In UK Prime Minister's Questions (often abbreviated to PMQs
and officially known as Questions to the Prime Minister) is a constitutional
convention in the United Kingdom, currently held as a single session every
Wednesday at noon when the House of Commons is sitting, during which the Prime
Minister spends around half an hour answering questions from Members of
Parliament (MPs).
PMQs forms an important part of British political culture.
Due to the natural drama of the sessions, it is among the best-known
parliamentary business in the country, with tickets to the Strangers' Gallery
(the public gallery) for Wednesdays being the most sought-after parliamentary
tickets.
Backbench MPs wishing to ask a question must enter their
names on the Order Paper. The names of entrants are then shuffled in a ballot
to produce a random order in which they will be called by the Speaker. The
Speaker will then call on MPs to put their questions, usually in an alternating
fashion: one MP from the government benches is followed by one from the
opposition benches. MPs who are not selected may be chosen to ask a
supplementary question if they "catch the eye" of the Speaker, which
is done by standing and sitting immediately before the prime minister gives an
answer.
The Leader of the Opposition usually asks six questions at
PMQs, either as a whole block or in two separate groups of three. If the first
question is asked by a government backbencher, the Leader of the Opposition is
the second MP to ask questions. If the first question is asked by an opposition
MP, this will be followed by a question from a government MP and then by the
questions from the Leader of the Opposition. Before the leader of the third
largest parliamentary party (the Liberal Party until 1988, the Liberal
Democrats from 1988–2010 and the Scottish National Party from 2015) would then
ask two questions.
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