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65-617: In British politics , the Chief Whip of the governing party in the House of Commons is usually also appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury , a Cabinet position. The Government Chief Whip has an official residence at 12 Downing Street , however their offices are located at 9 Downing Street . The Chief Whip can wield great power over their party's MPs, including cabinet ministers, being seen to speak at all times on behalf of

130-561: A Government Minister who is often a Secretary of State and member of the Cabinet . The minister may also be supported by a number of junior ministers. In practice, several government departments and ministers have responsibilities that cover England alone, with devolved bodies having responsibility for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, (for example – the Department of Health ), or responsibilities that mainly focus on England (such as

195-467: A backbencher. Sometimes their votes in Parliament are called the " payroll vote ", because they can be taken for granted. The consequences for a back-bencher can include the lack of future promotion to a government post, a reduction of party campaigning effort in his or her constituency during the next election, deselection by his or her local party activists, or, in extreme circumstances, "withdrawal of

260-473: A breach of parliamentary privilege . The consequences of defying the party whip depend on the circumstances and are usually negotiated with the party whip in advance. The party whip's job is to ensure the outcome of the vote. The party in the majority can always win a vote if its members obey the whip. If the party has a large Commons majority, it can make allowances for MPs who are away on important business, or whose political circumstances require them to take

325-471: A number of responsibilities. The Deputy Chief Whip is Treasurer of HM Household , the next two whips are Comptroller of HM Household and Vice-Chamberlain of HM Household . The remaining whips are Lords Commissioners of the Treasury . Assistant whips, and whips of opposition parties, generally do not receive such appointments. The Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords also holds the role of Captain of

390-533: A particular issue very seriously. Theoretically at least, expulsion from the party is an automatic consequence of defying a three-line whip. Other such offences include betraying party loyalties. An example of this during John Major 's government was when nine Conservative MPs had the whip removed after voting against the government on its stance on the Maastricht Treaty , becoming known as Eurosceptics. In practice they remained Conservative MPs supporting

455-578: A private basis, serving as their secretary during periods when the party was in government (1922–23, 1924–29 and 1935 onwards) until 1939, when the post formally became part of the civil service (as Assistant to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury) and Harris was appointed into it, with a salary of £850. He retired in 1961 and was succeeded by Freddie Warren; all subsequent appointees have been permanent civil servants. In India ,

520-740: A spokesperson for government departments with no minister in the Lords. Outside the government, the Official Opposition Chief Whip in the Commons, like the Leader of the Opposition , receives a stipend in addition to their parliamentary salary, because their additional responsibilities will make them unable to hold down another job. The whips, although superficially dictatorial, act as communicators between backbenchers and

585-473: A working majority in Parliament. A Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government held office from 2010 until 2015, the first coalition since 1945. The coalition ended following parliamentary elections on 7 May 2015 , in which the Conservative Party won an outright majority of seats, 330 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, while their coalition partners lost all but eight seats. With

650-536: Is a constitutional monarchy which, by legislation and convention , operates as a unitary parliamentary democracy . A hereditary monarch , currently King Charles III , serves as head of state while the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , currently Sir Keir Starmer since 2024 , serves as the elected head of government . Under the United Kingdom's parliamentary system, executive power

715-494: Is a "free vote" on a matter of conscience. There are some cases in which the whip is removed because an issue is a matter of conscience. These include adoption, religion and equal opportunities. The impact of a whip being imposed on a matter of conscience can be damaging for a party leader. One such case was that of Iain Duncan Smith, who imposed a three-line whip against the adoption of children by unmarried couples which, at

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780-513: Is drawn from and is answerable to Parliament – a successful vote of no confidence will force the government either to resign or to seek a parliamentary dissolution and a general election . In practice, members of parliament of all major parties are strictly controlled by whips who try to ensure they vote according to party policy. If the government has a large majority, then they are very unlikely to lose enough votes to be unable to pass legislation. The Prime Minister, currently Sir Keir Starmer,

845-586: Is exercised by His Majesty's Government , whose leadership are formally appointed by the King to act in his name. However, the King may only appoint individuals that are members of and have the confidence of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . The Parliament has two houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords . The Parliament is the UK's supreme legislative body ; however some powers have been devolved to

910-593: Is not known. The current generator is entirely electronic. There are 172 division bells located outside the Palace of Westminster, in nearby government offices and even MP's private residences. Public establishments fitted with division bells (as of 2013) include: The bells are connected by telephone lines, and proprietors of these establishments are responsible for the maintenance of the bells. Both State and Federal Parliament buildings use electronic division bells. In most states with bicameral parliaments , and in

975-518: Is the most senior minister in the Cabinet. Their tenure begins when they are appointed by the monarch. The Prime Minister is responsible for chairing Cabinet meetings, selecting Cabinet ministers (and all other positions in His Majesty's government), and formulating government policy. The Prime Minister being the de facto leader of the UK, exercises executive functions that are nominally vested in

1040-491: Is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom (i.e., there is parliamentary sovereignty ), and government is drawn from and answerable to it. Parliament is bicameral , consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords . There are also devolved Scottish and Welsh parliaments and a devolved assembly in Northern Ireland, with varying degrees of legislative authority. Division bell In some of

1105-418: The 2011 Scottish Parliament elections which formed the current Scottish Government administration. In a 2014 referendum on independence 44.7% of voters voted for independence versus 55.3% against. In Northern Ireland, Irish nationalist parties such as Sinn Féin advocate Irish reunification . In Wales, Welsh nationalist parties such as Plaid Cymru support Welsh independence . The constitution of

1170-474: The Commonwealth realms , a division bell is a bell rung in or around parliament to signal a division (a vote) to members of the relevant chamber so that they may participate. A division bell may also be used to signal the start or end of parliamentary proceedings, and often produces different sounds or coloured lights to identify the chamber affected. In the United Kingdom, division bells are used in

1235-588: The Department for Education ). Implementation of the Minister's decisions is carried out by a permanent politically neutral organisation known as the Civil Service . Its constitutional role is to support the Government of the day regardless of which political party is in power. Unlike some other democracies, senior civil servants remain in post upon a change of Government. Administrative management of

1300-867: The Lord Advocate and Solicitor General are the Members of the Scottish Government and attend meetings of the Scottish cabinet , as set out in the Scotland Act 1998 . They are collectively known as "the Scottish Ministers". The Welsh Government and Senedd have more limited powers than those devolved to Scotland, although following the passing of the Government of Wales Act 2006 and the 2011 Welsh devolution referendum ,

1365-489: The Prime Minister . Margaret Thatcher was known for using her Chief Whip as a "cabinet enforcer". The role of the Chief Whip is regarded as secretive, as the Whip is concerned with the discipline of their own party's Members of Parliament , never appearing on television or radio in their capacity as whip. An exception occurred on 1 April 2019 when Julian Smith chose to criticise his own government and Prime Minister. Whips in

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1430-681: The Scottish Government , the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive . The monarch appoints a Prime Minister as the head of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom , guided by the strict convention that the Prime Minister should be the member of the House of Commons most likely to be able to form a Government with the support of that House. In practice, this means that

1495-522: The energy network , the environment, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service , some aspects of equality legislation, housing, planning, sport , culture , tourism , the Crown Estate , onshore oil and gas licensing , some aspects of taxation including Scottish council tax and transport . In the 2024–25 financial year, its annual budget was almost £60 billion. The government is led by

1560-536: The first minister , assisted by the deputy first minister alongside various Ministers with individual portfolios and remits. The Scottish Parliament nominates a Member to be appointed as First Minister by the King . The first minister then appoints their Ministers (known as Cabinet Secretaries) and junior Ministers, subject to approval by the Parliament. The first minister, the Ministers (but not junior ministers ),

1625-782: The parliaments of Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . The British political system is a multiple-party system and was according to the V-Dem Democracy Indices 2023 the 22nd most electorally democratic in the world. Since the 1920s, the two dominant parties have been the Conservative Party and the Labour Party . Before the Labour Party rose in British politics, the Liberal Party

1690-618: The partition of Ireland , Northern Ireland received home rule in 1920, though civil unrest meant direct rule was restored in 1972. Support for nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales led to proposals for devolution in the 1970s, though only in the 1990s did devolution happen. Today, Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland each possess a parliament and government, with devolution in Northern Ireland being conditional on participation in certain all-Ireland institutions . The British government remains responsible for non-devolved matters and, in

1755-470: The British government away from the sovereign. Theoretically, the Prime Minister is primus inter pares (i.e., Latin for "first among equals") among their Cabinet colleagues. While the Prime Minister is the senior Cabinet Minister, they are theoretically bound to make executive decisions in a collective fashion with the other Cabinet ministers. The Cabinet, along with the PM, consists of Secretaries of State from

1820-595: The Federal Parliament, red and green lights near the division bells flash to indicate which house is being called. Queensland and the Territories , which have unicameral parliaments , do not require the red light which indicates the upper house . In the Parliament of New South Wales , the division bell rings differently for divisions in the Assembly and the council. The bells are typically rung at

1885-781: The Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms , while the Government Deputy Chief Whip in the Lords holds the role of Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard . Other whips, who are fewer in number due to the decreased importance of party discipline in the Lords, are appointed as Lords in Waiting , if men, and Baronesses in Waiting, if women. As well as their duties as whips, Lords whips speak in the chamber (unlike Commons whips) to support departmental ministers, or act as

1950-738: The House of Commons do not, by convention, speak in debates. The Government Chief Whip is assisted by the Deputy Chief Whip, other whips, and assistant whips. In order to provide the whip with a salary, the government whips are appointed to positions in HM Treasury and in the Royal Household under the Lord Steward of the Household . The whips are not fully active in either of these departments, though they do undertake

2015-470: The House of Commons simultaneously sounds all the division bells with a 2 Hertz signal (i.e., twice per second) for exactly eight minutes, though this has been varied by the House of Commons in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As soon as the bells stop, the door keepers manning the entrances to the two division lobbies close and lock the doors. Any member who has failed to enter the lobby in time has lost

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2080-422: The House of Commons sounds to call members of the House for a sitting, a vote, or to announce the lack of a quorum. In the case of a vote, it is referred to as the division bell. The Ontario Legislative Assembly makes use of an electronic voting bell, combined with visual lights, to indicate an upcoming vote. Bells are spread throughout the legislative building and rung for either 5, 10, or 30 minutes, depending on

2145-476: The Houses of Parliament. MPs including Alec Douglas-Home , Michael Portillo and Michael Heseltine reportedly had division bells fitted in their homes. Though the Commons and Lords share division bells, they are driven from separate ringing generator systems, so that the bells make noticeably different ring patterns for a division of the House of Commons and a division of the House of Lords. The generator for

2210-979: The Legislative Assembly on whom to vote. There are also Chief Whips or similar positions in: British Chief Whips have appeared in TV series such as House of Cards , Yes Minister , The New Statesman and The Thick of It . Politics of the United Kingdom King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee The United Kingdom

2275-652: The Oxford English Dictionary, the use of the term "whippers-in" was first recorded in the parliamentary sense in the Annual Register of 1772. In the UK House of Commons , the importance of a vote is indicated by underlining items on the "whip", which is the name of the letter the Chief Whip sends to all the MPs in their party at the start of the week. This letter informs them of the schedule for

2340-567: The Senedd can now legislate in some areas through an Act of Senedd Cymru . The current First Minister of Wales , or Prif Weinidog Cymru in Welsh, is Eluned Morgan of Welsh Labour . Assembly have powers closer to those already devolved to Scotland. The Northern Ireland Executive is led by a diarchy , most recently First Minister Michelle O'Neill ( Sinn Féin ) and deputy First Minister Emma-Little Pengelly ( DUP ) The British Parliament

2405-596: The United Kingdom is uncodified , being made up of constitutional conventions , statutes and other elements. This system of government, known as the Westminster system , has been adopted by other countries, especially those that were formerly parts of the British Empire . The United Kingdom is also responsible for several dependencies, which fall into two categories: the Crown Dependencies , in

2470-468: The apparatus in use with one of the original Division Bells. The show valued the transmitter at £15,000. Three Ringing Generator Systems were made at the end of the 19th century by the GPO at the request of the Government. They were numbered 1, 2 and 3. Numbers 2 and 3 were destroyed by a bomb in 1941 and replaced with copies bearing the numbers 4 and 5. Number 5 generator exists, but the whereabouts of number 4

2535-469: The beginning of a sitting, because a member has challenged a vote (called a division), or because there are not enough members in the chamber to constitute quorum . In both the Senate and the House of Representatives , the division bell is normally rung for four minutes, unless successive divisions are taken with no debate between, in which case they ring for one minute only. After this period has elapsed,

2600-555: The case of Northern Ireland, co-operates with the government of the Republic of Ireland . Devolution of executive and legislative powers may have contributed to increased support for independence in the constituent parts of the United Kingdom . The principal Scottish pro-independence party, the Scottish National Party , became a minority government in 2007 and then went on to win an overall majority of MSPs at

2665-457: The chamber by hand signals during the division when the time comes (usually after the division bell has been rung). Neither these instructions, which are visible to everyone in the chamber, nor the "whip" letter at the start of the week, are recorded in Hansard , as they are considered a matter internal to the political party . Any explicit direction to an MP as to how they should vote would be

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2730-508: The concept of the whip was inherited from colonial British rule. Every major political party appoints a whip who is responsible for the party's discipline and behaviour on the floor of the house . Usually, that person directs the party members to stick to the party's stand on certain issues and directs them to vote as per the direction of senior party members. However, there are some cases, such as Indian presidential election, where no whip can be issued to direct Member of Parliament or Member of

2795-411: The days ahead and includes the sentence "Your attendance is absolutely essential" next to each debate in which there will be a vote. This sentence is underlined once, twice, or three times depending on the consequences that will be suffered if they do not turn up, hence the origin of the terms one-line whip , two-line whip and three-line whip . The actual vote they are to make is communicated to them in

2860-482: The department is led by a head civil servant known in most Departments as a Permanent secretary . The majority of the civil service staff in fact work in executive agencies , which are separate operational organisations reporting to Departments of State. "Whitehall" is often used as a metonym for the central core of the Civil Service. This is because most Government Departments have headquarters in and around

2925-496: The doors to the chamber are locked, and the vote takes place. The duration of the bell was increased to four minutes following the move to Parliament House in 1988, and is measured by in the House of Representatives using a sandglass . On one occasion, a young Paul Keating was furiously censured by his party’s whip for missing a division. Keating made the excuse that he could not hear the division bell in his office, when in fact he had simply turned it down. The electronic bell of

2990-567: The former Royal Palace Whitehall . The Scottish Government is responsible for all issues that are not explicitly reserved to the United Kingdom Parliament at Westminster , by the Scotland Act ; including NHS Scotland , education , justice , rural affairs, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, some aspects of the benefits system , elections to the Scottish Parliament and local government, some aspects of

3055-419: The government on a crucial vote. Former MP Joe Ashton recalled a case from the latter days of James Callaghan 's government: I remember the famous case of Leslie Spriggs , the then-Member for St. Helens. We had a tied vote, and he was brought to the House in an ambulance having suffered a severe heart attack. The two Whips went out to look in the ambulance and there was Leslie Spriggs lying there as though he

3120-459: The government on other issues. Sir Bill Cash , Sir John Redwood and Sir Iain Duncan Smith are still Conservative MPs. This was also the only time when MPs who were being whipped were cooperating with the opposite side's whips. In most cases, the 'pairing' system enables one from each side to cancel out the other's vote if absent simultaneously. Despite the whip, individuals are entitled to vote according to their own beliefs, particularly when there

3185-486: The immediate neighbourhood of the Palace of Westminster (housing Parliament ) to signal that a division is occurring and that members of the House of Commons or of the House of Lords have eight minutes to get to their chosen division lobby to vote for or against the resolution. The call for a division is also displayed on annunciator screens throughout the Palace of Westminster. The division bells are also sounded at

3250-601: The immediate vicinity of the UK, are strictly-speaking subject to the Crown (i.e., the Monarch) but not part of the sovereign territory of the United Kingdom (though de facto British territory), and British Overseas Territories , as British colonies were re-designated in 1983, which are part of the sovereign territory of the United Kingdom, in most of which aspects of internal governance have been delegated to local governments, with each territory having its own first minister, though

3315-406: The issue or withdrawal of passports, to the dismissal of the prime minister or even the declaration of war. The powers are delegated from the monarch personally, in the name of the Crown, and can be handed to various ministers, or other officers of the Crown, and can purposely bypass the consent of Parliament. The head of His Majesty's Government , the prime minister, also has weekly meetings with

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3380-419: The leader of the political party with an absolute majority of seats in the House of Commons is chosen to be the Prime Minister. If no party has an absolute majority, the leader of the largest party is given the first opportunity to form a coalition. The Prime Minister then selects the other Ministers which make up the Government and act as political heads of the various Government Departments . About twenty of

3445-434: The most senior government ministers make up the Cabinet and approximately 100 ministers in total comprise the government. In accordance with constitutional convention , all ministers within the government are either Members of Parliament or peers in the House of Lords . As in some other parliamentary systems of government (especially those based upon the Westminster system ), the executive (called "the government")

3510-479: The national government performs the role of local government within that area). The British monarch , currently King Charles III , is the head of state of the United Kingdom . Though he takes little direct part in government, the Crown remains the fount in which ultimate executive power over government lies. These powers are known as royal prerogative and can be used for a vast amount of things, such as

3575-714: The opportunity to vote in that division. Thus anywhere within an eight-minute journey of the Palace of Westminster is often said to be in the "division-bell area". A broadcast of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow in October 2007 from the Banqueting House in Whitehall featured the original Ringing Generator System Number 1 from the House of Commons. The programme's expert, Paul Atterbury, with the help of former House of Commons Speaker Baroness Betty Boothroyd , demonstrated

3640-606: The party leadership. Ultimately, if backbenchers are unhappy with the leadership's position, they can threaten to revolt during a vote and force the leadership to compromise. While the whip was formally introduced to British politics by the Irish Parliamentary Party under Charles Stewart Parnell in the 1880s, in 1846 the Duke of Wellington advised the new Conservative Party leader Lord Stanley to ensure that his "whippers-in" were personally loyal. According to

3705-538: The sovereign (by way of the Royal Prerogatives). Historically, the British monarch was the sole source of executive powers in the government. However, following the lead of the Hanoverian monarchs, an arrangement of a "Prime Minister" chairing and leading the Cabinet began to emerge. Over time, this arrangement became the effective executive branch of government, as it assumed the day-to-day functioning of

3770-423: The sovereign, where they may express their feelings, warn, or advise the prime minister in the government's work. According to the uncodified constitution of the United Kingdom, the monarch has the following powers: Domestic powers Foreign powers Executive power in the United Kingdom is exercised by the Sovereign, King Charles III , via His Majesty's Government and the devolved national authorities –

3835-538: The start of a daily sitting, at the end of the two-minute prayers that start each day, and when the house rises. Division bells have been used in this way in the United Kingdom since 1858. As of 2014, there were 384 division bells within the Parliamentary estate, and 172 outside it. Bells outside of the parliamentary estate are undergoing a phase out as of 2021. Some Members may be in nearby offices, restaurants, pubs or shops, and therefore some of these establishments have their own division bells connected to those in

3900-428: The time, meant gay couples could never adopt. Several Conservative MPs voted against the official party line, and Smith's authority was weakened. Whips often employ a mixture of promises, cajoling and persuasion to force an unpopular vote. A whip should know major figures in an MP's local constituency party and the MP's agent. There have been cases where sick MPs were wheeled into the House from far afield to vote for

3965-426: The title used may differ, such as in the case of the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, though they remain subject to the Parliament of the United Kingdom (when United Kingdom is used to refer only to that part of the British Realm, or sovereign British territory, which is governed directly by the British Government, and not via local subsidiary governments, United Kingdom logically refers to a local government area, though

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4030-522: The various government departments, the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain , the Lord Privy Seal , the Lord President of the Council , the President of the Board of Trade , the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Ministers without portfolio . Cabinet meetings are typically held weekly, while Parliament is in session. The Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of ministries known mainly, though not exclusively as departments, e.g., Department for Education . These are politically led by

4095-413: The whip" and expulsion from the party. The Government Chief Whip's office is headed by a Principal Private Secretary , who also acts as a go-between for ministers and the opposition to keep parliamentary business moving. The first officeholder, Charles Harris, was appointed privately in 1919 to assist Lord Edmund Talbot, the Conservative chief whip. He was retained by successive Conservative chief whips on

4160-498: Was dead. I believe that John Stradling Thomas said to Joe Harper , "How do we know that he is alive?" So, he leaned forward, turned the knob on the heart machine, the green light went around, and he said, "There, you've lost—it's 311." That is an absolutely true story. It is the sort of nonsense that used to happen. No one believes it, but it is true. A minister who defies the whip is generally dismissed from their job immediately, if they have not already resigned, and returns to being

4225-405: Was the other major political party, along with the Conservatives. While coalition and minority governments have been an occasional feature of parliamentary politics, the first-past-the-post electoral system used for general elections tends to maintain the dominance of these two parties, though each has in the past century relied upon a third party , such as the Liberal Democrats , to deliver

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