Chiltern Hundreds

[ chil-tern ]

plural noun

, British.

1. certain crown lands, the stewardship of which is nominally bestowed on a member of the House of Commons to provide an excuse to resign, as members are not allowed to hold titular office from the crown.

Chiltern Hundreds

plural noun

1. (in Britain) short for Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds ; a nominal office that an MP applies for in order to resign his seat

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. to apply for the Chiltern Hundreds, to resign or express a desire to resign from the House of Commons.

Example Sentences

MPs are not technically allowed to resign and instead have to be appointed either Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, or of the Manor of Northstead, as Mr Benton has been, on an alternating basis.

From BBC

I shall today inform the chancellor of my intention to take the Chiltern Hundreds, enabling the writ to be moved on 4 September for the by-election you are so desperately seeking to take place.

From BBC

In order to go, they have to apply to the chancellor for one of two titles that disqualifies them - the Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds or the Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.

From BBC

Instead, Mr. Bercow did what is normally referred to as “taking the Chiltern Hundreds,” by accepting a purely symbolic appointment that provides a legally watertight escape route from the House of Commons.

From New York Times

Under arcane parliamentary rules, normally referred to as “taking the Chiltern Hundreds,” the purely symbolic appointment provides a legal escape hatch from the House of Commons by disqualifying lawmakers from holding their seats.

From New York Times