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Titles
GENERAL POINTS
Always check the spelling of MPs and their constituencies if not entirely
familiar. For the names of parliamentary constituencies generally, follow
the format of place name first
and then compass point, area etc, eg, Ilford South (not South Ilford),
Sheffield Hallam (no comma).
To check MPs online, go to http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alms.cfm
For peers, go to http://www.parliament.uk/directories/house_of_lords_information_office/alphabetical_list_of_members.cfm
The best hard-copy reference for the Lower House is The Times Guide to the
House of Commons. Similarly, check Vacher's Parliamentary Companion or Who's
Who for the Upper House.
See Government, Opposition, Parliament, parties for guidance on caps or l/c
Remember that Government, Cabinet, Opposition, Parliament, Party etc take the
singular verb, eg, the Cabinet is considering ...
It is never necessary to say Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, etc: we may
assume that Times readers know who the Prime Minister is. But it may be
helpful to the flow of the story to write, eg, the Prime Minister said ...
lower down the story, to avoid the endless repetition of Mr Brown.
PARLIAMENTARY STYLES AND WESTMINSTER
Act(s) always capped, whether fully identified or not
backbench adjective, backbenchers, but the back benches; similarly,
frontbench adjective, but the front bench; and crossbench (in the Lords),
the cross benches
Bill(s) always capped (as with Acts above). Bills are read a first time
without a debate. The second reading debate is the debate on the principle
of the Bill. The Bill then goes to its committee stage, usually in a
standing committee composed of about 20 MPs, but occasionally on the floor
of the Commons. It then returns to the Commons chamber for its report stage
and third reading, which is the final debate on the principle of the Bill.
It then goes to the Lords, where similar procedures apply. Note that some
legislation starts in the Lords and comes to the Commons thereafter. Details
of Bills and Acts may be found on the parliamentary website under Bills and
legislation
Cabinet always capped (as with Act and Bill), whether used as a noun or
adjectivally, except in the informal kitchen cabinet. Cabinet committees
should be capped. Names of members of the Cabinet and Government are
available on the parliamentary website under Her Majesty's Government
chamber l/c, as in the Commons chamber
Clause Four as in traditional Labour Party policy; but Clause 4 is
permissible in headlines
closure as in move the closure
committees cap select committees when full title, such as the Commons
Select Committee on the Environment; Cabinet committees such as the Cabinet
Committee on the Intelligence Services; the Public Accounts Committee (PAC);
the 1922 Committee (of Tory backbenchers); the National Executive Committee
(NEC) of the Labour Party (or the Labour national executive as a shorter
alternative). Details are available on the parliamentary website for Commons
committees and Lords committees
Commons takes singular verb, eg, the Commons is debating …; note the
Commons Library caps
Commons Fees Office at subsequent mention the fees office for the place
where decisions are made about whether to reimburse Members' expenses for
moats and beams
Conservative Central Office, second mention Central Office (never CCO)
crossbench, the cross benches (see backbench)
Cunningham through common usage, Lord Cunningham of Felling was known
before his ennoblement as Jack Cunningham (rather than John), then Dr
Cunningham (he has a PhD)
departments of state and government offices see departments of state
and government offices
deputy Speakers there are three, and should appear thus: John Jones,
the Deputy Speaker
dispatch box l/c
Downing Street policy unit; 10 Downing Street, or No 10
Duncan Smith, Iain no hyphen
early day motion l/c
elections: general election always l/c; similarly by-election, European
elections etc. Note that five years is the maximum period for a United
Kingdom Parliament. This is specified within provisions contained under the
Septennial Act 1715, amended by Section 7 of the Parliament Act 1911. The
five years run from the first meeting of Parliament after a general
election. The current Parliament was first summoned on Wednesday, May 11,
2005, so will cease to exist at midnight on Monday, May 10, 2010. A general
election to elect the new Parliament must be held by no later than Thursday,
June 3, 2010. Further details on elections procedures are available at the
Electoral Commission website.
FDA is the name by which the First Division Association, the union that
represents leading civil and public servants, wishes to be known
frontbench adjective, the front bench see backbench
galleries l/c, but the Press Gallery, Strangers' Gallery etc
group cap in cases such as the 92 Group (of Tory rightwingers)
guillotine l/c, no quotation marks
Hansard italics
House of Lords officers the Clerk of the Parliaments, the Clerk
Assistant (of the Parliaments), the Reading Clerk (of the House of Lords)
leader note the Leader of the House, the Leader of the Opposition (caps
in both cases), but the Conservative/Labour/Liberal Democrat leader (l/c),
the leader of the party etc
Liberal Democrats permissible to use Lib Dems in either headlines or
text (though sparingly in text, and not first mention). The term Liberals
must not be used as a synonym for the Liberal Democrats, except in a direct
quote
Lords takes singular verb, eg, the Lords is sitting . . .
Lower House caps
MacKay, Andrew as per his website, not Mackay, for the Conservative MP
for Bracknell
Members of Parliament Member(s) is capped; in almost every case, MPs is
the preferable form. But in the Political Sketch, and discursive or
commentary articles, the term Members sometimes occurs for stylistic reasons
and should be retained and capped; similarly in such articles, the Member
for Billericay etc, the Hon Member, and so on
National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party, or simply the
Labour national executive
new Labour l/c “n”, quotes not usually necessary, except when the
writer or speaker is making a particular, perhaps ironic, point
New Deal caps
1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers
Oath of Allegiance caps; the oath thereafter
one member, one vote no hyphens as nouns, but hyphenate adjectivally,
eg, a one-member, one-vote system
One Nation Tories, One Nation politics etc
Opposition the same cap or l/c rules apply as for Government - cap as a
noun but generally l/c as adjective, eg, “He accused the Opposition of
lying”, but “He said that it was an opposition lie”
order, order paper l/c
Parliament cap always in the British context; see Parliament for when
to cap foreign parliaments. The cap rule applies even to phrases such as the
lifetime of this Parliament or the Bill is unlikely to progress until the
next Parliament. The adjective parliamentary is l/c except when used as part
of a title, eg, Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP)
parliamentary private secretary (l/c), abbreviated PPS
Part I, Part II of a Bill etc; caps also with Section 2, Article 8 etc
party abbreviations in lists or political sketches or reports of
debates where party affiliation is added after an MP's name - eg, Hilary
Benn (Lab, Leeds Central) - use Lab for Labour, C for Conservative (not
Con), and LD for Liberal Democrat (not Lib Dem)
party conference l/c conference, as in Labour Party conference
permanent secretary cap when specific, eg, the Permanent Secretary at
the Department for Widgets; l/c when a general reference, eg, "the
permanent secretary was on holiday"
politics treat as singular when talking of the form or process of
government; plural when meaning a particular set of principles, ideas etc..
eg, "Politics is a popular subject at many universities"; "What
are your politics?" (Fowler)
Private Member's Bill caps
Public Accounts Committee (PAC). See committees
Queen's Speech caps
Question Time, Prime Minister's Questions, also Agriculture Questions,
Treasury Questions etc; but questions l/c to the Prime Minister, the Foreign
Secretary etc
Red Book caps in the context of the Budget. It covers expectations for
the economy and spending plans
Register of Members' Interests caps
Royal Assent caps
royal commissions see royal commissions
select committees cap when giving full title, eg, (Commons) Treasury
Select Committee
Sergeant, John the former political journalist
Serjeant at Arms
Shadow use of the titles may be applied to the main opposition party
and the Liberal Democrats, for example, the Shadow Chancellor, the Liberal
Democrats' Shadow Chancellor. Cap in all cases, ie, Shadow Cabinet, Shadow
Environment Secretary, Shadow Chief Whip, a Shadow spokesman
Smith the ennobled widow of John Smith is Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill
(thereafter Lady Smith), not Dame Elizabeth Smith
Speaker usual style is Michael Martin, the Speaker, at first mention,
thereafter the Speaker or Mr Martin
spin doctor no longer hyphenated
State Opening (of Parliament) caps
Tea Room two words with initial caps, in Commons Tea Room
ten-minute rule (Bill etc)
Treasury bench
under-secretary use hyphen; same caps or l/c rules as for ministers.
See ministers
Upper House caps
Vote (of money) takes cap
Welsh Assembly members are abbreviated AMs; MLAs for Northern Ireland
Assembly; MSPs for Scottish Parliament. Cap A for Assembly at second mention
in Wales and Northern Ireland; cap P for Parliament in Scotland. But note
the Welsh government, the Scottish government, the Northern Ireland
government all l/c government. See Government, Scottish Parliament
West Lothian question l/c q
whips cap for the Chief Whip, Opposition Chief Whip, Whips' Office; but
l/c as in three-line whip, he lost the party whip, a government whip
Woolsack initial cap
Last edited: May 19, 2009
