Parliment

Question 1

How many defeats during Blair’s govt?

Answer 1

4 (all in one year 2005/2006)

Question 2

How many defeats during Brown?

Answer 2

3

Question 3

How many defeats during May’s premiership?

Answer 3

33

Question 4

In January 2019, how many Tories voted against Theresa May’s Brexit deal?

Answer 4

118 (incl. cabinet ministers)

Question 5

How many times was the govt defeated in the HoL during the coalition?

Answer 5

99 times

Question 6

How many times has Johnson’s govt been defeated in the house of Lords since 2019?

Answer 6

114

Question 7

Why are public bill committees weak?

Answer 7

Votes are whipped in them, appointed by govt whips to get their way. Amendments are often voted against by whips in the report stage.

Question 8

What is the danger around secondary legislation?

Answer 8

Acts give ministers power to define laws through regulation. Usually gets very little scrutiny and rarely blocked.

Question 9

What happened in 2015 with Tax Credits?

Answer 9

Peers voted to delay the cut, against the will of the commons. Sparked outrage, breaking constitutional convention etc.

Question 10

How many MPs rebelled over International aid?

Answer 10

24 (Incl. Theresa May and Jeremy Hunt)

Question 11

What happened with Clause 11 in the Nationality and Borders bill?

Answer 11

Lords voted to remove
Would’ve created a two tier system for asylum seekers depending how they arrived
Amendment was rejected by the commons

Question 12

How many Tories voted against Johnson’s COVID legislation?

Answer 12

99, fear of more rebellions led him to be more libertarian

Question 13

Who opposed Rwanda plan in commons and what did they say?

Answer 13

Theresa May whether it met standards on "legality, practicality and efficacy"
Yvette Cooper (shadow Home Sec) "unworkable, unethical and extortionate"

Question 14

What urgent question and when did Labour do over partygate?

Answer 14

25th Jan 2022 over the 20th May Downing street party, Johnson didn’t even attend.

Question 15

What report did the Health and Social care select committee publish?

Answer 15

Coronavirus: lessons learned to date

Critiquing govt.s response to COVID and the main failings. Chaired by Jeremy Hunt.

Question 16

What happened during Nadine Dorris’ appearence during the DCMS committee?

Answer 16

she didnt know channel 4 wasn’t publicly funded

Question 17

Why are select committees weak? and e.g.

Answer 17

They aren’t compelled to attend, Johnson missed the Liason committee, too busy delivering Brexit

Question 18

What opposition motion is starmer bringing over Partygate?

Answer 18

PM should face priveleges committee

Question 19

What opposition motions successfully passed?

Answer 19

universal credit and working tax credit

free school meals

Question 20

When was the last no confidence vote won?

Answer 20

1979 Jim Callaghan (311-310)

Question 21

What were the Wright reforms?

Answer 21

Reforms to the way the house operated:
-Secret ballot to elect select committee chairs using AV (became more forceful, expert committees more challenging)
-Back Bench Business Committee can schedule own business in the house
-

Question 22

What happened with the environment bill committee?

Answer 22

Went through 12 sessions of evidence with Greenpeace, Unite and the Federation of Small Business. Lots of minor amendments.

Question 23

What are the stages of a bill?

Answer 23

1st reading
2nd reading
Committee Stage
Report Stage - bring any further amendments
3rd reading
HoL
Amendments ping pong

Question 24

How are Bill Committee chairs and members selected?

Answer 24

Chairs are chosen at random by the speaker from senior backbenchers
Members are selected by party whips, with expertise but toe party line

Question 25

Reasons select committees are weak

Answer 25

govt. majority | govt. does not have to accept reccomendations or attend (Johnson missed liason committe in 2019)

Question 26

Why are select committees effective?

Answer 26

- Chairs elected by secret ballot, more justified - More seen as experts in their field (Hunt) - Cross party consensus means more likely to be accepted (privileges committee) - More media presence

Question 27

Which selected committee chair backed Marcus Rashford?

Answer 27

Robert Halfon, chair of education select committee publicly backed free school meals campaign, critical of exam results in 2020

Question 28

What committee chair criticized the gaps in furlough?

Answer 28

Treasury select Committee chair, Melvyn Stride, former leader of the commons. Criticized the gaps for self employed works.

Question 29

What happened with Julian Lewis?

Answer 29

He had the whip removed after standing and winning against Chris Grayling the Government's choice for the Intelligence and Security Committee. Shows the weakness of govt.

Question 30

What did Johnson do with the Lords in 2020 that was controversial?

Answer 30

Appoint 36 new peers. Growing consensus that HoL should be shrunk. Appointed his brother Jo Johnson, and Evgeny Lebedev, Russian Oligarch, son of KGB agent. Very conservative appointments.

Question 31

How much does the HoL cost and expenses per peer?

Answer 31

£20.1 million | £26,000 per peer per year of expenses

Question 32

How many debates did the average peer take part in in a 10 month period?

Answer 32

12

Question 33

How many peers failed to take part in any debates?

Answer 33

140

Question 34

How many peers are there?

Answer 34

830

Question 35

How much are Lords paid for attending?

Answer 35

£323

Question 36

Whats special about the Irish senate?

Answer 36

60 members 11 appointed 6 elected by graduates 43 elected by MPs and councillors for panels on specific issues

Question 37

How many days a year can the BBBC bring debates to the Commons

Answer 37

35 (27 in the main chamber)

Question 38

What did the BBBC force a debate on in 2011?

Answer 38

Referendum on the membership of the EU. Govt. imposed a three line whip against (weakness of BBBC)

Question 39

What did the BBBC pass a motion on in 2013?

Answer 39

Reducing voting age to 16, despite govt. non support. 119-46. Non-binding not succesful

Question 40

How many amendments did the HoL make between 2017-2019? What % accepted

Answer 40

4,500 made, 97% accepted

Question 41

What do legislation committees allow?

Answer 41

evidence from companies/unions/pressure groups eg. greenpeace for environment bill NFU for Agriculture bill

Question 42

How many MPs voted for Boris' brexit deal in 2020?

Answer 42

all tories

Question 43

How many days did it take to pass terrorist offenders bill, stopping parole of terrorists

Answer 43

8 sitting days

Question 44

What private members bill did Karen Buck?

Answer 44

Homes fitness for Human Habitation Bill in 2019

Question 45

What happened with the Letwin ammendment?

Answer 45

30 tories rebelled and voted for it It would require EU withdrawal act to be passed before approval of the deal 20 were then later kicked out the party for not supporting the deal

Question 46

Who's Lord Dannatt

Answer 46

A Crossbencher who was former chief of staff of the army, reccommends the UK uses troops to fight ISIS

Question 47

What did the Public Accounts committee recently complete a report on?

Answer 47

THe amount of money wasted on test and trace £37 billion

Question 48

What happened with mircobeads?

Answer 48

They were banned after Enviornmental audit committee put pressure on govt. 2018

Question 49

Who is obliged to appear before select committees and who isn’t?

Answer 49

Senior civil servants Ministers don’t have to Theresa May blocked head of MI5 being interviewed

Question 50

What went wrong with the Exiting the European Union Select Committee?

Answer 50

Issues so divisive, difficult to reach consensus. Chair Hilary benn. Members incl Jacob Rees mogg critiqued it