Ministerial Responsibility Flashcards
When did Individual Ministerial Responsibility Begin? (2)
(1) 1994 Nolan Principles outlined 7 key principles that were expected of Government Ministers
(2) These were then set out in the Ministerial Code after the election of Tony Blair in 1997
Is Individual Ministerial Responsibility a Convention or Statute Law
Convention
Ministerial Responsibility for Department (3)
(1) Duty to be held to account for the policies, decisions and actions of their departments and agencies
(2) Expected to accept responsibility for any failures/criticisms for their department - they are expected to resign if they are unable to effectively run their department - shouldn’t be forced to resign due to a minor error, though
(3) Obliged to give accurate information to Parliament and offer their resignation if they knowingly mislead Parliament
Ministerial Responsibility for Personal Conduct (2)
(1) Far more common cause of ministerial resignations
(2) Can’t take discriminating behaviour in the workplace
How Is Individual Ministerial Responsibility Enforced? (2)
(1) The Prime Minister enforces the Ministerial Code - they are the ‘Judge, Jury and Executioner’
(2) No mechanism to hold the Prime Minister to account e.g. Partygate
Keir Starmer Changes to the Ministerial Code November 2024(4)
(1) The independent advisor on ministerial standards is able to launch investigations independently, even when it’s not politically advantageous for the Government e.g. Tulip Siddiq
(2) Allows the advisor to determine if an investigation finds a breach of the Ministerial Code - not the PM anymore
(3) Tightens rules surrounding ministers declaration of interests to bring them in line with MPs standards - declare gifts on a monthly bases
Civil Servants being Blamed Recently (3)
(1) Civil servants have been held accountable for failings within departments over the past decade
(2) March 2023 - Suella Braverman sent an email to Tory Supporters for the failure of the Home Office to stop Channel crossings
(3) Following exam results scandals in 2020, head of Ofqual Sally Collier resigned instead of Secretary Of State For Education Gavin Williamson
Executive Agencies (3)
(1) Some Government functions are delegated to ‘executive agencies’ under director generals, rather than the direct control of minsters
(2) There is doubt who should be held accountable for failures
(3) 1995 - Home Secretary Michael Howard sacked Derek Lewis, the Director General of the Prisons Service after the escape of prisoners from Parkhurst Jail
Boris Johnson Changes to Ministerial Code May 2022 (2)
(1) After Partygate scandal, suspicion he did it to prevent him and his ministers having to resign
(2) Weakened the rules of individual ministerial responsibility - no longer expected to resign, offer an apology instead
Amber Rudd (2018) Resignation (2)
(1) Mislead Home Affairs Select Committee - she said she was unaware of any deportation removal targets within the department
(2) Individual ministerial responsibility or media pressure (due to Windrush Scandal)
Suella Braverman (2022) Resignation (2)
(1) October 2022 - forced to resign under Truss as she used her personal email to send classified information
(2) Reappointed as Home Secretary by Sunak just weeks later - limits of importance
Louise Haigh - 2024 (1)
(1) November 2024 - As Secretary of State for Transport, news emerged of a fraud conviction in 2010 however despite telling Starmer in 2020, she resigned after the Times and Sky News received details
Tulip Siddiq - 2025 (2)
(1) The Treasury Minister resigned following an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh, which she was named in, linked to her aunt, the former Bangladeshi PM
(2) It was found she had not breached the ministerial code, but resigned due to a financial ‘conflict of interests’
Andrew Gwynne - 2025 (2)
(1) Labour Health Minister lost the whip and was fired following the emergence of offensive messages he’d written
(2) This is an example of unprofessionalism and unjust personal conduct
Priti Patel - 2020 (3)
(1) Independent Investigation in 2020 found she had bullied civil servants, a breach of IMS for personal conduct
(2) She failed to offer her resignation and Johnson failed to force her to resign as she was a ‘big beast’ with a lot of political power and popular in the right wing of the Tories
(3) The author of the report resigned in protest
Gavin Williamson - 2020 (2)
(1) Summer 2020 - oversaw major failings in his department - failure in A Level and GCSE Results
(2) The head of Ofqual (Sally Collier) did resign - A Civil Servant was allowed to take the blame
Boris Johnson - 2022 (3)
(1) ‘Partygate’ scandal broke out in the media, where there were parties during the COVID lockdowns
(2) Boris Johnson knowingly mislead Parliament about the parties but didn’t resign
(3) Johnson changed the Ministerial Code to weaken the rules on IMS in May 2022 - ‘judge, jury and executioner’
Arguments that Individual Ministerial Responsibility Doesn’t Remain Important (4)
(1) Dependent on the personal honour of individual ministers, who are unlikely to offer resignations if it will damage their career prospects and take a pay cut
(2) Dependent on the Prime Minister as ‘judge, jury and executioner’ which is a weakness as 1) Prime Ministers are hesitant to make their Government look weak 2) They don’t like forcing resignations from political allies (3) Some Prime Ministers have very low standards in relation to personal conducts
(3) Prime Ministers often decide whether to force resignations based on the media and public backlash
(4) There was a complete breakdown of IMS under Johnson and may have permanently weakened the convention
Arguments that Individual Ministerial Responsibility Remains Important (2)
(1) Low personal standards under Johnson, and may have became important again under Sunak and Starmer - Raab, Gwynne, Sidiq
(2) Starmer has stated his intention to hold ministers to the code strongly, promising a Government of service include the independent adviser to initiate his own investigations
Collective Ministerial Responsibility - Explanation (2)
(1) Promote Government unity in the face of opposition and mean that the Government as a whole is responsible to Parliament
(2) Enforced by the PM, using his powers of patronage
Key aspects of Collective Ministerial Responsibility (3)
(1) Ministers collectively responsible for all policies and must resign if the Government loses a vote of no confidence
(2) Ministers can privately disagree in meetings, but must defend policies in public and in the media
(3) A minister must resign from Government before publicly criticising Government policy
Why Resignations On Grounds Of Collective Ministerial Responsibility Are Rare
Can end a minister’s political career - much more likely to leak dissatisfaction to the media or fight their corner within Government
Exceptions To Collective Ministerial Responsibility
PMs can suspend CMR if they deem it necessary for the Government or politically advantageous if it prevents their party becoming divided
Free Votes (2) Examples
(1) In 2013, David Cameron allowed a free vote on the legalisation of same-sex marriage
(2) In 2024 Starmer allowed a free vote on the Terminally Ill Adults Bill 2024
Referendums (2) 1 Example
(1) Frequently suspended CMS during referendums in order to prevent the issue of the referendum dividing and harming the Government
(2) Cameron faced a divided Conservative Party in 2016 and reluctantly agreed to suspend CMR
The 2010 Coalition (1)
(1) Agreed Lib Dem Ministers wouldn’t be bound by CMR on four key issues which they disagreed with the Tories and took alternative sides in the 2011 AV referendum
Leaking
Ministers who sometimes leak their dissatisfaction to the media and to the rest of the party and can deny it if accused and maintain ‘plausible deniability’
‘Big Beasts’ who are above CMR (1)
(1) Important figures within the Party - too powerful to sack with sacking causing a revolt from the Party and a risk bringing down the Government
Ideological Disunity within the party (1)
(1) If fundamentally ideologically disunited, the CMR becomes limited as a concept, for example between hardline Brexiteers under May and One Nation Conservatives
Examples where Collective Ministerial Responsibility was Important (4)
(1) Annelise Dodds February 2025 - resigned as International Development Minister after Starmer’s decision to cut the International Aid Budget by 0.5% of GNI to 0.3% - she couldn’t publicly support the Government’s decision as she said it will enable Russia and China to increase their global influence
(2) Lord Wolfson 2022 - Justice Minister resigned after Partygate scandal rather than accepting collective responsibility
(3) Suella Braverman in November 2023 - controversial piece in the Times about the police’s handling of Pro-Palestinian protests without being reviewed by Downing Street
(4) Limited leaking from Starmer’s Cabinet So Far despite the fact they are in general very unpopular with a net favourability in February 2025 of -40%
Examples where Collective Ministerial Responsibility Wasn’t Important (3)
(1) Boris Johnson when Foreign Secretary under May - briefed against May including weekly articles in the Daily Telegraph but wasn’t sacked due to his popularity
(2) Penny Mordaunt and Robert Buckland under Truss in 2022 - Publicly opposed her policy that benefits shouldn’t rise with inflation, but didn’t resign
Arguments That Collective Ministerial Responsibility Remains Important (3)
(1) Important in the vast majority of times when Prime Ministers are stronger as Ministers rarely speak out against the Government in public even if they disagree privately
(2) Rishi Sunak had fewer problems with CMR than Truss and May did, while Starmer has had no problems so far
(3) Sometimes relaxed as a necessity that a Government can continue to function shows it’s flexibility
Arguments That Collective Ministerial Responsibility Doesn’t Remain Important (2)
(1) Has been relaxed at times including free votes, referendums and coalitions, to suggest it is no longer important
(2) Has been shown to break down to an extent when ‘Big Beasts’ are able to leak their dissatisfaction brief against the Government, and even vote against the Government without resigning
