Whips have long had a reputation, whether deserved or not, which shrouds them and their work in mystery.  They blend into the crowd and appear to the outsider unobtrusive, the convention being that Government whips do not sign EDMs or table questions to Ministers.  Nor do they give media interviews in their capacity as whip; in fact, most of the general public remain blissfully unaware of their existence.  It all builds up to a shadowy reputation of concern with only the most lofty and secretive goings on of the House.  This Guide is designed for new Researchers and constituency staff to be able to confidently use the word ‘whip’ in everyday conversation – which is, after all, one of the benefits of a job in politics.

Index

1. Who are the Whips?
2. But really, who are they?
3. The role of the Whips
4. Party discipline
5. Withdrawal and resignation of the whip
6. Free votes
7. The Whip 
8. Whips in the House of Lords
9. References and suggested further reading

1.  Who are the Whips?

‘Keepers of parliament’s dark secrets and custodians of the baubles of public life’ – Jeremy Paxman

Any parliamentary textbook will tell you that the term ‘whip’ is derived from hunting speak; a ‘whipper-in’ whips the hounds to keep them from straying from the pack.  It is thought that the use of the term in Parliament goes back to the 18^th Century, describing a small group of MPs whose responsibility it is to keep their colleagues toeing the line.

Whips are generally appointed, rather than elected, within their parties; after all, they are charged with promoting the agenda of the leadership, not the backbenchers.  Each party leader chooses their Chief Whip, each Chief Whip then chooses his or her deputies.

The job of Government whips is to get the government’s business through the Parliament by making sure that the necessary votes are won.  The Opposition doesn’t have any legislation to get through but their job is to make sure that the Leader’s agenda is effectively supported.  Whips often describe themselves as a channel of communication between the leadership and the backbenchers, because it is their job to know in advance if anyone is going to vote the ‘wrong’ way –  they need to have their feelers out and develop good relations with their flocks, and put them in touch with the relevant minister to discuss concerns before they turn into rebellions.

There is also a strong organisational and procedural element to whip-hood: whips manage Bill Committees and some private business like ten minute rule bills as well as party campaigning.

A who’s who of current whips can be found on the parliament.uk site under MPs, Lords and Offices, Government are here under the list of Treasury ministers, which is technically their department, Opposition here under Opposition Whips.

The Opposition Chief Whip receives a stipend in addition to his normal salary.  The Government Chief Whip (and all junior government whips), of course, receive an extra ministerial salary as do all government ministers.

2.  But really, who are they?

In their article on the recruitment of whips in the House of Commons, Donald Searing and Chris Game seek to identify some common psychological characteristics of those appointed to the post of whip.  By asking those who’ve held the post, they conclude that whips must be approachable and good listeners and, where possible, should be able to ‘exercise some authority without getting into too much of a row’.  They must also of course be staunch party loyalists, and – perhaps surprisingly – need to know how to remain calm; ‘good whips rarely lose their tempers,’ one of their interviewees told Searing and Game.  Tim Renton, Government Chief Whip during Thatcher’s final year, echoes this sentiment: ‘a good whip is not just a sergeant major.  He is also a counsellor and a nanny.  Giving tea to some and gin and tonic to others, the Chief Whip has an overall responsibility for the health and sanity of his flock.’

3.  The Role of the Whips

The ‘usual channels’ is a phrase you’ll hear now and again.  Put simply, it means the ways in which Whips of all parties decide between them how to organise the Business of the House.  Although regular meetings take place to discuss Business, the usual channels are mostly a huge spider-web of communication on which the day-to-day bread and butter of the parliamentary timetable rests.  Ongoing matters will be discussed and on particular issues, such as a piece of legislation, consultation between whips from all sides will end with deals being struck in an attempt to please all.  Until 2010, select committee makeup was discussed and decided via the usual channels but, in the pursuit of transparency, chairs of select committees are now elected by ballot of the whole House. Members are then elected by their parties.

Besides deciding how the Business of the House will run, the other important job of the Whip is to act as go-between for the party’s leadership and its backbenchers.  In order to get government Business through, the Government Whips must ensure that the wishes of the leadership are carried out.  Practically, they have to make sure their MPs attend important votes and, crucially, get them into the right lobby.  At the same time, they must report back to the party leader whether or not new proposals are likely to go down well with the main body of their Members, and if and where pockets of dissent might be brewing.  On top of all this, the Whips must maintain links between Government and opposition (via the usual channels).  It’s no wonder that Whips have a reputation for quiet omniscience.

4.  Party discipline

‘For the average backbencher, the whip is the street-corner thug they need to get past on their way home from school.  Treat him with respect, and life will be fine.  If you cross him, watch out’ – Jeremy Paxman

It’s the role of the whip as disciplinarian which tends to attract the most attention, as Rogers and Walter note, ‘much is written and more speculated about the black arts of the whips – their techniques for bringing recalcitrant MPs into line – and of their intelligence gathering’.  There are numerous stories bouncing around the Palace of Westminster of the tactics whips will use to influence backbenchers to vote duly.  Philip Cowley writes how rumour has it that in past years there existed a Conservative whips’ ‘Black Book’, detailing the financial and sexual misdemeanours of the party’s MPs, used for arm twisting purposes as and when necessary.  Speaking in a 1997 debate on the modernisation of the House of Commons, the then MP for Bassetlaw, Joe Ashton, recalled an extreme example of the lengths whips will go to to get their MPs through the lobbies when it really matters:

“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 laid there as though he 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.” – Joe Ashton, former MP for Bassetlaw.

Whips may of course use the carrot approach, as well as wielding the stick, offering time off, trips abroad and promises of promotion.  The Whips are also responsible for deciding who gets which office on the parliamentary estate.  The accommodation whips have an arcane negotiation to divvy up the rooms between Labour, Tories, Lib Dems, etc and then each party has its own internal way of allocating.  It’s not unknown for the whips to use accommodation and the threat of being moved from a reasonable office to a window-less demountable to encourage party discipline.  Says Tim Renton, ‘the ability of the whips to change the minds of their colleagues lies in the fact that they wheel and cajole quietly and behind the scenes.’  However, Philip Cowley reports that there was once, among the Labour whips, what one whip described as a ‘tradition of brutalism’, to the extent that one new whip, on being told to use cerebral powers of persuasion instead had complained, ‘does that mean we can’t beat people up any more?’  Yet most methods of persuasion will be of the subtle type and stories like those above have thankfully become few and far between.

5.  Withdrawal and resignation of the whip

Most MPs, most of the time, pose no trouble for their party’s whips.  However, issues of discipline arise from time to time, on a scale from an individual MP’s doubts over a prickly issue to a large scale revolt among backbenchers.  At the extreme end of the scale, when an MP disagrees with the action of his or her party, he or she may ‘resign’ the whip – in other words, leave the parliamentary party and be no longer subject to its rules.  Similarly, if an MP elicits extreme disapproval of their party’s leadership, the party leader may ‘withdraw’ the whip, expelling the MP.  In both cases, the MPs remain in post but become effectively independent, no longer expected to follow the whip.  Aside from rebellion, personal actions or comment may cause an MP to resign the whip or have it withdrawn.  The decision to go to war in Iraq generated a number of such political casualties, with Clare Short and Robin Cook both resigning the whip in protest and with George Galloway having the whip withdrawn after making comments to the press deemed to have brought the party into disrepute.  More recently, former minister Denis McShane had the Labour whip withdrawn following a referral from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to the police.  Another punishment the party leadership might use is to temporarily suspend a disobedient MP, possibly in advance of a full expulsion.  Yes, it’s just like being back in school.

6.  Free votes

In some instances, the whip is removed from all of a party’s MPs before a vote and MPs are allowed to vote as they see fit.  Such votes are called ‘free votes’ and a party’s whips will usually decide to grant a free vote if the issue at hand is one of a matter of conscience – abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment and so on.  In 2008, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill eventually generated a series of free votes for all parties, with the Government backing down from a whipped vote at Second Reading to allow a free vote, then insisting on the whip at Third Reading.

7.  The Whip

An essential tool of communication between each Whips Office and its MPs, the Whip will drop into your inbox every Thursday, once the Business of the House is announced.

The Whip is the essential (and confidential) document your MP needs to be in the voting lobbies at the right time, in order to avoid incurring the wrath of your party’s whips.  The Whip tells MPs how important their presence at a particular vote is, by using a three line system.  All votes are listed on The Whip and underlined with either one, two or three lines.

One line means that attendance is requested at the vote, but not required.  In practical terms, a one-liner means don’t worry about it.

Two lines is used quite rarely – it means you should be there but it’s not quite a three liner.  In practical terms, it might be used when a free vote is being held – meaning, we don’t mind how you vote, but please turn up.

A three-line Whip is essential and an MP frankly has no choice but to attend unless he or she has cleared their absence with their whip in advance by handing in an absence request slip with a full explanation and a pleading manner.

It’s keeping the weekly Whip to hand.  If your boss is so inclined, you might want to enter the expected timing and details of votes in his or her diary, though this is subject to change with votes occasionally being upgraded or downgraded at short notice.  Knowing what’s on the weekly whip is also helpful in that it allows you to organise the diary around expected votes and if your boss is attending an event on the Estate, you can warn the organisers that he or she may suddenly dash off when a loud, rather excruciating bell starts ringing.

It is common practice, if an MP needs to miss a vote, that the Whips will organise between themselves to ‘pair’ that MP with an MP of another party voting the opposite way, thus cancelling each other out.  This system means that MPs, especially Ministers who may be busy or outside of London, can miss votes without upsetting the outcome.  This allows, for example, MPs to be absent for important family or constituency events, or a minister to take an overseas trip.  Of course, for votes expected to be very close or contentious, the gloves come off.

8.  Whips in the House of Lords

Whips are used in the House of Lords but their role differs slightly, party discipline being a more complex issue due to a lack of elections and a substantial number of non-aligned cross-benchers.

They have their own website – www.lordswhips.org.uk – which Peers can use to remotely-access information, and sign up to speak in debates, without actually having to visit the House.

9. References and suggested further reading

• “This House”drama: http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21776131
• Cowley, P. (2004) ‘Whips: 16 Rebels: 197’
  www.revolts.co.uk/16%20whips.pdf
• Renton, T. (2004) ‘Chief Whip – People, Power and Patronage in Westminster’
• Rogers, R & Walters, R (2006) ‘How Parliament Works’, Sixth Edition
• Paxman, J. (2002) ‘The Political Animal – An Anatomy
• Commons Library Standard Note – The Whip’s Office: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn02829/
• Joe Ashton MP, Hansard 14 July 1997, Column 507, Paragraph 20
  www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo970604/debtext/70604-49.htm#70604-49_para20

Details about access to the Commons Galleries are on ParliNet
https://parlinet.parliament.uk/on-the-estate/access-estate/restrictions/access-to-the-commons-galleries/ or on the Parliament website for the general public
https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/watch-committees-and-debates/

Tickets can only be booked via a Member’s Office.  Members of the public cannot book tickets themselves.

Question Time takes place from Mondays to Thursdays (2.30pm on Mondays, 11.30am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, followed by Prime Minister’s Questions, and at 9.30am on Thursdays).

PMQs (Prime Minister’s Questions) take place every Wednesday from midday for half an hour.  Tickets are normally highly sought-after and constituents love coming up to experience the Westminster action, (especially if they live close to London).  They are usually fully booked several months in advance.  Each Member may request two PMQs tickets per month, dependent on availability. All requests are dealt with on a first come, first served basis.  Members’ staff also require a ticket to go into the gallery and these will come out of the two per month ticket allowance.

If a constituent wishes to watch a debate or question time, you will need to book or find tickets.  Make sure that you know what dates they would prefer, and warn them that if it is very short notice, that it might not be possible.  If you have a choice, pick the latest date, as it gives more time to obtain tickets and they are more likely to be available.

It is quite easy to get tickets for other days as long as you apply a long time in advance.  You can apply using the form on ParliNet.  Mondays are 2.30pm, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are 11.30am, Thursdays 9:30am and Fridays (if the house is sitting) 9:30am.  People understandably prefer PMQs but will sometimes be happy with normal departmental question time.  The Order of Questions can be found here: https://commonsbusiness.parliament.uk

You will need to fill in the full name and address of one of the people who will be using the tickets.

The Admissions Order Office (AOO) staff are very helpful, so if you need any assistance, give them a call on ext 3700.  They try to be as accommodating as possible within the rules.

If you’ve still been unable to get tickets for PMQs then it’s worth ringing in the morning and checking if they’ve had any handed back.  In theory you have to queue from 11am when unclaimed tickets are released (get there early) but if you ring up and are nice enough you can sometimes get them earlier in the day.  (If your MP is particularly keen to get tickets then they can also queue and will get priority over staff.)

It is also possible to put your name on a waiting list in the Admission Order Office from the Thursday before the relevant Question time, but this does not operate on Wednesdays.  Visitors can also always wait in the public queue but there’s absolutely no way they’ll get PMQs tickets this way, it is only likely to work for sittings later in the day or some of the less popular departmental questions and should not be relied upon.

If someone known to your MP would like tickets and they have run out then you can apply for seats in front of the security screen (which is also far more interesting as you get a better view and can hear what’s going on away from the microphones).  There aren’t many of these so you’ll need to check with the AOO that there is space and then download the form from here: Request for Special Side Gallery Tickets – In Front Of The Security Screen.   This form has to be signed by your MP and taken to the AOO personally by them.  This can take some doing and you will have to pester them repeatedly to make sure they do it (it’s worth checking with the AOO that it actually made it there after it left your office).

In addition, close family members of MPs can often use Speaker’s Allocation of tickets.  You’ll need to ring the Speaker’s Office on 020 7219 5300 to see if they are willing to do this and if they have any space.

Once you’ve managed to get tickets you can either pick them up from the AOO closer to the time, or give your constituents directions to do so themselves when they arrive.  Either way, you will need to ask the visitors to come to the Cromwell Green Visitors Entrance around 45 minutes before the Question Time begins, in order to allow for them to pass through the security checks.  They can then wait in Central Lobby and watch the Speaker’s Procession, when the Speaker and the mace – the symbol of the Queen in Parliament – make their way into the Chamber and which is pretty exciting for the first time.

Make sure the visitors have a contact number for your office (and that you have a contact number for them on the day) in case it all goes terribly wrong (when it does, don’t worry, you’re not the first, just grovel and do everything you can to put it right/make it less bad).

If you need it more information can be found on Parlinet.

If you are reading this and are a constituent who is interested in obtaining gallery tickets, contact your MP’s office directly.  Don’t know where to find it?  You can search here: https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons

Constituents can find further information on watching debates and committees here: https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/watch-committees-and-debates/

You can also watch live feeds of debates and committee hearings on Parliament Live TV

Government is big, with around 100 ministers in place at any one time, and it’s not always obvious who is responsible for what . I’m sure you already knew that the Minister for Plant and Tree Health is the Minister of State for Minister for Rural Affairs and
Biosecurity, but are Green Jobs DEFRA or BEIS?  Who is responsible for the Fire service?

The List of Ministerial Responsibilities explains exactly who is responsible for what; in general, ministers will only answer your correspondence if it relates to something listed here as being under their control; it’s fine to write to the Secretary of State but they will generally forward your letter to the relevant junior minister.

The list also gives phone numbers for the private offices and correspondence sections within departments.

It is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-ministers-and-responsibilities.

Be aware, however, that the list is not updated with every reshuffle and so you should check here to make sure that the person named is still the Minister: https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers

We really don’t need to tell you this but here goes anyway: getting your IT support right will make your life VERY MUCH EASIER.  First step is to know what is available.

Of course, this changes regularly so what you will read below is correct at the time of writing but it’s in your interests to check the PDS pages on the intranet for the latest information and advice.

1. Introduction
2. The Digital Support Desk
3. Setting up a new account
4. Logging in
5. The equipment allowance
6. Getting Broadband for your office
7. Working away from the Estate
8. Contact

1.  Introduction

Parliamentary Digital Services (PDS) is a bicameral service – i.e. it serves the IT requirements of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, providing technology and intranet services to all Parliamentary users.

2.  The Digital Support Desk

The Digital Support Desk is committed to providing high quality customer service and technical support, whilst acting as a single point of contact for all Parliamentary Users.  The main aim of the Digital Support Desk is to provide rapid, effective resolutions, or escalation, for a wide variety of computer, network and telephone related problems and queries.

The Digital Support Desk’s aims are:

• To ensure users are making the best use of the technology available to support their constituents or business function
• To treat users with courtesy and deal with enquiries in a professional and efficient manner
• To resolve problems as quickly as possible to ensure minimal disruption to the day to day work of users

You can contact the Digital Support Desk by the following means:

• telephone: extension 2001
• Digital Support online: accessible via the icon on your desktop, or here: https://parliament.service-now.com/sp.  The online system will allow you to view and track the progress of your request.  This is the best method to use for requesting new equipment or services.

When you call the Digital Support Desk, your call is logged with an individual reference number (which you should write down) and its progress is recorded on the Digital Support Desk system.  You’ll need to have the following details to hand:

• Full Name / User name
• Office / Department / Member’s name
• Where you are located (constituency, or address within the Parliamentary Estate)
• Contact details
• Exact nature of problem (it is helpful to have the equipment in front of you so that you are able to give a clear explanation of the problem)
• You may also need to provide your security pass number for certain enquiries

There are various techniques used by the analysts to try to resolve your problem.  This may include shadowing your computer, in other words remotely taking control of your computer.

In the event that your problem is not resolved by the analyst, it will be handed to one of the other specialist teams, who will either offer further technical advice over the telephone or visit your office if it is located on the Parliamentary Estate.  In extreme cases, if you are in the constituency, they may ask for your computer to be returned to Westminster for repair.

3.  Setting up a new account

New user accounts can be requested by the Members of both Houses or their designated proxies (often their Office Managers) or, in the case of House Staff, Line Managers (for example, when you’re setting up an account for an intern).  This can be done by via the digital portal https://parliament.service-now.com/sp and selecting the ‘order something’ option.

4.  Logging in

Your Member (or their proxy) or your Line Manager will be notified once your new account has been set up, and you will have to telephone the Digital Support Desk on x2001 to be talked through the process of activating it or logging in for the first time.  This takes only a few minutes.  Make sure that you have your security pass number to hand before you call.

5.  IT Equipment supplied by the Parliamentary Digital Service

Members and their staff are entitled to IT equipment loaned to them by Parliament for the duration of the Members’ term as an MP.

The equipment is provided to Members and their security-cleared staff only, and is for use for parliamentary work.

You can find full details here: https://parlinet.parliament.uk/services/order-set-up-return-equipment/computer-equipment/order-computer-equipment/house-of-commons-members/

6.  Getting Broadband for your Office

Parliament no longer provides broadband services to constituency and home offices.  Read more about it on ParliNet.

The equipment catalogue can be access from the PDS intranet pages under ‘Ordering Computer Equipment‘.

7.  Working away from the Estate – Services to Members of the House of Commons

Working remotely has never been so easy.  If you have a PDS-supplied laptop then simply connect to your Internet connection and off you go.  If you are using personal devices, Office 365 will allow you to  access any of the cloud-based apps and some of the Parliamentary Network remotely, although there are still some parts of the network which are unavailable at the time of writing.

Whilst it might be useful to access your work emails and calendar from home, consider whether your MP is likely to send you ‘a little something to look into’ on a Saturday afternoon.

Up-to-date information can be seen on ParliNet

8.  Contacts

Digital Service Customer Relations: https://parlinet.parliament.uk/teams/bicameral/parliamentary-digital-service/digital-customer-relations-team/

For constituency offices, the Local Engagement Team’s intranet page can be found here: Support for constituency offices – UK Parliament.

There’s a useful list of PDS contacts on ParliNet.