backbench
/ˌbakˈbɛn(t)ʃ
/adjective
(In the UK) denoting or relating to a Member of Parliament who does not hold office in the government or opposition and who sits behind the front benches in the House of Commons: a revolt by backbench MPs...
- He is the undisputed backbench champion of the well-publicized empty gesture.
- The whip passes on to the party leadership the opinions of backbench members.
- Backbench dissidents feared for their political future due to the cavalier actions of some ministers.
