Dozens Tory MPs may face “proportionate disciplinary action” after mayhem in the Commons on Wednesday night – and that could include losing the whip.
But what does this entail?
What are whips?
Whips are MPs or members of the House of Lords appointed by each political party. They help “organise” the party’s contribution to parliamentary business – essentially, they help keep the MPs in line with the party’s leadership and agenda while preventing any upsets.
This includes “making sure the maximum number of their party members vote, and vote the way their party wants,” according to the UK parliament website.
Whips are essential if the government has a small majority and every MP vote counts when trying to pass a motion through the Commons.
If someone is a chief whip, they’re responsible for the entire system for that party.
Whips often count votes in debates too, meaning they act as “tellers”, and manage the pairing system where MPs from different parties agree not to vote when other business stops them being at Westminster.
Whips can be referred to as “the usual channels” too.
Broadcaster Jeremy Paxman has previously dubbed whips the “keepers of parliament’s dark secrets and custodians of the baubles of public life”.
Where does the word come from?
According to UK Parliament’s website, it comes from 18th Century hunting terminology, “whipper-in” – a term for a huntsman’s assistant who encourages straying dogs back to the main pack with a whip.
What about ‘The Whip’?
‘The Whip’ can refer to the weekly message about what is happening in the Commons which whips send out to MPs or Lords within their own party.
It instructs people on how to vote – and the gravity of each vote is depicted by how many times each motion is underlined.
The maximum number is three – and defying a three-line whip is a grave decision from any MP or peer.
What does losing the whip mean?
This is another slightly different meaning.
To lose a political party’s whip means to be expelled from the party altogether.
It happens usually when an MP has refused to back their own own party’s leadership over something important or controversial – such as a motion which had a three-line whip.
But, importantly, losing the whip does not mean a politician loses their constituency seat.
The MP then effectively has to sit as an independent in the Commons until the whip is restored to them.
For instance, ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn lost the whip in 2020 over his response to a report into antisemitism in the party.
Losing the whip is pretty serious, and also means the number of seats a party has in the Commons goes down.
Can you get the whip back?
Yes, whips can hand the whips back to rebellious MPs or peers, but the withdrawal can also be permanent in some cases.
In 2019, 21 Tory MPs voted to block a no-deal Brexit – and 10 had the whip restored. Six then declined to stand at the next general election, while the remaining five stood as independents or defected to the Liberal Democrats.
However, standing as an independent or defecting to a different party can often result in an MP losing their seat, as all five of those MPs found in the December 2019 general election.
How can a MP lose their seat altogether outside of a general election?
MPs, whether or not they’ve lost the whip, can lose their seat in a recall election. This involved a petition for constituents to respond to for six weeks.
If 10% of eligible registered voters in that seat sign it, a by-election will be called.
A recall election can happen if when they have been convicted of any offence and sentenced, ordered to be imprisoned or detained. If they are sentenced to more than a year behind bars, they are automatically disqualified from running as an MP.
It can also happen if an MP is suspended from the Commons after a report, and the Committee on Standards recommends a sanction for at least 10 sitting days.
An MP may also face a recall election if they are convicted of an offence under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, where they may have made false or misleading parliamentary allowances claims.
Why is this a threat to Liz Truss’s government?
Around 40 MPs failed to vote with the government on Wednesday night, over a fracking motion – even though, according to Downing Street, it was effectively a vote of confidence in the prime minister, Liz Truss.
Expelling this many MPs from her party would not remove the Conservatives’ majority in the Commons, but would further destabilise an already deeply fractured party.