Influence of MPs over government The Whip System

What is meant by the “Whip System” It relates to an old fox hunting term and basically is just referring to the amount of control that a party has over its MPs. MPs are expected to vote along with their party

Why do they follow the whip? As MPs’ election expenses are paid by their party, they are expected to be loyal. If they aren’t then they may be deselected by their party at the next election. Also – if they want to get any kind of promotion, then they will be expected to be loyal to the leader of the party. MPs tend to be in it for power and prestige – so their ambition often acts as a limit on their levels of criticism of their party

Voting in the House of Commons Every week, MPs in each party are presented with “the Whip” this is a list of votes that will take place in the Commons that week. Each vote has a umber of lines under it. A single line means it is not that important Two lines means it is quite important Three lines means that they absolutely have to be there – this is called a “three line whip”. MPs literally on their death beds have been called in to vote (carried through lobbies on stretchers), foreign secretaries have been flown in from thousands of miles away to vote. You will be severely reprimanded if you miss a three line whip.

Physical Voting When voting in the House of Commons, MPs have to physically walk through a room. They are counted at the door by the teller. Whips stand at the doors to make sure their members are going into the correct rooms. So it is easy to see if someone is defying the whip

The Chief Whip The Chief Whip is a role that each big political party has. It is their job to make sure that all MPs are doing what they are supposed to be. They have to “whip in” the MPs – make sure they vote in the correct lobbies The Conservative Chief Whip is Gavin Williamson

There have been suggestions that Whips have even used violence and blackmail in the past to make sure MPs voted correctly