What Does a British Member of Parliament Actually Do?

When someone uses the term Member of Parliament in the UK, they mean a Member of the House of Commons, the elected chamber of Parliament, as opposed to the un-elected House of Lords. While MPs are central figures in the public perception of our democracy, their job is not that well understood — and it's rather more complex than many people think. Each MP represents the constituency that elected them — their "seat" — including both those who did and who did not vote for them, as well as those who are unable to vote or didn't turn out. In this capacity, MPs spend much of their time dealing with local casework, helping particular problems that individuals bring to them. This part of their role has grown rapidly in recent decades, arguably to the detriment of their work on other matters.