[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by Hugh

That's not how our Representative Democracy works - we elect an MP to represent the Constituency (not just those who voted for them), but we do not have the right to mandate how they should think or vote.

Members of the House of Commons have a triple mandate - they represent all the people of their constituency, their party and the interests of the country. It is a tenet of representative democracy that MPs are not delegates for their constituents.

This means that, while the views of constituents are frequently considered, the actions of MPs are governed by their determination of the best interests of their constituency, their party and the country as a whole.

It was Edmund Burke who put it best, I think - the difference between a representative, who should take account of their constituents’ views but still use their own judgement in the legislature, and a delegate, who simple mirrors their constituents’ views. In his 1774 speech to the electors at Bristol at the conclusion of the poll that elected him he explained what would come to be known as Burkean representation:



If we are unhappy with our MP, we can de-select them.

All blather. MPs should respect the Referendum result. True that Remain constituencies can expect their MPs to pay a degree of respect to their position, ultimately the MPs must collectively respect the result.