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GCSE Citizenship Studies · key term
An MP who is neither a government minister nor an opposition frontbench spokesperson.
Used by AQA and Edexcel
Paper 1
Revise: Ceremonial and Parliamentary RolesBackbenchers are MPs who are neither ministers nor opposition frontbench spokespeople. They sit behind the frontbenchers and can belong to either the governing party or an opposition party.
Paper 1, Paper 2
Backbenchers are MPs who hold neither of those positions. They ask questions, contribute to debates, serve on committees and represent constituents. They are not necessarily powerless: a government may reconsider a proposal if enough of its own backbenchers threaten to vote against it.
A backbencher is not necessarily an opposition MP: both government-party and opposition MPs can be backbenchers.
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