Awkward Bench

English Proper noun Awkward Bench 1 en UK politics slang The front row of seats below the gangway on the Labour side of the House of Commons, where rebel MPs often sit. en 1999 Robert Waller; Byron Criddle The Almanac of British Politics 288 Described as 'a sabre-toothed growler on Labour's awkward bench' (Robert Hardman), he sits alongside Dennis Skinner a mere arm's length from the Chief Whip, whom, in opposition during the 1992 Parliament, he defied 52 times, en 2005 Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) 451 I am pleased that he is on the awkward Bench and hope to see him here in future. See also en below the gangway