How to Resign Your Seat in Britain

When Chris Huhne wanted to resign his seat in the British Parliament, he had to instead be appointed to “a paid office of the Crown” which automatically disqualified him from holding a seat in the House of Commons.

The reason: “A resolution passed by the House of Commons on 2 March 1624 prohibits MPs directly from resigning their seats. Death, disqualification and expulsion are the only means by which a Member’s seat may be vacated during the lifetime of a Parliament.”

The Chancellor of the Exchequer appointed Huhne to be Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern.