MPs who hold an additional office
Some MPs take on an extra role which affects what they do and say when they are in the House of Commons. These include MPs that are appointed as government ministers or as frontbench spokespersons for the main opposition party (shadow ministers). They also include MPs appointed as Speaker or deputy speaker in the Commons.
The appointment of these office holders is necessary to ensure the smooth running of business and to enable the House to make clear and transparent the lines of responsibility for decisions.
Holding one of these posts may involve a considerable amount of additional work on top of an MP’s workload. Extra staff or resources are normally provided to enable MPs to fulfil both roles.
There are, though, special rules that apply to office holders when they are in the House of Commons and which may affect what they can say publicly while in post.
Your MP’s office will let you know if your own MP is restricted in any of these ways, should you wish them to raise an issue on your behalf.
Government ministers
If an MP is a government minister, the MP speaks only for the government when they are in the Commons. Their function is to explain the government’s position and account for its decisions. Any disagreements they may have with government colleagues, or issues they wish to raise on behalf of their constituents, should be addressed in private. These restrictions are set out in the Ministerial Code.
Members of the shadow cabinet
If an MP is in the shadow cabinet, they speak primarily for the official opposition party and their speeches in the chamber are generally restricted to their own area of shadow responsibility. The role of shadow cabinet ministers is to lead on scrutiny of the government’s proposals and to put forward their party’s own policies. If an MP who is a shadow minister wishes to speak in a debate on a topic outside of their portfolio, they will do this from the backbenches.
Whips
If an MP is a government or main opposition party whip they will be expected to support their party’s policies without qualification in the Commons. The whips keep MPs of their own party informed about the timing of events and coordinate their speeches, but they rarely speak in the chamber themselves.
- Read more about the role of party Whips
Speaker and deputy speakers
If an MP is the Speaker, or a deputy speaker, they must remain politically impartial in the Commons. They do not take part in debates or votes. The Speaker resigns their party affiliation and should remain politically neutral in public, even in retirement. Instead, these MPs will raise any political or constituency issues with the government in private.
Each of these officeholders continues to be the local MP for their constituency, even though they may not represent it in the Commons. They can continue to raise issues affecting their own constituents through private correspondence or meetings.
Committee chairs in the House of Commons
If an MP is appointed to the Panel of Chairs, who oversee debates in general committees and Westminster Hall, they must remain impartial during the debates they chair and will not normally vote on a bill if they chaired its committee stage. At other times, they are not restricted from raising constituents’ concerns in public.
If an MP is the chair of a select committee, they are often expected to speak on behalf of their committee when they are in the Commons. For this reason, they will usually make it clear when they are not, such as when raising their concerns on a different topic. More about the select committee chairs in the Commons is explained in the House of Commons Library briefing:
More information about MPs who are ministers or other office-holders is given at: