Inside the three-line whip: How a prime minister makes sure their MPs fall in line

Politics
30 Apr 2026 • 7:28 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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This week, MPs voted against referring Keir Starmer to the privileges committee for an inquiry into the vetting of Peter Mandelson. But what happens behind the scenes when the government is tasked with ensuring MPs vote the way they want them to?

In this clip from the latest episode of In The Room, Helen and Cleo discuss the three-line whip, the painstaking process involved when a government has to (literally) call on MPs to support a leader, and what it says about the internal runnings of No 10.

New episodes of In The Room drop every week. You can listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch on YouTube.

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