6.2 - The House of Commons Flashcards
COMPOSITION OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
COMPOSITION OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
What can MPs be divided into?
Frontbench and backbench MPs
What are frontbench MPs?
MPs who are either senior ministers, junior ministers or permanent private secretaries
What are all frontbenchers bound by?
Collective ministerial responsibility
What is the role of the shadow frontbench?
To scrutinise their government counterparts
What is the role of party whips?
To maintain party discipline
Who is the current chief whip of the Conservative party?
Simon Hart
What were whips accused of in the fracking vote on the 19th October 2022?
Manhandling Tory MPs to vote in favour of government policy
What do whips issue on especially important issues?
A three-line whip
What 2 conservative MPs both lost their party whip after going on ‘I’m a Celebrity Get me Out of Here’?
- Nadine Dorries
- Matt Hancock
What is the speaker of the House of Commons supposed to be?
Impartial
Who is the current speaker of the House of Commons?
Lindsay Hoyle
What did Speaker Lindsay Hoyle say about the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II?
That it was ‘the most important event the world will ever see’
Who was speaker of the House before Lindsay Hoyle?
John Bercow
Why did John Bercow act furiously in 2018?
The government attempted to limit the time provided for an opposition day debate on the Grenfell Tower disaster
What did John Bercow stop Theresa May from doing in March 2019?
Re-introducing her unamended Brexit deal into the House of Commons
Who is the current leader of the official opposition?
Keir Starmer
How many questions does the leader of the opposition ask in PMQs?
6
MAIN FUNCTIONS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
MAIN FUNCTIONS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
What are the 6 main functions of the House of Commons?
- Legitimation
- Legislation
- Scrutiny
- Representation
- Debate
- Providing government
Function 1: Legitimation
Function 1: Legitimation
What was the purpose of parliament when it was first established?
To provide the consent that would legitimise the decisions of the monarch
Since when have the House of Commons had the exclusive right to approve the Budget?
Since the Parliament Act 1911
How many days is spent in the Commons debating the Budget proposals?
4 days
What have prime minister allowed the Commons to do since 2003?
Debate large-scale military commitments
What was the Commons vote on Cameron’s proposed strikes on Syria?
Defeated 285 to 272
When did Theresa May break the convention of letting Parliament debate and vote on large scale military commitments?
2018 - she decided to join American-led assaults on the Syrian government
In what Supreme Court case was it ruled that the government had to allow Parliament to vote on any deal to leave the European Union?
Gina Miller Case 2017
Function 2: Legislation
Function 2: Legislation
When is it easy to pass legislation in the House of Commons?
When the government has a large parliamentary majority
Why have Public Bill Committees been criticised?
They are proportionate to party strength in the House of Commons
By how many votes was the EU Withdrawal Agreement defeated by in January 2019?
230 votes - largest defeat by any government
How many times was May’s Brexit deal rejected?
3 times in 3 months January to March 2019
What bill was passed by Parliament in 2017 against the wishes of the government, which gave Parliament the legal right to vote on the final Brexit deal?
Brexit Bill 2017
When was Tony Blair’s first defeat in the House of Commons?
10th November 2005
Function 3: Scrutiny
Function 3: Scrutiny
What are 2 different types of committees in the Commons?
- Public bill committees
- Select committees
What do public bill committees do?
Scrutinise proposed legislation and offer amendments to the wording of bills
What committee ensures that government expenditure is as effective as possible?
The Public Accounts Committee
When were select committees introduced?
1979
What do select committees do?
Monitor the major departments of state
What is the membership of a select committee?
11
Why did Nadine Dorries look foolish at a select committee in 2022?
She claimed that Channel 4 was run by government money when it was actually funded by advertisements
What MP was very critical of the Royal Mail boss at a select committee in 2022?
Darren Jones
Who was appointed as chair of the Health and Social Care Committee in 2014?
Sarah Wollaston, former GP
What select committee called weapons expert David Kelly to testify on Iraq on the 15th July 2003?
Foreign Affairs Committee
When did David Kelly kill himself?
17th July 2003
Function 4: Representation
Function 4: Representation
How many conservative MPs disobeyed a 3 line whip vote on the expansion of Heathrow Airport in June 2018 as it affected their constituencies?
8
Why has Boris Johnson come under recent criticism?
Not representing his constituents in Uxbridge
How much money has Boris made since resigning?
£4.8 million
RANDOM STATS
RANDOM STATS
What % of bills passed from 2019 to 2021 were government bills?
92%
What % of amendments suggested from the opposition are accepted in public bill committees?
1%
How many statutory instruments were used during the Covid pandemic?
Over 500
How long did it take the 2020 Coronavirus Act to pass parliament and receive royal assent?
4 days
Why was Amber Rudd forced to resign as Home Secretary in 2018?
She had accidentally misled Parliament over the Windrush Scandal
What % of recommendations from select committees does the government accept?
40%
How many Tory MPs voted against Boris’ Covid passes?
98 Tory MPs
What select committee grilled PM Rishi Sunak on economic issues, the migrant situation and the Windsor framework?
The Liaison Committee
When was the Petitions Committee established?
2015
