Inquiry launched into the status of independent Members of Parliament
9 December 2024
The Commons Procedure Committee has launched an inquiry into the status of Independent Members of Parliament.
Chair quote
Cat Smith MP, Chair of the Procedure Committee, said: “A record number of independent MPs were elected at the last general election, and in recent years we have seen more and more MPs become ‘independent’ during a Parliament.
The Committee will look into whether House of Commons procedures, courtesies and conventions need to be adapted to account for this increase, and what distinctions should be made between those elected as independent MPs versus those who become independent over the course of a Parliament.”
Background
In the July 2024 General Election, six independent candidates were elected to the House of Commons. In September 2024, one of those MPs, Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP, wrote to the Speaker regarding the formation of an independent grouping in Parliament (‘the Independent Alliance’) composed of himself, Shockat Adam MP, Adnan Hussain MP, Ayoub Khan MP and Iqbal Mohamed MP. The letter indicated that this group would sit together in the House and operate as a bloc, but that they would not be forming a political party, rather a ‘technical group’.
This letter has given rise to questions about the status of parliamentary groupings under House of Commons procedures, and the status of independent MPs as a whole.
In addition to this, the inquiry will also consider the status of independent MPs more broadly. As well as those who were elected as independents, the last few parliaments have seen many more ‘independent’ MPs with ‘losing the whip’ being a common event which can now occur in different ways, and does happen more frequently, than in the past. There is therefore the potential for a significant number of independent MPs at any given point in the course of a Parliament.
Further information
Image: House of Commons