Manor of Northstead is one of the two offices that members of the British Parliament can take to resign their seats. The other is the Chiltern Hundreds. Members of Parliament are not allowed to resign once they have been elected. The only way a member can give up his or her seat is to accept one of these assignments, which actually involve no responsibilities whatsoever. Such an assignment is considered an “office of profit under the Crown,” and no one can hold such an office and serve in Parliament at the same time.
