In this book Jack Brand examines the role of the British Conservative and Labour parliamentary parties in the development of government policy since 1945. Focusing on six major policy fields: agriculture, education, housing, defence, the economy, and Scottish affairs, he argues that the influence of back-benchers has been consistently underestimated, and that the close interdependence of front- and back-benchers frequently produces surprising and significant effects on policy development. Dr Brand concludes that the common perception of back-benchers as powerless to affect the policies of their leaders is misleading, and that they are essential to the development of government policy.