A Debate at the Union Club, Public Domain

Introduction to the British Parliamentary Debating Format

BPD Format is a parliamentary debating model that involves four teams of two members. The Government argues for the motion, and the Opposition argues against the motion. The two sides are further divided into the Opening and Closing Benches, each with separate expectations on them. There are two constructive speeches for each team and no reply speeches.

Preparation Time: 15:00 Minutes

Constructive Speech: 07:00 Minutes & 30 Second Grace

Team Line-Up

Opening Government (OG): Introduces and defends the motion
Opening Opposition (OO): Introduces the case against the motion
Closing Government (CG): Continues proposing case and defends the motion
Closing Opposition (CO): Continues opposing case and attacks the motion

Roles Present in the Room

Adjudicator [a-juudikater]: An adjudicator moderates and evaluates the debate to produce feedback and a winner at the end. Always be respectful to the adjudicator and it is common courtesy to refer to them as "Honourable Adjudicator" or "Honourable Chair" (when there is only one adjudicator).
Timer: The timer is responsible for displaying the speech length of each debater. They may use a bell or an alarm system to indicate the first minute, last minute, and the end. You may request for a stopwatch or a timer based on your preference.
Organising Committee Member: Some tournaments may assign members from the OC to observe and assist rooms during a debate. This may involve a dedicated member or a roaming member/s.
Debaters: This is you (hopefully). Your job is to debate for the motion you have prepared for and give it your best job. Remember, a debate is just a debate. Doing your best is more than enough. A win is just a bonus.
Observers: Observers are non-participating members in a debate. They are typically present only in final rounds or online rounds. However, some in-person tournaments may allow a limited number of observers in preliminary rounds as well. It is important that observers maintain good behaviour and not disrupt the debate or provide any support to the debaters.

Speaker Order & Roles

Prime Minister (PM): The Prime Minister introduces the motion, defines the key terms, and characterises the context of the debate. Sometimes, the Prime Minister would introduce a module if it is a practical or actor motion. They are expected to present the greater portion of the government case, often at least two constructives. Their definitions hold for the Closing Benches as well.
Leader of Opposition (LO): The Leader of Opposition defines any further key terms (if need be), challenges government definitions (if need be), and characterises their context for the debate. The Leader of Opposition may choose to introduce a counter-module if it is a practical or actor motion. They are also expected to present the greater portion of the opposition case. However, they are not expected to rebut the government case.
Deputy Prime Minister (DPM): The Deputy Prime Minister supports the case presented by the Prime Minister, extends any left out parts, and presents new constructives. They are not expected to present more than one constructive. However, the Deputy Prime Minister is expected to present rebuttals against the Opposition case. They are often advised to maintain a balance between the amount of constructives and rebuttals in their speeches.
Deputy Leader of Opposition (DLO): The Deputy Leader of Opposition supports the case presented by the Leader of Opposition extends any left out parts, and presents new constructives. They are also not expected to present more than one constructive but expected to present rebuttals against the government case. They are also advised to maintain a balance between the amount of constructives and rebuttals in their speeches.
Member of Government (MG): The Member of Government holds the responsibility to build the proposition case of the Closing Bench. They will not be awarded for reusing arguments from the opening bench. They too are advised to maintain a balance between the amount of constructives and rebuttals in their speeches. However, it is ideal for them to spend time highlighting their case over the opening bench's. They must still maintain the case of the opening bench and never contradict them. That would only penalise themselves.
Member of Opposition (MO): The Member of Opposition holds the responsibility to build the opposition case of the Closing Bench. They will not be awarded for reusing arguments from the opening bench. They too are advised to maintain a balance between the amount of constructives and rebuttals in their speeches. However, it is ideal for them to spend time highlighting their case over the opening bench's. They must also maintain the case of their opening bench and never contradict them. That would only penalise themselves.
Government Whip (GW): The Government Whip carries the main responsibility of analysing common themes and clash-points within the whole debate. They are expected to share how the government case is more justified and stands victorious over the Opposition case. They are also not expected to rebut, but may find it useful as part of their clash-point analysis. The Whip is not allowed to produce new constructives. However, it is possible to shed clarity over and further substantiate existing constructives. They must defend and analyse the cases of both the opening and closing benches.
Opposition Whip (OW): The Opposition Whip also carries the main responsibility of analysing common themes and clash-points within the whole debate. They are expected to share how the Opposition case is more justified and stands victorious over the government case. They are also not expected to rebut, but may find it useful as part of their clash-point analysis. The Whip is not allowed to produce new constructives. However, it is possible to shed clarity over and further substantiate existing constructives. They must defend and analyse the cases of both the opening and closing benches.

How to Win

Government vs. Opposition: Teams will be judged based on the quality of their arguments, completeness of their presentation, resilience against the other team, and quality of rebuttals. Individual contributions will also be factored in when assessing a team's overall score. There must be clear balance between constructives and rebuttals ensuring that the case is both defensive and offensive.
Opening Bench: An opening bench case should retain the basis of the case of their closing counterpart. It should also play a definitive role in ensuring the closing case is an extension of the opening case. The best method of asserting this power is to cover major and stable constructives to restrict the closing bench into only strengthening your case.
Closing Bench: A closing bench case should produce a case that is not dependent on their opening counterpart. However, it may be beneficial to contribute if the opening case has any significant faults, without becoming an extension of it. The best method of producing a great closing case is to focus on creating an extended case (in case the opening bench mentions them) whilst ensuring that the case is not entirely major constructives. It is beneficial to think out of the box, and produce a strong clash-point analysis as well.
Knifing: This is the process of a closing bench contradicting or attacking their opening counterpart. Do not do this. Some tournaments or even judges may penalise teams for it, even to the extent of an automatic fourth rank. Closing benches must pay close attention to their opening counterparts and ensure that the cases do not contradict each other. Closing benches must also be careful in discussing their opening bench within their speech as rebuttals also count as knifing.

Adjudication Outcome

The teams will be ordered into a ranked list. First rank is for the best team and so on until the fourth. Most common rankings would have a clear side that is ranked on the top, and therefore the larger goal is to be the more successful bench in a side. Many adjudicators will provide an extended description and explanation for their decision (known as an Oral Adjudication or OA).