whom are directly elected under the First Past the Post method of election, and who represent a constituency of 56,000 people in Wales or 72,000 people in England. A cabinet member is called a frontbencher, and an MP not in the cabinet is called a backbencher. Most of the MPs are members of one of the major political parties, although they may be independent, as in the case of Martin Bell in 1997. Additionally, Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House, is required to renounce their party affiliation. Members of Parliament get a salary (now £81,932) in addition to charges for staffing, office operations, travel, and lodging in London.
The position of backbenchers in the Parliamentary seating arrangement
There are 799 peers, or members, in the UK legislature’s Upper House. No payment is made to them, but they can take the cost of traveling, lodging, and any other costs incurred in the course of performing their duties. The peers may be life peers (nominated by the prime minister; as of 2006, there are 665 peers in the House of Lords), hereditary (since the House of Lords Act 1999, only 92 are still hereditary peers), or the Lords Spiritual or Temporal, who are or were members of the Church of England. The First Past the Post (FPTP) system of electing a representative to office is normally a method of obtaining strong legislative majorities that enable an executive to govern. A vast majority means that the executive branch is capable of making laws and has significant support in Parliament, as well as the ability to determine the legislative calendar.
The larger the majority, the less the ability of opposition parties to affect or modify government legislation. To remain in office, an executive who has a small or no parliamentary majority will most likely have to compromise many times to opposition parties.
To get a majority in parliament when discussing Brexit, Theresa May, for example, has to have been in close contact with the DUP. The Speaker of the House presides over all debates and ensures that the House is in order and that the Members of the House are heard. By secret ballot, the other members of the legislature nominate and choose the Speaker. They lose their political allegiance and become impartial once they assume the position. In the Commons, they may cast a casting vote on any tie vote, but more usually, they do so to prolong debate rather than to end it.
Backbenchers vs frontbenchers
Most of the parliamentarians enter parliament as backbenchers. Moving to the front bench involves a seating change as well as a change of position. Backbenchers do most of the work in the Senate and the House, debating and voting on bills or proposed laws. They are also trying to increase awareness of the issues of the electorate or states and territories by debating them in Parliament. Backbenchers serve their community and look into proposals and concerns in committees while they are not in the Senate or the House.
On the other hand, Frontbenchers include both ministers and shadow ministers. In the Senate or the House of Representatives, they occupy the front row of seats. Ministers who have been assigned a portfolio, a field of responsibility, are known as government frontbenchers. A minister’s duties in the Senate and House include presenting measures and responding to inquiries regarding their portfolio during Question Time. Shadow ministers who have been assigned the duty of closely investigating a certain minister’s work and portfolio are known as opposition frontbenchers. Speaking about opposition initiatives and questioning ministers during Question Time are two of the responsibilities of a shadow minister in the Senate and House.
The importance of backbenchers in a Parliamentary Democracy
By providing them with more chances to voice their concerns and more incentives to balance their jobs in a way that supports the position of Parliamentarians, the Hansard Society has regularly proposed ways to improve the role of MPs. Select committees are a key tool for MPs to play a more effective parliamentary role, according to the Hansard Society Commission on Parliamentary Scrutiny, which also said that select committees’ potential was rooted in a number of traits. Because the committees’ activities are not primarily influenced by party politics, MPs can assume a role that is exclusively parliamentary. Importantly, select committees offer a crucial forum for examination in which the government’s business agenda does not dictate action.
House of Lords members not serving as opposition shadow spokesmen or government ministers are called backbenchers. They are called frontbenchers, as they occupy the rows of seats behind the spokesperson of their parties in the Chamber. One reason why backbenchers can be considered important is due to their participation in the legislative and policy cycles. Bringing a Private Members’ Bill to the legislature is one of the numerous ways through which a backbench member can impact on government.
One example of a Private Member who has historical importance is the 1967 Abortion Act. Backbenchers are also able to engage in Parliamentary Committee work, particularly where a measure fits into their competence or interest area. These have the power to change the specifics of laws. Similarly, during the debates that occur during a bill’s Second Reading, backbenchers have the power to change the substantive content of legislation.
Responsibilities and duties of backbenchers
Private member bills are rarely scheduled for debate, and the Whip system typically guarantees that nearly all bills that the government wishes to pass through parliament will do so. The fact that only seven government-backed bills failed to pass through parliament between 1997 and 2010 probably best illustrates the importance of party discipline. This is also connected to the party patronage system, which guarantees allegiance. The collective ministerial responsibility principle prevents any minister from publicly expressing disagreement with the administration.
This is regarded as, for instance, there are currently over 100 junior ministerial responsibilities and 20 Whip or Assistant whip positions spanning both chambers of the legislature.
One of the things a backbencher has to do is sit in committees that discuss diverse issues. These involve carrying out research on issues like government expenditure and various policy concerns, interviewing witnesses, hearing recommendations and remarks, interpreting statistics and evidence, arguing, and publishing conclusions. The backbenchers spend much time in the backbench party committees, which are of great concern to the backbenchers since both the opposition parties as well as the ruling government use them extensively. As committees consider government policy and propose legislation, backbenchers are involved in how the policy will be implemented in the future.
How do backbenchers influence legislation and policy?
Backbenchers can also be viewed as significant because of their involvement in government oversight and their capacity to hold the government responsible. In departmental select committees, this function is particularly important. The government eventually adopts 30–40% of the recommendations made by the Select Committee. The recent resignation of Charlotte Hogg from her position as Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, following praise from the Treasury Select Committee for her failure to disclose to the Bank a possible conflict of interest arising from her brother’s work at Barclays, is an example of a change brought about by a Select Committee.
Backbencher scrutiny can also take the form of pressure on the government to implement policy changes. Their lack of support and ability to incite opposition in the media can push the government to shift course. This was the situation with Phillip Hammond’s 2017 Spring Budget, where he withdrew his proposal to raise National Insurance contributions for self-employed people due to pressure from Tory backbenchers that the idea violated the party’s manifesto.
Challenges faced by Backbenchers in Parliament
Party control over messaging, the difficulty of finding time for their own legislative proposals, such as Private Members’ Bills, and the lack of visibility and power compared to frontbenchers are some of the difficulties faced by backbenchers. In addition to dealing with a lot of work in their communities, they must develop their specialist knowledge in order to make a significant contribution to discussions and committee work, all the while facing public criticism.