backbencher \ ˈbak-ˈben-chər \ noun
Recent Examples on the Web
//Johnson reportedly came under fire at a meeting of backbench MPs for ejecting the rebels.
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Adam Rasmi, Quartz, "The UK parliament just voted to delay Brexit—for the third time," 4 Sep. 2019
//May now returns to the backbenches of Parliament as an ordinary and not very influential lawmaker.
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Karla Adam, BostonGlobe.com, "Boris Johnson becomes British prime minister," 24 July 2019
//Hunt said he was offered another job in the administration but decided to return to the backbenches.
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Karla Adam, BostonGlobe.com, "Boris Johnson becomes British prime minister," 24 July 2019
//May has expressed her intention to return to the Conservative backbenches when her eventful and frequently agonizing residence in Downing Street comes to an end.
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Rob Picheta, CNN, "Theresa May condemns populism and expresses Brexit regret in last major speech as British PM," 17 July 2019
//If Mr Joyce hadn’t got so sloshed, Jeremy Corbyn might still be on the backbenches, and Labour might have campaigned much more vigorously for Britain to stay in the European Union.
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The Economist, "Last orders for political drinking," 31 May 2018
//In the New Yorker, George Packer profiles Rep. Ryan Costello (R-PA), a backbench House member who fits the brand.
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Ezra Klein, Vox, "The fall of the not-quite-Trumpers," 6 Nov. 2018
//The party has a talented crop of MPs elected in 2015 and 2017 who are stranded on the backbenches.
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The Economist, "A quiet revolution in Theresa May’s cabinet," 12 July 2018
//That is true, and adding in budget payments and free movement will surely prompt further cabinet resignations and backbench rebellions.
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The Economist, "A new Brexit plan creates fresh depths of chaos," 12 July 2018
First Known Use of backbench
1799, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries near backbench