United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, prior to the 2009 European Parliament elections, there were a small number of members of the European Parliament who were also members of the House of Lords As it is impossible to disclaim a life peerage, it has been ruled that peers must take a "leave of absence" from the Lords in order to be an MEP.
There have also been members of the House of Commons also holding seats in the devolved bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The November 2009 report by the Committee on Standards in Public Life into the controversy surrounding MPs' expenses noted that "double jobbing" was "unusually ingrained in the political culture" of Northern Ireland, where 16 of 18 MPs were MLAs, compared to one Scottish MP being an MSP (First Minister Alex Salmond), and no Welsh MPs being AMs. The Committee recommended that Westminster ban multiple mandates from the 2011 assembly elections. Parties in Northern Ireland agreed to a ban from the 2015 elections.
At a lower level, it is common for people to hold seats on both a district ouncil and a county council. Several MPs have also retained their council seats until the expiration of their term.
Read more about this topic: Dual Mandate
Famous quotes containing the words united and/or kingdom:
“Television is an excellent system when one has nothing to lose, as is the case with a nomadic and rootless country like the United States, but in Europe the affect of television is that of a bulldozer which reduces culture to the lowest possible denominator.”
—Marc Fumaroli (b. 1932)
“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”
—Bible: New Testament, Mark 3:24,25.