Overview

British Parliamentary (BP) debate is the most widely used competitive debating format at the university level worldwide. It is the official format of the World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC) and is used by debating circuits across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The format features four teams of two speakers each, making for dynamic, fast-paced debates with eight speeches in every round.

The Four Teams

In every BP debate, there are four teams divided into two sides:

  • Opening Government (OG): Sets up the case for the proposition. The Prime Minister defines the motion and presents the government's main arguments. The Deputy Prime Minister rebuilds the case and responds to the opposition.
  • Opening Opposition (OO): Directly clashes with the Opening Government. The Leader of the Opposition provides the main opposition arguments, and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition deepens the opposition case.
  • Closing Government (CG): Must introduce an "extension" — a new, substantive argument that adds to the government's side without contradicting Opening Government. The Member of the Government presents the extension, and the Government Whip summarises the entire government case.
  • Closing Opposition (CO): Similarly introduces an opposition extension. The Member of the Opposition presents it, and the Opposition Whip delivers the final opposition summary.

Speaking Order and Times

Each speaker delivers a 7-minute speech. The standard speaking order is:

  1. Prime Minister (OG) — 7 minutes
  2. Leader of the Opposition (OO) — 7 minutes
  3. Deputy Prime Minister (OG) — 7 minutes
  4. Deputy Leader of the Opposition (OO) — 7 minutes
  5. Member of the Government (CG) — 7 minutes
  6. Member of the Opposition (CO) — 7 minutes
  7. Government Whip (CG) — 7 minutes
  8. Opposition Whip (CO) — 7 minutes

Points of Information (POIs) may be offered during the middle five minutes of each speech — the first and last minutes are "protected time" when POIs are not permitted.

What Is an Extension?

The extension is what makes BP debate unique. Closing teams cannot simply repeat or rephrase what their opening half said. They must bring a genuinely new argument, perspective, or analysis that substantively adds to their side of the debate. A strong extension often provides a new stakeholder analysis, a different mechanism, or a deeper principle-based argument that the opening half missed.

Judges evaluate whether the extension is truly new, whether it is well-developed, and whether it contributes meaningfully to the side's overall case. A closing team that merely summarises without extending will almost always be ranked below a closing team that introduces compelling new material.

Judging and Ranking

Adjudicators rank all four teams from 1st to 4th place. They also assign individual speaker scores, typically on a scale where 75–79 represents an average speech, 80–84 a good speech, and 85+ an excellent speech. The ranking reflects the overall persuasiveness and strategic contribution of each team.

Key criteria for ranking include:

  • Argumentation: Are the arguments logical, well-structured, and supported by reasoning and examples?
  • Engagement: Does the team effectively respond to opponents' arguments through rebuttal?
  • Strategy: Is the team's overall approach coherent and well-timed?
  • Extension quality: For closing teams, is the extension substantive and impactful?

Points of Information

POIs are a hallmark of parliamentary debate. During the middle five minutes of any speech, members of opposing teams may stand and offer a brief interjection — typically a question or counter-point lasting no more than 15 seconds. The speaker has the right to accept or decline, but taking at least one or two POIs is expected and rewarded by judges.

Effective POIs can disrupt an opponent's line of reasoning, highlight weaknesses, or set up arguments for your own side. Accepting and handling POIs gracefully demonstrates confidence and depth of understanding.

Why BP Is Popular

BP debate has become the global standard for several reasons:

  • Inclusivity: Four teams per debate means more debaters can participate in each round.
  • Skill development: Closing teams must listen, adapt, and innovate under pressure.
  • Dynamic competition: The four-team structure creates varied competitive dynamics beyond simple head-to-head clashes.
  • Global community: As the WUDC format, it connects debaters from over 100 countries.

Getting Started with BP

If you are new to BP debate, the best way to learn is by attending training sessions at your local debating society, watching recorded debates from major tournaments (many are available on YouTube), and practicing regularly with teammates. Familiarise yourself with the speaker roles, practice constructing extensions, and study how experienced debaters handle POIs.

NekoTab's Motion Bank provides thousands of real BP motions from tournaments worldwide — perfect for practice and preparation. You can also use the Motion Doctor for AI-powered analysis of any motion, including clash maps, strategies, and difficulty ratings.