House of Commons (United Kingdom)

The House of Commons is the lower house of the legislative branch of government in the United Kingdom, one of the Houses of Parliament situated in London's Palace of Westminster. Unlike the House of Lords' system of mostly appointed representatives, 646 Members of Parliament (MPs) sit in the Commons, and each is elected using the first past the post electoral system by a constituency of voters. Almost all MPs are members of a political party, and the party which forms the majority of seats in the Commons usually forms the Government, with the head of the majority party as Prime Minister. The Opposition, being the largest minority party, sits opposite the Government. The monarch, at the request of the Prime Minister or after a maximum of five years, dissolves Parliament and a general election is held to decide the makeup of the House of Commons and, by extension, the Government. Debates in Parliament are often broadcast on radio and television, and a formal publication is made daily of the business of both Houses in Hansard.

The House itself is a chamber of green benches (those in the House of Lords are red). More senior politicians usually sit closer to the floor (though a 'frontbencher' is a government minister, and will also sit near the despatch boxes, from where major speeches are made), while lowlier members are positioned further back ('backbenchers'). Members of the governing party ideally face those of other parties, with two swordslengths separating them across the chamber; however, a large party may spill over onto the other side. In any case, there are not enough seats for all 646 MPs, so in well-attended debates many must stand or sit on the stairs. The chamber often has a lively atmosphere, with members cheering on or heckling speakers; debates are brought to order by the Speaker, who is also an MP but has left their party. A public gallery allows non-members to view the proceedings, and MPs often congregate in the nearby Members' Lobby to discuss various matters.

Under the 1911 Parliament Act, the House of Commons, despite being the lower house, has supremacy and places a limit on the amount of delay that the Lords can have on bills enacting manifesto pledges. Ultimately, the House of Lords can only hold up, not block, almost all legislation, although legislation which is unpopular in the upper house is often modified in order to satisfy complaints from the Lords. The Parliament Act does not allow the Commons to force the House of Lords to pass legislation which the Lords originated. It has been used only a handful of times, most recently with the 2004 Hunting Act, which banned hunting with dogs, and the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act, which lowered the age of consent for male homosexuals to 16.

Members of Parliament

Members of Parliament must be over 18 and a citizen of the UK, Ireland or the Commonwealth. Bankrupts, lunatics, members of the House of Lords, prisoners serving a sentence of more than twelve months, judges in high-level courts, civil servants, some officers of the Crown and serving members of the armed forces are not permitted to become MPs. MPs, once elected, cannot technically resign, but must seek disqualification through being given a Crown appointment in order to leave.

Members of Parliament can introduce legislation to the Commons through a variety of methods, including Early Day Motions and through formal bills. They also able to sit on a variety of committees which draft legislation, conduct investigations, listen to testimony from invited speakers and conduct a variety other business. Most legislation is proposed by the government, and the passage of bills through the House is overseen by the 'Leader of the House of Commons', a government minister. MPs may introduce their own 'private member's bill', but a full debate or vote is unlikely without government support. Sometimes the government will support a private member's bill that it wishes to see become law, but does not want to be directly associated with.

Speaker of the House of Commons

The Speaker is the House's chair, responsible for keeping debates to order and ensuring that proper parliamentary procedure is followed, and also acts as ceremonial spokesperson for the House, typically to convey good wishes or other messages to the monarch. The Speaker sits high up in a chair close to the despatch boxes, and from this position can call on MPs to speak - if they have been able to 'catch the Speaker's eye' by standing or half-standing - or, if necessary, cease their address. The Speaker has the power to suspend proceedings in the event of serious disorder, or when the chamber is disrupted in some other way (such as members of the public unlawfully gaining access to the floor). The 'Speaker's procession' occurs daily when the Speaker, formally attired, walks from their official residence through the Palace of Westminster to the House.

The Speaker is an MP who is no longer affiliated to their party - a tradition dating back to the eighteenth century, before which the Speaker was often an agent of the monarch. Following a general election, the Speaker is elected through a vote by all members. Candidates make speeches organised by the 'Father of the House', i.e. the MP with the longest record of continuous parliamentary service. Sometimes an arrangement exists where Speakers are drawn alternately from the governing and opposition parties, or from the government side. Traditionally, the elected Speaker makes a show of physically resisting the office, and is light-heartedly dragged to the Speaker's chair by other MPs. This reflects past times when being Speaker might incur the wrath of the monarch or others (between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, several were killed). From this point, the new Speaker must sever all ties to their old party, and be impartial at all times; in a general election, they stand in their constituency as 'the Speaker seeking re-election', and by tradition most parties do not contest the seat. It is therefore possible, but unlikely, that a Speaker could fail to win re-election as an MP. The Speaker also has three deputies, who are also MPs and generally do not vote; one of them, the 'Chairman of Ways and Means', presides during debates over taxation or the Budget.

Whips

Voting on party lines is organised by MPs known as 'whips'. They direct members of their parties to vote in certain ways, according to party policy. Party MPs are issued with a 'three-line whip' when the party requires members to vote in a certain way. Defying the whip is regarded as a serious breach of party discipline, and offenders may 'have the whip withdrawn', i.e. are excluded from the parliamentary party. This does not affect an MP's right to sit, speak or vote in the House. A 'two-line whip' allows MPs to be absent by prior arrangement, and for a 'one-line whip' attendance is merely requested.

Usually, whips also act as 'tellers' - MPs who count the votes. Voting is non-anonymous and a matter of public record. Four tellers oversee the voting, usually two from the governing party benches and two from opposition parties. When it is time to declare the results, the four tellers arrange themselves in a line on the floor of the House, in front of the Speaker and the despatch boxes. It is possible to determine whether the Government has won the vote before any announcement is made, as for such a victory it is one of the governing party tellers who makes the declaration. Once the result is announced, the paper is handed to the Speaker for confirmation, often to loud cheers or boos from all sides of the House.