Why we need to strengthen and codify small party rights in the House of Commons

Following the Unit’s January seminar, Can the Home of Commons deal with multi-party politics?, panellist Louise Thompson explains the procedural and logistical obstacles dealing with small events within the Home of Commons. She requires parliamentary establishments to adapt their processes, and concludes that formalising some present casual preparations and taking a look at methods to extend equalities of alternative throughout all opposition events could be wise subsequent steps.

The 2024 basic election broke many data. Whereas the media targeted initially on Labour’s landslide victory and the ‘massacre’ on the Conservative benches, the election was, in lots of respects, all in regards to the smaller events. The Liberal Democrats ousted the SNP because the third largest get together, returning to the Commons with 72 MPs, a massively improved efficiency from the 11 MPs they returned in 2019; Reform turned probably the most profitable challenger get together ever, receiving 14% of the vote and 5 MPs, and the Greens quadrupled their parliamentary illustration to 4 MPs, the very best Inexperienced displaying ever within the Commons. This displays broader electoral and parliamentary developments during the last 30 years, whereby the variety of votes for events aside from the Conservatives and Labour have elevated nearly persistently since 1997 and through which the variety of political events with illustration within the Commons has additionally elevated. The 2024 election noticed over 40% of voters select events exterior the 2 primary get together labels and a bigger proportion of small get together MPs elected (117) than ever earlier than. In consequence, we elected the least ‘two get together’ Home of Commons ever seen.

Regardless of this enhance in multipartyism throughout the citizens and our MPs, the Home of Commons itself stays stubbornly embedded in an institutional design and tradition of two (or maybe two and a half) events. That is partly enforced by the bodily design of the Home of Commons with a governing get together dealing with an ‘official’ opposition get together who’re granted a visibly superior standing within the Home, with shadow ministers straight dealing with their authorities counterparts and making speeches from a proper despatch field. Nonetheless, it is usually enforced by an underpinning set of procedures and conventions which privilege the Official Opposition get together. Each the Standing Orders of the Home of Commons and Erskine Could (a information to parliamentary process utilized by MPs and Commons officers) check with the broad distinction between authorities and Official Opposition, noting that that is usually the ‘two main events’, with some restricted rights for the ‘third get together’ within the Home. No reference or rights are explicitly given to every other opposition events. In truth, Erskine Could describes the presence of those smaller events within the Commons as a complication. These formal guidelines are accompanied by different conventions regulating issues comparable to seating within the chamber and parliamentary questions, which additional privilege the Official Opposition on the expense of different events.

In observe, these guidelines and customs imply that the Official Opposition is privileged in debates, questions and committee appointments. For instance: they ask six assured inquiries to the Prime Minister on Wednesdays whereas the Liberal Democrats ask solely two; they make a assured first response to authorities statements and speeches whereas the Liberal Democrats usually converse subsequent; they obtain 17 slots for opposition day debates in every session whereas the Liberal Democrats obtain three; and each events obtain assured locations on each choose committee. Different opposition events obtain no such ensures in any respect. They could not at all times be referred to as to answer statements, there isn’t any ‘assure’ of a query to the Prime Minister on Wednesdays and so they obtain no committee locations by default, barring maybe the regional choose committees. A number of small events from Northern Eire as an example at present have illustration on the Northern Eire Affairs Committee.

There are three the explanation why this may be seen as problematic. Firstly, these privileges don’t seem sustainable after we have a look at the numbers of MPs elected below every get together label. With the bottom variety of Conservative MPs ever, the Official Opposition is the smallest it has been in trendy politics (119 MPs), shut in measurement to the Liberal Democrats (72 MPs). The Official Opposition can also be at present outnumbered by the opposite non-government MPs if we embody Sinn Féin (its MPs don’t take their seats) and maintain precisely the identical variety of seats as different non-government MPs if we don’t (this contains impartial MPs, a few of whom will probably be briefly excluded from their get together). It’s tough to justify democratically such an enormous imbalance of opposition rights between the Official Opposition get together and a 3rd get together at issues like query occasions, and more durable to see why different opposition events are so usually utterly excluded from issues like choose committees. Even in a scenario the place the Official Opposition had only one MP greater than the third get together, they might nonetheless obtain the entire spoils.

Secondly, whereas the Commons often considers small get together MPs to occupy an identical place to Conservative or Labour backbenchers, that is considerably inaccurate. MPs from smaller events perform the identical constituency position as different MPs, however they’re additionally occupying a frontbench position within the Commons, usually appearing as spokesperson for a number of coverage portfolios. Carla Denyer, for instance, acts because the Inexperienced Get together spokesperson for Power and Internet Zero, Science, Innovation and Expertise, and Ladies and Equalities. Her colleague Sian Berry holds six completely different portfolios, as does the group’s Westminster chief, Ellie Chowns. These MPs will usually spend a considerable amount of time within the chamber, as they’ll have to be current usually at debates, questions and statements which relate to any of those portfolios so as to categorical the views of their get together. That is along with any constituency-related parliamentary work which they could carry out. The 2-party surroundings of the Commons provides an extra layer of constraint to their place as frontbench MPs in a backbench place.

Thirdly, the inequalities between get together teams within the Commons reinforces an even bigger democratic or representational deficit. That is notably noticeable the place the Northern Eire events are involved. With no massive get together MPs in any respect, there isn’t any assured illustration both within the chamber or on committees, excluding the Northern Eire choose committee the place some locations are at all times allotted to small events (although not the chair). We are able to additionally see it within the casual routes utilized by small events to attain further visibility. Whereas the Greens and Plaid Cymru have been capable of negotiate locations on some key choose committees, Reform haven’t.

Opposition events have persistently referred to as for higher illustration and inclusion in Commons procedures. As third get together between 2015 – 2024 the SNP have been annoyed by their underrepresentation on choose committees and lack of audio system in some debates, most notably on the committee stage of the Article 50 invoice. There have been some very optimistic modifications in recent times. After highlighting the significance of creating certain all get together voices are heard within the Home, ‘regardless of the measurement’, Lindsay Hoyle has referred to as opposition spokespersons steadily throughout debates and statements throughout his tenure as Speaker (and could be very clear when the views of some get together teams are usually not wanted), and maintains an association whereby small events are referred to as at PMQs on an off-the-cuff rota foundation. These steps ahead haven’t quelled the frustrations felt by opposition events although. Within the 2024 parliament the DUP, Greens, Reform and the SNP burdened the unfairness of making a brand new Modernisation Choose Committee which was comprised solely of members from the three largest political events. The federal government’s response was that it was an ‘unlucky case of the arithmetic’. In the meantime Nigel Farage selected to sit down within the public gallery for Prime Minister’s Query Time final 12 months, claiming that the foundations on oral inquiries to the Prime Minister made him a ‘mere spectator’.

There are a number of methods through which the shortage of parity between opposition events and the Official Opposition might be fastened. One choice could be to offer larger rights on an off-the-cuff foundation, however guaranteeing that these embody the entire areas utilized by get together teams (the Commons chamber, Westminster Corridor, choose committees and invoice committees). A small get together MP may ask questions because the consultant of small get together pursuits in conferences with the primary get together whips. This feature depends on good working relationships between events, one thing which isn’t essentially at all times the case, notably the place get together teams are far from one another ideologically. A stronger choice is probably to formalise present preparations, incorporating them into the Standing Orders for the primary time. This is able to clearly set out the ensures of illustration or talking slots which small events can anticipate. It might additionally guarantee parity throughout all opposition events, permitting maybe all get together teams to sit down on a minimum of one choose committee ought to they want to take action. This path might also allow the Home to tell apart between get together group measurement and/or geography. Events such because the DUP, Plaid Cymru and SNP might respect larger illustration on the Northern Eire, Scottish and Welsh Affairs Committees, whereas the foundations of the devolved parliaments present how thresholds might be utilized for get together group illustration in some points of Commons enterprise. Within the Scottish Parliament, get together teams of 5 or extra MSPs obtain illustration on the Parliamentary Bureau which discusses weekly enterprise, whereas within the Welsh Senedd events of three Members or extra obtain recognition as a ‘political group’ within the standing orders and thus obtain rights round plenary enterprise in addition to allocations of committee locations, together with chairs.

The Process Committee agrees that the established order is just not an excellent choice. In a report printed in July 2025, it famous that ‘the case has been made for additional codification of the standing of small events’ in Commons procedures and really useful that the Home be ‘given a possibility to precise its views on the matter’. The federal government’s response nonetheless, was much less encouraging, suggesting that the matter be put to the Backbench Enterprise Committee, moderately than being thought of in authorities time.

It seems then, as if an extra push might want to come from small get together MPs themselves. Small events could also be much less seen within the chamber and will not all search to turn out to be the following authorities, however they play a massively necessary position in our consultant democracy, supporting the chain of accountability between authorities and the citizens in each parliament. Multi-party politics appears unlikely to go away, so in some unspecified time in the future our parliamentary establishments might want to change to facilitate it. Formalising the present casual preparations and taking a look at methods to extend equalities of alternative throughout all opposition events could be a smart manner forwards. 

Louise was one of many panellists on the Unit’s January seminar, Can the Home of Commons deal with multi-party politics?. The occasion was recorded, and is on the market as a podcast. Additionally it is accessible on YouTube. The Unit runs occasions on a month-to-month foundation: to learn of future seminars, subscribe to our mailing record.

In regards to the creator

Dr Louise Thompson is a Senior Lecturer in Politics on the College of Manchester.

Featured picture: Dr Ellie Chowns MP (North Herefordshire, Inexperienced Get together) © Home of Commons.

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