Parliament - Development and Powers of Parliament Flashcards
Who is the Prime Minister leader of and the head of?
The Prime Minister is the leader of the largest party in Parliament and the head of the executive branch: they are responsible for formulating policy and ensuring laws are adequately executed
Why does the Prime Minister usually command and control most of the business/ outcomes of the Commons?
Because they are the leader of the party which won most of the seats in a general election (a majority is needed in Parliament to pass laws)
Who appoints Ministers?
The PM, therefore MPs feel pressure to vote with the PM in order to advance their careers
What is the Speaker’s role?
The Speaker keeps order in the House and ensures as many MPs from a range of parties are allowed to speak in debates.
The Speaker also upholds the rules of the House and can suspend MPs for breaking rules such as calling a fellow MP a liar
How does the Speaker gain their role?
They are voted by the MPs
Are Speakers allowed to have party allegiance?
No, the speaker renounces allegiance and they stand as ‘the speaker seeking re-election’ at election time
Give an example of the Speaker’s party allegiance becoming controversial
John Bercow faced criticism for alleged favouritism to the opposition MPs
He seemed to lack cooperation on progression of the Brexit Bill as he used Erskine May in 2019 to prevent Theresa May bringing back the Withdrawal Bill for the 3rd time without significant changes
What is the role of Whips?
Whips are in charge of discipline and ensuring party MPs stay loyal and vote the way the government intends using persuasion techniques
Give an example of a whip being removed
In 2019 Boris Johnson removed the whip from 21 Tory rebels who supported a motion to take control of parliamentary business from the government
Do MPs rebel despite the threat of the whip, if so give example
Yes, on the 4th of November 2021 13 Conservatives rebelled against a three-line whip (a three-line whip indicates the party leadership expects all MPs to turn up and vote a certain way) to vote for reforms to the standards commission
What does the Leader of the House of Commons do?
To see that the Commons runs smoothly from the executive’s perspective and that bills are properly timetabled. Also work closely with chief whips to ensure votes and chairs Cabinet Committees.
Who is the current Leader of the House of Commons and who appoints them?
Lucy Powell, appointed by the PM
Give an example showing that the Leader of the House of Commons doesn’t schedule the entire timetable
20 days of the Parliamentary session are Opposition Days where the opposition sets the agenda
Who are frontbench MPs?
These are MPs of the governing party who are also it’s ministers (opposition frontbenchers are shadow ministers)😏
Why and by who are ministers appointed?
They’re appointed to run the major departments in the country and help the PM forge policy. They’re appointed by the PM
How are the powers of a minister limited?
Ministers may have to go forward with policy that they personally disagree with if the cabinet have voted for it due to collective ministerial responsibility. Also they have to be loyal to the PM as they can lose their position during reshuffles. Also select committees scrutinise ministers and their department
Who are backbench MPs?
Ordinary MPs who are not ministers. They can often be independently minded and often rebel e.g. Jeremy Corbyn often rebelled against Blair and Brown when he was backbench
What can backbench MPs do?
They speak in debates, can be appointed to committees by party leadership, table amendments on legislation, vote on acts, become chairs of select committees or introduce legislation (Private Member’s Bills)
How are backbench MPs limited in power?
Their party can remove their whip making re-election harder, no real control over agenda except through the Backbench Business Committee and Private Member’s Bills have a low success rate
What is the Salisbury Convention?
The House of Lords should not vote on a bill enacting a manifesto commitment of the governing party on the second or third reading
Give an example of the Salisbury convention not being upheld?
In 2006 peers voted against an identity card bill despite it being in the 2005 Labour manifesto as Labour had a weak mandate due to low turnout
What did the Parliament Act 1911 and Parliament Act 1949 do?
Made it that the House of Lords can only delay legislation by 1 year (was 2 but halved by the 1949 act) and cannot veto legislation approved by the House of Commons
What happens if the Commons refuses amendments made on a bill by the Lords?
The Lords either back down or block the bill for 1 year which means the bill can still be passed by the Commons after 1 year
Give an example of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 being used?
They were used in the Hunting Act 2004 to prevent the House of Lords blocking the bill
How many times were the Blair and Brown governments rejected in the Commons and the Lords
They were rejected only 7 times in the Commons but 400 times in the Lords
How many times was the government defeated in the Lords between 2019-2021?
114 times
