Why did Edmund Burke reject the idea that a member of Parliament should simply obey every instruction from voters?

Edmund Burke argued that a member of Parliament should act as a representative rather than a mere delegate pledged to follow the undeviating instructions of constituents.1

He believed that while electors are capable of judging a representative's integrity and the representative should attend to local interests, the primary duty of a member of Parliament is to address the general good of the entire nation. Burke maintained that a representative must act according to their own judgment and conscience, remaining unfettered by mandates or prior instructions from those they represent. This perspective reflects his broader political philosophy, which emphasized that government should be a cooperative, mutually restraining relationship and that political decisions require the exercise of mature, informed judgment rather than simple obedience to the shifting "floating fancies" of the moment.12