They are the joint fourth biggest contingent in the Commons, their total of 14 MPs the same as the Liberal Democrats’ tally. And they are certainly the most eclectic bunch, sharing just one thing among them: the lack of a parliamentary party.
Losing the whip was once a rare and usually brief event for MPs, the result of serious rebellion or significant personal misdeed. But this parliament has seen a bumper crop of “independent” MPs, as they are officially known. Among the 14 returning to the Commons on Monday after the Christmas break – seven Labour, five Conservative, one SNP and one Plaid Cymru – are MPs who have been whipless for well over two years.
