Are MPs free to vote any way they want?

Are MPs free to vote any way they want?

Oona King (Author and Former Member of Parliament) gives expert video advice on: Who was your boss?; How much do MPs earn?; Do all MPs get the same salary? and more...

MPs can vote any way they want, but they have to decide whether they care if they can influence their party. In Britain, we have a party pledge system, and it doesn't take a brain surgeon to work out if you constantly piss your party off and constantly disagree with everything they say, then when you go to them and say, oh hello Mr. party person could you help me change the law on this and they say, piss off. There's nothing to stop you physically. You're not going to be actually whipped physically, but like I say it's a trade-off in influence. So, you just have to decide how much you want to influence things and at what point you're not prepared to do something because you don't care if you lose the influence. It's better than voting for something that you really don't agree with.