He returned again to the backbenches, deciding not to stand against Michael Howard in 2003.
What will the more ambitious AMs on Labour's backbenches call it we're starting to wonder?
From the backbenches, Liberal Democrat Julian Huppert said he wanted to see fares come down.
As for the Conservatives, there will be some anger on the backbenches towards the Lib Dems.
This rendered him increasingly vulnerable to small but determined groups of rebels on his own backbenches.
MPs would simply refuse to accept the result and continue to wage guerrilla warfare from the backbenches.
"Let's put this bill back on and let Parliament decide", he said, to cheers from the backbenches.
On the backbenches, Mr Brittan spoke out on various issues, notably calling for sanctions against South Africa.
BBC: News | UK Politics | Sir Leon: Britain's old hand in Brussels
He has returned to a life on the backbenches, where he has continued loyally to support the leadership.
Three former ministers, John Denham, John Healey and Shaun Woodward, will return to the backbenches in the shake-up.
Sensibly, after a decent interval, Mr Mullin returns to the backbenches and his chairmanship of the home-affairs committee.
The new kids on the backbenches in the Bay will get their turn.
There would be nothing like a victory over the Lib Dems to answer the critics on his own backbenches.
So other forms of revenge are now contemplated, at least on the backbenches.
And after failing to win, they haunted the backbenches, making occasional spectral appearances, before finding another role to rekindle their enthusiasm.
First, it does not appear to have been an orchestrated campaign which co-ordinated the malcontents on Labour's backbenches and in government.
He will surely continue speechifying from the backbenches, as he did in the previous parliament, on almost every topic under the sun.
The prime minister faced the predictable barrage of attacks on his policy towards Iraq - most of it from his own backbenches.
Besides, Mr Clarke has retreated to the backbenches and Westminster gossip has it that Mr Heseltine may soon vacate his Henley seat.
Kenneth Clarke and the pro-Europeans haunt Mr Hague from the backbenches, able at any moment to destroy any semblance of party unity.
On the backbenches, the Conservatives have an embarrassment of new intake riches.
He left the backbenches for Europe in 1989 with a Thatcherite attachment to free trade equalled by his enthusiasm for most things European.
BBC: News | UK Politics | Sir Leon: Britain's old hand in Brussels
The Scottish secretary, Michael Moore, entered cabinet from the backbenches and, outside the whips office, no Welsh MP has minister of state ranking.
Mr Straw, meanwhile, seems to be revelling in the freedom of the backbenches, after the best part of 30 years on the front line.
Since then he has spoken from the backbenches to pursue his passion for animal welfare, making an outspoken contribution to the Hunting Bill debate.
Presumably, will you go on the backbenches if Ken Clarke wins?
Opposition party MPs may either interrogate the government from the backbenches or seek to attain promotion within their political parties in order to "shadow" particular ministers.
He has remained on the backbenches but fuelled talk of a front-line comeback earlier this year with a vocal Commons attack on the government's benefit changes.
The new chief whip, Sir George Young, was thought to have retired to the backbenches after giving up his position as leader of the House of Commons in September's reshuffle.
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