Whipped

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Ben Wright looks at whether a political crisis will force the Whips to change their ways.

The role of the Government Whips’ Office has been at the centre of the recent storm engulfing Boris Johnson. The Whips have traditionally provided a vital link between the Prime Minister and the backbenches, but that relationship has been tested to breaking point. Ben Wright looks at whether the system of whipping in Parliament can endure and whether there are now too many conflicting loyalties for MPs. Will the combination of Brexit divisions, the pandemic and a crisis of leadership change the way the Whips operate on both sides of the House of Commons?

Contributors include William Wragg MP, Caroline Nokes MP, Mark Harper MP, Mark Tami MP, Lord McLoughlin, Miriam Cates MP and Bronwen Maddox.

Producer: Peter Snowdon

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