Parliament Flashcards
How long did Blair go without a defeat in the commons and why was he defeated and on what bill
+majorities
- went 8 years without a defeat in the commons due to his large majority
1997- 179 seat majority
2001-165
2005-
-defeated on a terrorism bill, highlight the significance of a large majority in the commons
How many defeats did the brow government suffer in the commons
3 defeats
how many defeats did the con lib coalition face
7 defeats
what is one issue that Cameron was defeated on in the commons
Syria crisis - military action in syria, sunday trading laws, Cameron majority govt
How many times was May defeated in the commons 2017-19
33
-weak minority govt
When was the BBBC established and how many days does it have to hold debates?
- 35 days
The Domestic Abuse Bill Committee received how many pieces of written evidence from various stakeholders?
Domestic abuse bill committee- 96 pieces of legislation
Success rate for non-government amendments in PBCs?
1%
strengths of select committees
Select committee- not selected by whips, prestigious role, paid well- extra money and status,AV and secret ballot
example of a select committee working
-margaret hodge- public accounts committee 2010-15, intense questioning of multinational corporations
example of a select committee not working
-one word ofsted ratings in schools- education select committee- govt response no
Lords defeated Government how many times in a very short period in 2018 over the EU withdrawal bill?
15 defeats
Approximately how many members are there in the HoL? How many are hereditary peers?
804
92
What are two exceptions to the HoL’s power to delay bills?
monetary bills, salisbury convention- bills in the manifesto, limits the power of the lords, take a step back on certain bills
1911 parliament act
1949
1911-removed the veto power, 2 year delay
1949- 1 year delay
In March 2024, the Commons defeated what % of the Lords’ first round of proposed amendments on the Rwanda Bill?
march 2024- lords amendments were all rejected by the HOc
What is an argument AGAINST making the HoL popularly elected?
Gridlock , equal chambers, removes expertise - mandate, string second chamber which would give them greater power over legislation , delegates rather than trustees , no party discipline in the lords - crossbenchers who aren’t affiliated with the party
what did the wright committee reforms establish
Wright Committee (Reform of House of Commons Committee) reported in 2009 and coalition government adopted changes in 2010 by regulating:
Numbers and size of committees (limited to max. 11 members)
Ensure chairperson is elected through secret ballot by alternative vote
Creation of Backbench Business Committee
E-petition system
when have votes of no confidence been used
In January 2019, Theresa May’s government faced a vote of no confidence the day after they had suffered the largest ever government defeat in the House of Commons over their Brexit deal. She survived by a majority of 19.
In June 2022, A vote of no confidence was held by Conservative MPs against Boris Johnson. Johnson won the vote with the support of 211 Conservative MP’s, 58.8% of the total. Out of 359 Conservative MP’s, 148 (41.2%) voted against him
1979, James Callaghan lost vote of no confidence triggering a general election as a result
examples of private members bills and their impact
why are PMBs limited in their impacts
Discussing proposed government bills takes up over 1/3 of the commons time in any parliamentary session. The discussion of PMBs takes up less than 5% of the time.
Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat) = Carer’s Leave Act (2023): provides employment rights for those who juggle unpaid caring responsibilities with paid employment.
Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat) = Worker Protection Act (2023): prevent sexual harassment in the workplace and drive a culture change (substantially watered down by Lords to avoid exposing employers to costly lawsuits)
PMBs introduced by backbenchenchers are only likely to pass if they come from the ruling party. For example, during the coalition government, 41 out of 42 PMBs passed were from either the Conservatives or Lib Dems.
