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Accountability and Standards

MPs have no statutory job description or contract of employment, and so how each MP chooses to carry out their role will vary. MPs are not employed by the House of Commons and there is no manager to whom one can complain if you are unhappy with your MP’s political views or the way they have voted. Instead, MPs are accountable to local electors and are dependent on their votes in order to be re-elected.

MPs carry out their parliamentary work in public, so that constituents can check how their MP has voted and what they have said in the House of Commons. As public office-holders, MPs are also subject to scrutiny by the media and others.

As well as this, strict rules and conventions do apply to MPs as they carry out their work and these are detailed below.

Some of these rules are enforceable by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards (PCS) and the Standards Committee, who together oversee the standards in the House of Commons.

Other rules are enforced by external bodies including the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), IPSA’s Compliance Officer and the Electoral Commission.

Guidance for people wishing to make a formal allegation against an MP is provided by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards at: PCS: How to make an allegation . This includes information about alternative routes that it may be possible to pursue.

House of Commons Enquiry Service

Contact us if you have a question about the work, history or membership of the House of Commons.

Email: hcenquiries@parliament.uk
Telephone: 0800 112 4272 (Freephone) or 020 7219 4272
Text phone: Dial 18001 followed by our full number

Telephone enquiry service is open between 10am-12 midday and 2pm-4pm (Monday to Friday).

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