Voting patterns on the Middle East in the British parliament

Most MPs at Westminster have an easy option available to them for registering their opinion about a particular topic, as well as gathering support about the subject in question. An EDM is a motion with a short title and a text no longer than 250 words. Technically, an EDM formally calls for a debate, but very few EDMs are ultimately debated in the House of Commons.

There is an unwritten rule that ministers, government whips, and Parliamentary Private Secretaries do not table or sign EDMs – in other words, it is primarily a tool for backbenchers.

EDMs are useful as a way of expressing an opinion – and seeing how many other MPs agree – as well as drawing attention to a particular subject. This means that they are also useful for campaigners, who, with the support of an MP, can garner backing at Westminster for a particular issue.

Approximately 2-3,000 EDMs are tabled per parliamentary session. Only a handful will attract more than 200 names, and a few dozen will top 100 signatures. Many are signed by just a couple of MPs. The most popular EDM on record was tabled during the 2001-02 session by Malcolm Savidge, on the need to avoid conflict between India and Pakistan – it got 502 signatures.

EDMs are thus an imprecise but helpful barometer for gauging the topics of interest for backbench MPs, which will naturally reflect, to some degree, communications from constituents. When it comes to the Middle East, we can find some interesting data from EDMs since the last election.

There were 18 EDMs tabled related to Syria, plus 16 on the Kurds (across the region), and eight on Iraq. Bahrain was the subject of 16 EDMs, while its regional Gulf neighbours Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE prompted nine, six and two respectively. 14 EDMs were tabled on Turkish matters. There were also EDMs on Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen.

Among the Middle East-related EDMs, popular issues, in terms of number of signatures, included human rights abuses in Bahrain, the abuse of migrant workers in Qatar, the plight of residents of Camp Ashraf in Iraq, and the arming of Syrian opposition groups.

When broken down along party lines, Labour appears to be the party whose backbench MPs are most active in raising awareness about issues in the Middle East: 114 EDMs were tabled by Labour politicians, compared to 34 by Liberal Democrat MPs and just 28 by Conservative MPs.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Palestinian-Israeli issues generated the most concern – 91 from a total of 215 Middle East-related EDMs since the 2010 general election, or 42 per cent. Of these 91 EDMs, Labour MPs initiated almost half (43), followed by Liberal Democrat MPs (22). A further 15 were tabled by the single Respect MP, George Galloway. Conservatives tabled just seven.

The most popular Israeli-Palestinian related EDMs since the last elections were:

• Condemnation of Israel’s attack on the Gaza-bound flotilla, 2010 (168 signatures).
• Support for Palestinian statehood and UN membership, 2011 (115 signatures).
• Support for UN recognition of Palestine, 2012 (110 signatures).
• Urging humanitarian support for Gaza and an end to Israeli restrictions, 2015 (101 signatures).
• Urging the government to support EU legislation ending finance for illegal settlements, 2012 (76 signatures).

There were also a number of EDMs that attracted dozens of MPs’ signatures expressing support for the rights of Palestinian children, and condemning their suffering under Israeli occupation, such as in military detention.

Over the last five years, the Middle East has consistently been one of the topics attracting the most number of EDMs in parliament, out of all domestic and external concerns. That being said, most motions gain the support of a few dozen MPs, out of 650 sitting in the House of Commons.

Most countries and crises, however, fail to gain much recognition or support, with the notable exception of Israel/Palestine. As an indication of regional engagement, it is not so encouraging. From the point of view specifically of Palestinian rights campaigners, there is reason to be encouraged.

The majority of EDMs on Israel/Palestine are critical of Israeli policies and supportive of Palestinian rights. They also reflect the mainstream preoccupations of Palestinian-sympathetic MPs: statehood recognition, the Gaza blockade, and the rights of children.

The former Labour MP David Kidney once noted that EDMs have been pejoratively described as “political graffiti” – but he added that the graffiti can communicate important messages which would otherwise lack and outlet.

An analysis of Middle East-related EDMs since the last elections shows that there is a considerable body of support for Palestinian rights amongst MPs, but that a wider regional awareness and engagement is lacking (including, presumably, amongst constituents and other stakeholders).

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.