In British derived
parliaments
, the members of
parliament who are
ministers
sit in the front row of the seats or
benches assigned to the governing party or coalition.
As a consequence, those who sit on the back benches are members of
the governing party or coalition who are not
ministers. These members are known collectively as the
back bench. The
opposition
back bench are those members of the
opposition party or parties who are not senior members
of their party or do not hold a position as
shadow minister
or parliamentary spokesperson
for a particular area of policy.