Awkward Bench

proper noun

The front row of seats below the gangway on the Labour side of the House of Commons, where rebel MPs often sit.

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Meanings

proper nounthe Awkward Bench
  1. UKslanggovernmentThe front row of seats below the gangway on the Labour side of the House of Commons, where rebel MPs often sit.

    I am pleased that he is on the awkward Bench and hope to see him here in future.

    2005, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), page 451
    1 more example

    Described as 'a sabre-toothed growler on Labour's awkward bench' (Robert Hardman), he sits alongside Dennis Skinner a mere arm's length from the Chief Whip, whom, in opposition during the 1992 Parliament, he defied 52 times, […]

    1999, Robert Waller, Byron Criddle, The Almanac of British Politics, page 288
Cite this entry
APA

Awkward Bench. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Awkward%20Bench

MLA

“Awkward Bench.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Awkward%20Bench. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Awkward Bench,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Awkward%20Bench.

Source: Awkward Bench on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.