What are the Usual Channels? A short history of Westminster whipping

News

What are the Usual Channels? A short history of Westminster whipping - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 108

26 Sep 2025

In this episode, we talk to political journalist Seb Whale about his new book, The Usual Channels, which reveals the hidden world of Westminster’s whips. Seb charts how party discipline has evolved – from the stormy politics of the 1970s and the Maastricht battles of the 1990s to the legendary “black book,” the Brexit showdowns and the short-lived Liz Truss premiership. He explains how the whips’ office has adapted to a modern Parliament – especially with the influx of women MPs – and why, even today, whips still wield decisive influence over MPs’ careers and remain indispensable despite the pressures of contemporary politics.

Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

LISTEN

Political journalist Seb Whale's new book, The Usual Channels: Inside the Mysterious World of Political Whips, takes us inside the famously secretive world of Westminster’s whips. It lifts the lid on how these behind-the-scenes powerbrokers have shaped British politics for decades.

Seb shares how he interviewed dozens of current and former whips to piece together the real story – tracking their evolution from the days of Humphrey Atkins, Walter Harrison and Jack Weatherill in the stormy 1974–79 Parliament, through the Maastricht battles of the 1990s, the Brexit upheavals under Theresa May and Boris Johnson, and the dramatic downfall of Liz Truss.

We explore how the arrival of many more women MPs under New Labour, the rise of social media, and a more independently minded generation of backbenchers have forced whips to adapt their tactics – without losing their grip on ministerial careers or party discipline. Seb also reveals the truth behind the legendary “black book” of MPs’ secrets and the enduring mix of “carrot and stick”.

The conversation highlights why the relationship between the Government whips’ office and Number 10 has been decisive – from Margaret Thatcher’s exit to Liz Truss’s collapse – and looks ahead to the whips’ future in a Commons marked by high turnover, a commanding majority and ever-fractious politics. Despite these pressures, Seb argues, the whips remain the unseen grease that keeps the machinery of Parliament running.

← Back to Parliament Matters homepage

Listen on our YouTube channel (captioned)

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Our guest

Seb Whale

Seb Whale

Sebastian Whale is a journalist and author. He has worked at Politico, The House magazine and PoliticsHome. Born in 1991, he went to school in Derbyshire and studied at King’s College London. He now works as a freelance writer. His first book, Call to Order, a biography of John Bercow, was published in 2020. His latest work, The Usual Channels, is published this month and explores the world of political whips.

Resources

Seb Whale, The Usual Channels Inside the Mysterious World of Political Whips (Biteback Publishing)
Hansard Society, Opening Up The Usual Channels (December 2002)

Transcript

Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. There may consequently be minor errors and the text is not formatted according to our style guide. If you wish to reference or cite the transcript copy below, please first check against the audio version above.

Intro: [00:00:00] You are listening to Parliament Matters, a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk/pm.

Ruth Fox: Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox.

Mark D'Arcy: And I'm Mark D'Arcy. And in this special episode, black books, half Nelson's and the darkest of political arts.

Ruth Fox: We talk to political journalist Seb Whale about his new book on the secret world of the Westminster whips.

Mark D'Arcy: Tell us, first of all, Seb, how easy is it to get former whips to talk about the, kind of, the inner secrets of what really goes on in that whole complex of offices in Parliament?

Seb Whale: It's difficult and I was fortunate in a way in that I'd already had experience with this because I wrote about Whips for the House magazine about [00:01:00] five years ago, and though I managed to speak to maybe five to 10 whips at the time, including a couple of former chief whips, I also had a lot of rejections.

And so when I approached this project, I was thinking, oh God, what if there's like a WhatsApp group for former whips and a message goes out not to speak to that Whale bloke about his book. So I thought one way of getting round that would be, well, every MP who's still alive and who served in parliament is able to speak, has dealt with whips to some degree. So my initial approach was to literally...

Full transcript →

Use the links below to subscribe to the Hansard Society's Parliament Matters podcast on your preferred app, or search for 'Parliament Matters' on whichever podcasting service you use. If you are unable to find our podcast, please email us here.

Apple

YouTube Podcasts

Spotify

More ways to subscribe

Parliament Matters homepage

Latest / Highlights

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 13-16 October 2025

Parliament returns this week after a three-week recess. MPs may address developments in Israel and Gaza, the collapse of the China spying case, plans for digital ID, and recent immigration announcements. They will also scrutinise four Bills, question four departmental ministerial teams, debate baby loss and badger culling, and hear evidence from tax experts, energy executives, and travel and immigration experts. In the Lords, the membership of the new Select Committee to consider the Assisted Dying Bill will be confirmed. Peers will examine six Government Bills, debate the National Policy Statement for Ports, and question the Border Security Commander. Two new Peers, Liz Lloyd and Jason Stockwood, will take their seats following their recent ministerial appointments.

News / Former Prime Ministers: The role of Parliament in life after No 10 - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 109

In this episode, we speak with Peter Just, author of a new book, Margaret Thatcher: Life After Downing Street. Peter explores how Thatcher reinvented herself after her departure to maintain her status as an international figure, and how she remained a parliamentary thorn in John Major’s side. We also compare her parliamentary afterlife with that of other Prime Ministers, and consider the value that former leaders can bring to the institution of Parliament. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

Briefings / Assisted dying - The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Rolling news

Stay informed with updates and analysis on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill as it moves through Parliament. Learn about the debates, procedures, decisions, and key milestones shaping the assisted dying legislation.

Blog / Treaty scrutiny: addressing the accountability gap

In this guest blog, Lord Goldsmith KC, Chair of the House of Lords International Agreements Committee (IAC), sets out the findings of the Committee’s latest report urging reform of Parliament's outdated system for scrutinising treaties. The report warns that Westminster lags behind other legislatures in overseeing these vital policy instruments. Rejecting successive governments' defence of the status quo, it argues that government objections to reform are unconvincing and meaningful accountability is overdue.

News / Assisted dying bill - special series #17: Peers give the Bill a Second Reading, but progress is paused for committee evidence - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 107

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has cleared another key hurdle: it was given a Second Reading in the House of Lords without a formal vote. But Peers have agreed to set up a special select committee to hear evidence from Ministers, professional bodies and legal experts before the Bill goes any further. That decision pushes the detailed clause-by-clause scrutiny back to mid-November and could shape the Bill’s prospects in unexpected ways. In this episode we explore the procedural twists and political manoeuvring behind that decision. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.