Your Politics Guide | Representation

Representation is a core principle of democracy, this is because it ensures that the views and interests of the public are reflected in government decisions.
In the UK, citizens elect MPs Members of Parliament to represent their constituencies in the House of Commons.
Effective representation is seen when all groups in society have a voice in the political process. Examples of effective representation are the existence of various political parties or MPs with diverse backgrounds.
There is discourse regarding how effective representation is in the UK due to the primary voting system which is FPTP First Past the Post . This is because FPTP can lead to disproportional outcomes where the amount of seats won by a party in an election does not reflect their share of the vote.

Yes	No
The UK parliament has MPs for all constituencies, thus every citizen has a representative.	Party loyalty can override local interests leading to MPs not representing their constituents effectively.
Parliament is supposed to hold the government to account.	Parliament is seen as ineffective in holding the government to account as it is often dominated by the ruling party.
Every citizen (aside from prisoners) has the right to vote and stand for election.	Women, ethnic minorities, and the working class are often underrepresented in Parliament.

Yes

The UK parliament has MPs for all constituencies, thus every citizen has a representative.

Party loyalty can override local interests leading to MPs not representing their constituents effectively.

Parliament is supposed to hold the government to account.

Parliament is seen as ineffective in holding the government to account as it is often dominated by the ruling party.

Every citizen (aside from prisoners) has the right to vote and stand for election.

Women, ethnic minorities, and the working class are often underrepresented in Parliament.