The party leadership may allow members to have a free vote based on their own conscience rather than party policy, which means the chief whip is not required to influence the way members vote.

Francis Urquhart is a fictional Conservative Chief Whip, created by Michael Dobbs, formerly Chief of Staff for British Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Urquhart was the main character in Dobbs's trilogy of books, that were turned into successful BBC television dramas in the 1990s.

The first book in the trilogy, House of Cards, was adapted and broadcast by the BBC in 1990.

The trilogy charts Urquhart's ambitious rise through his party's ranks until he becomes Prime Minister.