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1. Lots of people asking how the @UKLabour whipping system in Parliament works. So here goes..
Whipping:
There are three levels of whip and they have two functions - attendance and vote direction.
Whipping:
There are three levels of whip and they have two functions - attendance and vote direction.
2. One line whip:This is the weakest of the three. It implies you don’t have to be on the parliamentary estate. If there are votes you are briefed which way the front bench is directing the PLP to vote.But the fact attendance is optional, it’s not considered a critical vote.
3. Nonetheless technically it’s still a disciplinary matter to break the whip. By imposing a one line whip on a controversial issue it could be claimed you are in effect giving tacit sanction to abstain/avoid the vote without recrimination.
4. Two line whip: My understanding is this means you must be in or within recall range of the parliamentary estate at relatively short notice (ie no going back to your constituency on the other side of the country). It’s usually a prelude to a three line whip.
5. Three line whip: This is the strongest whip and is a clear instruction to be no more than 6 minutes away from the division lobbies (the time the division lobby doors remain open after a vote is called by the speaker)
6. It also means the front bench posn is very much in force and ALL Labour MPs are expected to vote in accordance with the front stated front bench posn.
Convention states that voting against any whipped position is a sackable offence if you’re on the front bench.
Convention states that voting against any whipped position is a sackable offence if you’re on the front bench.
7. If you’re on the backbench’s then other sanctions are available including and upto having the whip removed from you (you in effect become an independent) The alternative to being sacked is to resign before the vote. I did this over the vote to implement Article 50 in 2017.
8. The FB is the term for any MP who is either a whip (parliamentary discipline);a PPS (an asst to a member of the shad cab);a shadow minister; or a member of the shad cab (sec of state level posns & above)The shad cab are on the FB but not all front benchers are on the shad cab
9. MPs can be ‘slipped’.This means the whips office have ‘paired’ you with another MP who will also be absent from the whipped vote,in effect cancelling a lab vote & the govt’s.There are also now proxy votes as recently established over the case of the very pregnant Tulip Siddiq
