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
