Relationship between Branches - Executive-Parliament relationship

Question 1

In what ways can the Executive overpower Parliament?

Answer 1

1. The government usually has the support from the majority of MPs in the Commons. Their Whips can be removed… 21 Whips removed in September 2019, Phillip Hammond (ex-chancellor of the exchequer under May) is an example of this, all because they didn’t back the no-deal Brexit plan.
2. Patronage of PM = they often have the loyalty of their party’s MPs. E.g., Sajid Javid 2019 Cabinet reshuffle.
3. Executive can use secondary legislation to change laws without parliamentary scrutiny.
4. Salisbury Convention means that Lords cannot block legislation that has been stated in the manifesto… Parliamentary Acts also mean that unelected Lords can only delay and not veto any proposed legislation.
5. Government ministers also have a plethora of civil servants and advisers who are of the utmost loyalty.

Question 2

In what ways can Parliament overpower the Executive?

Answer 2

1. The UK Parliament is legally sovereign… its laws have to be obeyed and are enforced by courts.
2. Select committees are increasingly influential and the chairs of the Select Committee have a meeting with the PM 3 times a year as part of the Liaison Committee.
3. Parliament can vote against or amend any proposed legislation against government wishes.
4. Parliament can, in rare occasions, refuse to agree to the government’s annual budget.
5. The government can fall short because of a vote of no confidence… James Callaghan lost his vote of no confidence by 1 vote in 1979 and so he got the boot. A general election followed.

Question 3

FACTORS FAVOURING EXECUTIVE

Large Parliamentary majority

Answer 3

Thatcher 1983-1990

Blair 1997-2005

Johnson 2019

Question 4

FACTORS FAVOURING EXECUTIVE

Weak and divided opposition

Answer 4

Labour 1981-1995

2015-2017 Labour leader

Question 5

FACTORS FAVOURING EXECUTIVE

A strong economy

Answer 5

1983-1988 Thatcherite economic reforms

1997-2007 Blair reforms

Question 6

FACTORS FAVOURING EXECUTIVE

Populist PM

Answer 6

1982-1989 Thatcher and the Falkland’s

1997-2005 Blair’s populism

2019 Johnson’s charisma

Question 7

FACTORS FAVOURING EXECUTIVE

Ineffective Lords

Answer 7

1979-1999, unreformed Lords

Question 8

FACTORS FAVOURING PARLIAMENT

Small government majority - even minority

Answer 8

1992-1997 - John Major

2015-2019 - May and Johnson until Dec 2019

Question 9

FACTORS FAVOURING PARLIAMENT

Strong and united opposition

Answer 9

1992-1997, Labour under Smith and Blair

Smith - 1992 election performance cut the CONS majority from 102 to 21.

1994, year he died, LAB poll lead was at 23%

Question 10

FACTORS FAVOURING PARLIAMENT

Economic problems

Answer 10

1990-1995 - John Major’s Black Wednesday - collapse of the £ and high interest rates.

2008-2015 - Brown and austerity/recession

Question 11

FACTORS FAVOURING PARLIAMENT

Weak and unpopular PM

Answer 11

2008-2010 - Gordon Brown

2017-2019 - Theresa May

Question 12

FACTORS FAVOURING PARLIAMENT

Strong and active Lords

Answer 12

1990 onwards because of Blair’s reforms.

Question 13

1979-1987

Weak Parliamentary Influence

Margaret Thatcher

Answer 13

Maggie T’s stern leadership of the Conservative party conflicted with the divisions within Labour.

These fractions led to the foundation and establishment of the Social Democratic Party in 1981.

Having won the Falkland’s War, Thatcher increased her parliamentary majority to 144.

Question 14

1997-2001

Weak Parliamentary Influence

Tony Blair

Answer 14

He won a landslide election in 1997 and held a commons majority of 179.

The party was united around his Third Way agenda… the Conservatives only held 165 seats.

The opposition was unable to oppose Blair because of their conservative divisions over the EU and the ineffective leadership of William Hague 1997-2001

Question 15

2010-2015

Weak Parliamentary Influence

David Cameron + Nick Clegg

Answer 15

The coalition meant that government had the support of 363 MPs as opposed to the 258 MPs that Labour held. This is 56% of Parliament. No one party had enough to declare a majority, but together, they had.

The 21 rebel Lib Dems who voted with Labour to not increase tuition fees did not impact the coalition at all.

Question 16

1974-1976

Strong Parliamentary Influence

Harold Wilson

Answer 16

Labour leader Harold Wilson won the 1974 election but only with a majority of 3.

When Callaghan took over in 1976, the majority disappeared and so a C+S deal with the Liberal Party was organised.

Callaghan was defeated in a vote of no confidence by one vote and so a general election was announced.

Question 17

2005-2010

Strong Parliamentary Influence

Tony Blair

Answer 17

2005 - Blair’s influence declined heavily after the controversy surrounding the Iraq invasion of 2003.

In the 2005 General Election, his majority was reduced to 66 seats and he won the popular vote with 35.2% of the electorate.

His backbenchers were not as loyal, and he lost his first parliamentary vote in 2006 on increasing detention for terrorist suspects to 90 days.

Question 18

2017

Strong Parliamentary Influence

Theresa May

Answer 18

May called a snap general election in 2017 to try and win a larger parliamentary majority which would make it easier for her to pass the Brexit legislation that she wanted.

May became the leader of a minority administration.

She was forced into a C+S deal with the DUP

She faced 37 defeats in the Commons between 2017 and 2019.

Question 19

The three different levels of Ministerial and junior positions within the executive

Answer 19

1. Secretary of State - ministers who are the head of their department
2. Ministers of State
3. Parliamentary Under Secretaries of the State PUSS