assessment of IMR and CMRs importance

Question 1

IMR is essential to parliaments accountability function

Answer 1

-ministers are held to account via MQT and UQ via the select committee system
-ministers must also answer on the record questions from MPs and Lords relating to their departments
-PM is held to account via PMQs and the Liaison committee e.g. the Truss government was forced to account eh mini budget u turns following a UQ
-following this, if a minister makes a mistake they are to apologise/resign e.g. Amber Rudd after the misleading the home affairs select commmittee surrouning windrush

Question 2

essential to accountability function

Answer 2

-parliament only has limited sanctions if a minister refuses to apologise or resign, only the PM can step in to ensure it e.g. Patel’s bullying accusations, but Johnson refused to demand her resignation or apology

Question 3

IMR and personal conduct

Answer 3

-unprofessional conduct may lead to resignation due to the ‘honour bound’ principle
-following a mistake such as Hancock’s breach of covid regulations the minister’s resignation is demanded by parliament
-IMR is a key check and balance to prevent corruption in the executive, ministers must record all lobbying meetings, second job income must be declared etc.
-following the introduction of the ministerial code and the lobbying register there is much less corruption than i Major’s era of sleaze

Question 4

personal conduct evaluation

Answer 4

although personal misconduct and a degree of corruption is inevitable in any political system, the levels of personal misconduct in the Johnson administration are worthy of comment. Johnson and his chancellor both broke the law and did not resign. Priti Patel was criticised in an official government report for bullying. Matt Hancock breached his own Covid-19 secondary legislation. And Boris Johnson was also accused of corruption during Wallpaper-gate in which he took a party donor’s money to redecorate his flat but failed to declare it.

Question 5

CMR and collective government

Answer 5

-after cabinet ministers defend a policy even if they disagree with it e.g. then Foreign Sec. Truss voted against Johnson’s tax rises in cabinet but defended to policy strongly
-importantly policy must be defended during MQT and select committee hearings
-CMR is upheld for several reasons: ‘official position’ enforced by whips, financial incentive, and cabinet secretaries are loyal to the PM
-breakdowns of CMR breakdown the authority a government has opening them to oppostion

Question 6

collective government evaluation

Answer 6

Ultimately, CMR is guidance and PMs enforce it in different ways. On occasion, cabinet secretaries leak their opposition to government policy to the media. This violates the principles of cabinet secrecy and collective government. PMs with limited authority often ignore leaks to maintain party unity. Theresa May, according to Dominic Cummings, allowed a culture of cabinet leaks to take hold. But due to May’s precarious position post-2017, she was powerless to act to enforce CMR.

Question 7

CMR is being suspended

Answer 7

-coalition: due to the differing ideas of the tories and lib dems they were allowed to express different views on certain issues e.g. lib dem ministers could oppose tridents renewal
-referendums: 2016 referendum allowed tory MPs to campaign either side as without this there would have been many resignations and a civil war within the party
-‘free votes’ on issues of conscience: on issues on conscience it is impossible to impose a certain way for MPs to vote, too many resignations

Question 8

suspension of CMR

Answer 8

The scenarios above are rare in British politics.