Chapter 5.2 - Development of Constitution since 1997 Flashcards
BLAIR GOVERNMENT 1997-2007
BLAIR GOVERNMENT 1997-2007
What parliament majority did Blair win in the 1997 election?
179 seats
What did Blair say about the constitution and modernisation?
‘Modernisation is key’
What were Blair’s 4 main focuses in his constitutional reform programme?
- Decentralisation
- Democratisation
- Transparency
- Rights protection
*Devolution under Blair
*Devolution under Blair
What was held in Scotland and Wales in 1997?
Referendums on whether they wanted their own elected governments
What was the referendum in Northern Ireland on in 1998?
The Good Friday Agreement - power sharing between unionists and republicans
What % of Scots voted in favour of having a devolved government?
74%
What % of the Welsh voted in favour of having a devolved government?
50.3%
What was the result in a 2004 referendum in the North East on having a regional assembly?
78% rejected the proposal
By 2016, how many of the 53 referendums on having mayors were rejected?
37
What was the turnout when Andy Burnham won the mayoral election in Greater Manchester in 2017?
29%
*House of Lords reform under Blair
*House of Lords reform under Blair
How many life peers were eligible to attend the House of Lords before it was reformed?
1330
What undermined the legitimacy of the House of Lords?
The majority of peers were hereditary peers
What was the government compromise on House of Lords reform?
They allowed 92 hereditary peers
Who are 3 people Boris nominated to the House of Lords?
- His father Stanley Johnson
- His brother Jo Johnson
- Former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries
How many life peers did Blair appoint in his first term?
203 life peers
What did William Hague accuse Blair of doing?
Creating a ‘house full of cronies’
*Electoral reform under Blair
*Electoral reform under Blair
What reduced Blair’s enthusiasm for electoral reform?
His massive parliamentary majority in 1997
What did Labour do with a report by Roy Jenkins which said that FPTP should be replaced by AV?
They ignored it
What electoral system is used in Scotland and Wales?
Additional Member System (AMS)
What electoral system is used in Northern Ireland?
Single transferable vote (STV)
*Human Rights Act 1998
*Human Rights Act 1998
What did the 1998 Human Rights Act do?
It incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into British law
When did the HRA come into force?
2000
Why was the HRA important?
For the first time, it positively stated the rights that British citizens can claim
Who two articles of the HRA did the Court declare had been breached in the Laporte case 2006?
Article 8 - right to a private life
Article 10 - right to freedom of expression
Police had acted illegally when they stopped 120 anti-Iraq war protestors from reaching RAF Fairford in 2003
What does Article 15 of the HRA allow?
The government the right to suspend, or derogate from certain of its provisions
What article did Blair suspend following the terrorist attacks on the USA, allowing the government to keep foreign terrorist suspects in custody without charge?
Article 5 - the right to liberty
What Act of Parliament gave the government the authority to keep foreign terrorist suspects in prison indefinitely?
The Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001
*Supreme Court under Blair
*Supreme Court under Blair
What Parliament Act created the UK Supreme Court?
The Constitutional Reform Act 2005
What did the 2005 CRA end?
The House of Lords’ judicial function
When did the Supreme Court open?
2009
What committee presides over the selection of judges?
Judicial Appointments Committee
COALITION GOVERNMENT 2010-2015
COALITION GOVERNMENT 2010-2015
What did Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg say about the coalition and the constitution?
That the coalition would be responsible for ‘the biggest shake-up of our democracy since 1832’
*Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 under the coalition government
*Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 under the coalition government
Why did the coalition government create the Fixed-term Parliaments Act?
It would have been a contentious decision for a coalition Prime Minister to call a general election
What did the Fixed-term Parliaments Act state?
That a general election should be held exactly 5 years after the last general election
What was the vote in Parliament on Theresa May’s decision to call an election?
522-13 in favour of an election
*Electoral reform under the coalition government
*Electoral reform under the coalition government
What referendum was held in 2011?
The AV referendum
Why was the AV referendum held?
It was part of the coalition agreement with the Lib Dems
What was the vote in the AV referendum on what turnout?
68% against, 42% turnout
*Parliamentary reform under the coalition government
*Parliamentary reform under the coalition government
What committee was established to give MPs more influence as a result of the recommendations from the Wright Committee?
Backbench Business Committee
What change was there in regards to select committees under the coalition government?
The membership of select committees would no longer be determined by the whips, now elected by MPs
*Further devolution under the coalition government
*Further devolution under the coalition government
What did Wales vote for in 2011 in a referendum?
For its Assembly to be given primary legislative power in some areas
What did Westminster pass as a result of the 2011 Welsh referendum?
Wales Act 2014
CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENTS SINCE 2015
CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENTS SINCE 2015
What did David Cameron give Scotland after they rejected independence?
Devo-max powers in the Scotland Act 2016
What Act brought the UK out of the European Union?
European Withdrawal Act
What was the bill that would have scrapped all existing EU law in the UK by the end of 2023?
EU Retained Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill
What Act was passed by Parliament in 2022 which gives the police more powers to disrupt protests?
Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act
What is Rishi Sunak potentially threatening to do in reaction to the small boat crossings?
Withdraw the UK out of the ECHR - along with Belarus and Russia
