Why Do Extreme MPs Rebel? Government Control Fuels Strategic Party Loyalty Breaks

European Politics @APSR 11 R file 70 datasets Dataverse

British MPs don't always follow party lines, even when ideology points toward strong discipline.

➡️ Data & Methods

Original dataset of MP votes and speeches (1992-2015).
New estimations of MPs' ideological positions within their party.

🔍 Key Findings

Ideological extremity interacts with government control to trigger rebellion.
Extremists are loyal in opposition but rebel more when their party governs.
Rebel MPs emphasize their votes through speeches ('grandstanding').

🧬 Why It Matters

Existing models of party discipline don't account for this pattern.
Rebellion strategy depends on both the MP's position within the party and whether that party is governing or in opposition.

Article card for article: Ideology, Grandstanding, and Strategic Party Disloyalty in British Parliament

Ideology, Grandstanding, and Strategic Party Disloyalty in British Parliament was authored by Jonathan Slapin, Justin Kirkland, Joseph Lazzaro, Patrick Leslie and Tom O'Grady. It was published by Cambridge in APSR in 2018.