Collective Ministerial Responsibility

Question 1

What is the principle of collective ministerial responsibility?

Answer 1

The principle that all members of the govt are responsible as a group

Question 2

What are the three main elements of collective ministerial responsibility?

Answer 2

All ministers of the Cabinet are bound by its decisions
All businesses of Cabinet is secret
If the executive loses the influence of Parliament, the whole government must resign

Question 3

[Referendums] What has been temporarily suspended on rare occasions? Why?

Answer 3

On rare occasions, PMs have suspended collective ministerial responsibility temporarily to prevent ministerial resignations

Question 4

[Referendums] Example: Harold Wilson

What did this allow the government to do?

Answer 4

Harold Wilson allowed ministers to campaign for either a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote during the 1975 referendum on the European Economic Community (EEC), despite the government supporting a ‘yes’ vote. This allowed a government that was divided on Europe to function in a more united fashion on other issues

Question 5

[Referendums] What were Conservative and Lib Dem ministers were permitted to do?

Answer 5

Conservative and Lib-Dem ministers were permitted by the coalition agreement to campaign on opposite sides in the 2011 AV referendum

Question 6

[Referendums] Example: David Cameron

What did he deny ministers access to? What were they required to do? How many ministers campaigned to leave the EU?

Answer 6

In the 2016 EU referendum, David Cameron also allowed ministers to take a personal decision to campaign to leave the EU, even though the government’s decision was to support EU membership. They were, however, denied access to civil service resources to support their position on the EU and were required to support the government’s position on all other issues. 5 cabinet ministers (plus Borish Johnson, who attended cabinet but wasn’t a full member) campaigned to leave the EU

Question 7

[Coalition] What did the 2010 Conservative-Lib Dem coalition agreement do? What were ministers permitted to abstain from?

Answer 7

The 2010 Conservative-Lib Dem coalition agreement identified 4 issues which Lib Dem ministers wouldn’t be bound by collective responsibility. They were permitted to abstain on:

• The construction of nuclear power stations
• Tax allowances for married couples
• Higher education funding
• The case against renewal of the Trident Nuclear deterrent

Question 8

[Coalition] What were ministers free to do?

Answer 8

Ministers were also free to campaign on different sides in the 2011 AV referendum

Question 9

[Coalition] Where did collective responsibility break down? How did the Lib Dems respond to the abandonment of legislation on the HoL Reform? What did most Lib Dems vote in favour of? What did Conservatives vote in favour for?

Answer 9

Collective responsibility also broke down where significant differences emerged between the coalition partners.
The Lib Dems responded to the abandonment of legislation on the HoL Reform by withdrawing support for constituency boundary changes, with their ministers voting against the changes in 2013.
Most Lib Dems voted in favour of a 2014 private members’ bill proposing exceptions to the government ‘Bedroom Tax’, while the Conservatives opposed it.
Conservative ministers voted in favour of a private members’ bill prosing that an EU referendum be held by the end of 2017 but the Lib Dems didn’t

Question 10

[Free votes] Who can free votes be granted to?

Answer 10

Free votes can be granted to ministers and backbench MPs on issues of conscience

Question 11

[Free votes] Example: Labour

Answer 11

Labour’s 1997 manifesto promised a free vote on legislation to ban fox hunting

Question 12

[Free votes] Example: David Cameron

Answer 12

David Cameron allowed a free vote on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill in 2013 and 2 ministers voted against the bill

Question 13

[Leaks] Who may leak information to the media? Why?

Answer 13

Disgruntled ministers and their adviseres may leak information on cabinet discussions to the media. They may want dissatsifaction about the policy or the conduct of the government to be aired, but don’t want to go public with their criticism.

Question 14

[Leaks] Example: How has cabinet discussion also been revealed?

Answer 14

Cabinet discussion have also been revealed in books written by former ministers such as Ed Balls and Nick Clegg

Question 15

[Dissent and non-resignation] Who has survived in office and why?

Answer 15

Cabinet ministers who oppose important aspects of government policy have survived in office even when their concerns have been made public

Question 16

[Dissent and non-resignation] Example: Margaret Thatcher

Answer 16

‘Wets’ in Thatcher’s first cabinet scarcely concealed their opposition to her economic policy and Thatcher dismissed them only when her position was secure

Question 17

[Dissent and non-resignation] Example: Coalition

Answer 17

Lib Dem ministers were openly critical of some coalition policies (2010-2015), but only one junior minister, Norman Baker, resigned over policy differences

Question 18

[PM dominance] What did some ministers under Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair claim?

Answer 18

Some cabinet ministers who served under Thatcher and Blair claimed that the PM had undermined collective ministerial responsibility by ignoring the cabinet

Question 19

[PM dominance] Example: Margaret Thatcher

Answer 19

Michael Heseltine, Nigel Lawson and Sir Geoffrey Howe all cited Thatcher’s contempt for collegiality while resigning

Question 20

[PM dominance] Example: Tony Blair

Answer 20

Mo Mowlam and Clare Short complained that Blair didn’t consult cabinet sufficiently