Why do ex-MPs join the 'Chiltern Hundreds' list?

Sir Keir Starmer and Boris Johnson have this in common: They both stepped down as Prime Minister before their term was up, and within three years of winning an election.

Their subsequent resignation as a sitting MP means they have also shared the unusual office of "Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern".

Sir Keir is the latest person to pick up the title after resigning as an MP this week.

What is it, and what does it have to do with the Chilterns?

Thanks to a law dating back to 1624, Members of Parliament (MPs) in the UK are not technically permitted to resign.

"Unless they die or are expelled, they must become disqualified if they wish to retire before the end of a Parliament," according to the UK Parliament website.

This is because back in the 17th Century, MPs often accepted the role reluctantly, so leaving the job was not to be encouraged.

A "parliamentary loophole" was created to get around this, according to the History of Parliament blog.

"An MP can do this by requesting, and accepting, office as either the Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds, or Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead," wrote Dr Martin Spychal.

"Both offices (or jobs) are nominal. They exist in name only, have no responsibilities and are unpaid."

Anyone with these titles is disqualified from being an MP – originally in order to prevent royal influence on politics – but later used by parliamentarians who were unhappy with their lot.

The "hundreds" were areas that belonged to the Crown as far back as the 13th Century.

The three Chiltern Hundreds mentioned today refer to Stoke, Desborough and Burnham in Buckinghamshire. The regions include the towns of Amersham, Beaconsfield, High Wycombe, Marlow, Eton and Chesham.

Coincidentally, these are near to the prime minister's countryside residence in Buckinghamshire – Chequers.

Because a steward of the hundreds might be able to benefit financially from the role, or promote the interests of the crown, it was seen as a conflict of interest.

"Resourceful MPs discovered that they could request appointment to these offices, which then disqualified them from sitting in the Commons," wrote Spychal.

The House of Commons Information Office said: "The Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds is thought to have been used for the first time as a means of resignation from the House of Commons on 17 January 1751 by John Pitt, who wanted to vacate his seat for Wareham and stand for Dorchester."

The Manor of Northstead, in North Yorkshire, is the other remaining office given to resigning MPs. Its most recent recipient was Reform UK's Nigel Farage who resigned in order to stand for re-election in his own constituency.

The titles are given out alternately, in case two MPs wish to step down at the same time, and each new appointment replaces the previous one.

Spychal said there have been calls to reform the system since 1775 - but in 2026, the peculiar British formality lives on.

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