The concept of collective ministerial responsibility

Question 1

1) What is collective ministerial responsibility?

Answer 1

1) This is the convention that ministers must support all decisions of the government in public. It means they are responsible as a group to parliament, and that discussions in the Cabinet should be confidential.

Question 2

1) What must happen if defeated in a vote of no confidence in the Commons?

Answer 2

1) The government as a whole must resign.

Question 3

1) With what purpose was this practice designed?

Answer 3

1) To maintain the unity of the government in the face of attacks by the opposition.

Question 4

1) When are ministers allowed to argue their case?

Answer 4

1) Only in private

Question 5

1) What should a minister do if they can’t accept a decision?
2) Use Robin Cook, in 2003, as an example:

Answer 5

1) Resign
2) Robin Cook, leader of the House of Commons, did not want to assume responsibility for Britain’s decision to go to war with Iraq.

Question 6

1) What is a more common way to disagree with government policy?

Answer 6

1) Grumble from within, or leak their dissatisfaction to the media.

Question 7

1) What happened in the case of Iain Duncan Smith, resigning over disability benefit cuts.
2) How did personality differences also play a part?

Answer 7

1) He resigned in 2016 as work and pensions secretary, in Cameron’s government, as he could not accept cuts to disability benefits. He also objected to Osborne’s decision to make changes in his budget that benefitted higher earners.
2) Osborne considered Duncan Smith too intellectually limited, to take responsibility for complex government policies. Duncan’s desire to see the UK leave the EU, also played a part.