Component 2 Examples Flashcards
Example of individual responsibility still active
Instances of individual misconduct or incompetence still tend to lead to resignations.
In November 2017, Priti Patel, Secretary of State for International Development, quit after it emerged that she had about 14 unofficial meetings with Israeli ministers, and businesspeople, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on a holiday as a private citizen to Israel.
In the same month, Michael Fallon, Defence Secretary, resigned following claims of serious sexual abuse in Parliament.
Example of individual responsibility eroded
Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling, who was under mounting pressure to resign after reaching a humiliating £33m out-of-court settlement over a botched Brexit ferry deal, though refused to quit and retained his post
Example of blurred boundaries of responsibility
In 2011, the head of the UK Border Force, Brodie Clark, stood down from his position after he publicly blamed then-Home Secretary Theresa May for relaxing entry checks at airports in order to reduce queues. He claimed that May had made his position untenable for “political convenience”.
Example of collective responsibility still active
• As a Remain campaigner, Theresa May ascended to the office of Prime Minister with a commitment to unite Britain in the aftermath of the EU referendum.
Conversely however, she has suffered a wave of resignations, totalling 42, as senior MP’s had lost their confidence in her.
For example, notable resignations were that of Esther McVey, Work and Pensions Secretary, Dominic Raab, Brexit Secretary, and Shailesh Vara, Northern Ireland Minister, who quit the cabinet amid a fierce backlash over May’s draft Brexit deal in November 2018.
Example of collective responsibility eroded
Despite the fact that Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resigned in opposition to May’s soft-Brexit plan devised at Chequers, and in accordance with the convention, he vocalised his opposition to May’s Brexit approach even before he quit.
For example, in a speech at the Policy Exchange thinktank in London in February 2018, Johnson called on his political adversaries to unite around his vision for a “liberal Brexit”.
Example of collective responsibility eroded (2)
Secrecy is paramount to ministerial responsibility, as leaks can prove fatal in undermining it. For example, in April 2019, a highly controversial decision was reportedly made at a meeting of the National Security Council where May conditionally allowed Chinese tech-giant Huawei to develop the UK 5G network.
NSC discussions are only attended by senior ministers and security officials who first sign the Official Secrets Act that commits them to keep all conversations private or risk prosecution. However, Gavin Williamson, the source of the “unauthorised disclosure of information” was sacked as a result.
Example of balance of power shifting away from the executive (HoL) (1)
The House of Lords Act 1999 reduced the membership of the Lords from 1,330 to 669 mainly life peers, removed the right to inherit a seat, and removed all but 92 hereditary peers. Thus, since this reform, the Lords has become increasingly assertive. As a result, between 2005 and 2010, the government suffered 175 defeats in the Lords.
Example of balance of power not shifting away from the executive (HoL)
Cameron, irritated by this series of government defeats decided to appoint 189 peers in his 6-years as PM, a faster rate of elevation than any PM in British history, in order to tip the chamber balance into the Tory favour.
As a result, the Conservative Party possessed the most peers (at 247) in the Lords out of all the other parties. Thus, the 2010-15 Parliament saw rather fewer occasions when the government had lost votes at only 80, signifying its weaker effectiveness at scrutinising the executive.
Example of balance of power shifting away from the executive (HoL) (2)
Despite the Conservatives being the most prominent party in the Lords with 244 Tory peers currently, this failed to aid the successive Conservative governments between 2016-2019 where they were defeated 167 times in the Lords, similar to between 2005 and 2010.
Example of balance of power shifting away from the executive (Select committees 1)
• The 2010 Wright Reforms recommended a series of procedural changes aimed at restoring the Commons’ authority over its own affairs in order for more effective government scrutiny.
One of the recommendations implemented by the coalition government in 2010 included the election of members and chairs of Select Committees by secret ballot. This means that party whips can no longer influence the appointment of Select Committee members or, importantly, their chairs. Hence, the effectiveness of government scrutiny by the select committees has improved since 2010 considering that their appointments are no longer subject to external influence which can manipulate the scrutinization process into its favour.
Example of balance of power shifting away from the executive (Select committees 2)
The establishment of an elected Backbench Business Committee in 2010 removed the scheduling of backbench business from government control and was a significant step in enforcing Parliament’s authority over its own agenda.
Example of balance of power not shifting away from the executive (Select committees)
The government has 60-days to respond to reports, but is not compelled to take up any recommendations. For example, in response to the Environmental Audit Committee report on Pollinators and Pesticides, the Conservative government rejected the scientific case for a ban on pesticides, linked to bee decline.
In addition, the turnover of members damages committee effectiveness. The Defence Committee saw an 83% turnover during 2010-15. Consequently, replacements may not be fully informed or motivated, meaning that the level of effective scrutiny may suffer as a result.
Example of balance of power shifting away from the executive (Opposition and backbenchers) (1)
John Bercow was first elected Commons Speaker in 2009, after pledging to give his backbenchers more opportunity to hold the government into account. Almost immediately, he began granting Urgent Questions far more frequently- allowing MPs to summon ministers to the despatch box to answer questions on an urgent matter the same day.
Thus, scrutiny of the government arguably became much more effective as there were 73 UQs granted in 2016-17, compared to just 9 in 2006-7, when Michael Martin was Speaker.
Example of balance of power not shifting away from the executive (Opposition and backbenchers)
Opposition Day motions are arguably futile attempts at holding the government into account by the opposition as the party-in-government often abstains (meaning that they aren’t classed as government defeats), rendering the motions meaningless; this is consolidated by the fact that the government isn’t bound to legislate them.
Example of balance of power shifting away from the executive (Opposition and backbenchers) (2)
Attitudes towards OD motions have drastically shifted recently, especially since Keir Starmer deployed an arcane parliamentary procedure known as a “humble address” in November 2018 to force the government to release what they had hoped would be assessments into the likely impact of Brexit on the UK economy.
This kickstarted a chain of events which resulted in the government found being in contempt of Parliament for the first time in history as the Conservatives had refused to disclose legal advice on Brexit. Highly effective mode of scrutiny which deeply embarrassed the Conservative Party in the process.
