Still Rising: The Career Politician in the British House of Commons, the
Cabinet and the Shadow Cabinet
mand for fewer career politicians or otherwise (Norris and Lovenduski
1995: 11). However, beyond the questions that remain, this particular
article demonstrates that individuals with a professional background in
politics have a higher success as candidates than most other professional
backgrounds, they have been increasing as a proportion of all MPs since
at least 1997, and are currently the modal type of Cabinet or Shadow
Cabinet member. In short, career politicians are still on the rise in British
politics.
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