frontbench
frontbench — noun
- frontbenchsingular
- frontbenchesplural
1. In Britain's House of Commons, the two benches at the very front of the debating
In Britain's House of Commons, the two benches at the very front of the debating chamber. Top ministers of the ruling party occupy one bench, and senior politicians from the largest opposition party occupy the other. People who sit here direct their party's positions during parliamentary debates.
The Prime Minister stood up from the frontbench to begin his speech.
the frontbench as physical location in Parliament
An empty seat on the opposition frontbench showed that the shadow minister was running late.
opposition frontbench — the non-government side
The frontbench seats are closest to the speaker's chair in the House of Commons.
New MPs rarely sit on the frontbench until they have served for several years.
- front bench
two-word spelling; slightly less formal but equally common in newspapers
- backbench
the seats at the back of the chamber for MPs who do not hold leadership roles
- backbenches
plural form referring to the backbench area or the backbench MPs collectively
文法句型
the + frontbench
on the + frontbench
frontbench + noun
用法筆記
Frontbench (one word) is the standard spelling in UK political contexts. Two-word front bench is also used but less common in official writing. Only the most senior party members occupy these seats.
常見錯誤
2. the group of senior politicians from the main parties who sit on the front row s
the group of senior politicians from the main parties who sit on the front row seats in parliament. They include government ministers and their opposition counterparts (shadow ministers). The word refers to these people as a team rather than to the physical seats.
The frontbench met early to agree on a shared message before the debate began.
frontbench as a collective group of people
Christopher was appointed to the opposition frontbench as the new spokesperson for health policy.
appointed to the frontbench — given a senior role
A frontbench spokesperson told reporters that the new law would be introduced next month.
The party's frontbench includes former ministers who lost their jobs in the last election.
- front bench team
a more explicit way to say 'the group of senior MPs'; used in less formal contexts
- shadow cabinet
the specific opposition frontbench members who shadow government ministers; narrower in scope
- backbenchers
MPs who do not hold a leadership or ministerial role and sit on the back benches
- backbench MPs
rank-and-file members of parliament without frontbench duties
文法句型
the + frontbench + verb (singular/plural)
frontbench + noun
用法筆記
The frontbench can take a singular or plural verb in British English. Singular (the frontbench is...) treats it as a single team; plural (the frontbench are...) emphasises the individual members. Both are acceptable.