Parliamentary Representation: Should MPs Prioritise Their Own Views or Those of Their Voters?

Siim Trumm,Andrew Barclay

doi:10.1177/00323217211061512

Siim Trumm, Andrew Barclay

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/00323217211061512

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Abstract

The 2016 European Union referendum revealed fundamental divisions in British politics and society more broadly. It also raised key questions around representation and the role of Members of Parliament. Should they follow their own judgement or their constituents’ preferences when the two are not aligned? This study uses data from the Representative Audit of Britain Survey to examine what parliamentary candidates believe the answer to this question should be. We find that most candidates expect Members of Parliament to prioritise their own views. This belief is particularly prevalent among incumbents and those who do not think of Members of Parliament as career politicians. We also find a gender effect as male candidates are more likely to think that Members of Parliament should prioritise their own views than female candidates. Interestingly, however, there is no evidence of a Brexit effect when we compare the views of 2015 and 2017 general election candidates.

Highlights

The 2016 European Union (EU) referendum exposed major divisions in British politics and society
It is widely noted that politicians were much less likely to vote for Brexit than voters, but, more than that, a ‘parliament versus people’ narrative emerged whereby political elites were seen to obstruct the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) exit from the EU against the will of the public (Russell 2019)
We focus on candidates who stood at the 2015 and 2017 general elections in Britain and examine how they believe MPs ought to approach parliamentary representation, as well as what explains variation in their views

Summary

Introduction

The 2016 European Union (EU) referendum exposed major divisions in British politics and society. The existing studies tend to rely on survey data from the pre-referendum period, meaning that they are unable to account for the potential influence that the EU referendum may have had in shaping how politicians think about the role of MPs. Potential differences in role perception Individual-level characteristics and political context are both likely to influence candidates’ views on how MPs should approach parliamentary representation.

Results

Conclusion