UK GOVERNMENT - Parliament Flashcards
What is a parliament with two houses called?
Bicameral
How many constituencies are there in each part of the country?
All: 650
England: 533
Scotland: 59
Wales: 40
Northern Ireland: 18
Greater London: 73
Define a frontbencher and give, roughly, how many there are.
A more senior member of the main party (as part of the government) or the opposition (the shadow government). There is usually 140-150.
What are the pros and cons of being a backbencher compared to a front bencher?
+ More independence: backbenchers are not curtailed by collective responsibility so can speak freely against their party.
+ Greater scrutiny of government: backbenchers can take part in committees to scrutinise the actions of the government.
- Less power: as they do not control a part of the government, their ability to affect change is largely curtailed.
Define a party whip and give the LabCon chief whips.
Party officials whose role is to maintain party discipline and loyalty through reporting the backbench consesus to the front bench and sanctions and rewards to those who do.
- Lab: Alan Campbell
- Con: Rebecca Harris
Who is the current Lord Speaker and what controversy was he caught up in 2024?
Sir Lindsay Hoyle (previously of 2019, Labour) allowed a Labour amendment to an SNP ceasefie bill to take precedence on an SNP opposition day.
Define each type of Lord and give the number of them as of August 2024.
Total = 830
- Life Peer (718): prominent members of society appointed by the Prime Minister
- Hereditary Peer (87): people who have inherited a title that allows them to sit in the House of Lords
- Lords Spiritual (24): Archbishops and bishops of the Church of England.
What act limited the number of hereditary peers?
The Hereditary Peers Act 1999
How is the political makeup of the House of Lords different to the house of Commons and its effect on scrutiny?
No party has an overall majority in the HOL, the Conservatives have a plurality (279) but 246 are crossbenchers, unaffiliated or bishops, making it near impossible. This makes them more effective at scrutiny as they are not curtailed by the majority’s political allegiances.
Why is little discussion of reform of the HOL centred on changing its level of power?
More: this may lead to an American-style legislation system that is long-winded and often too difficult, also democracy is also an issue
Less: The more power we take away from it, the more we have to ask why we need it.
What are the three main issues with the HOL?
- Democracy: An unelected legislature is undemocratic, further, an unelected house thwarting the will of an elected house lacks democratic leitimacy
- Accountability: members are unelected so are unaccountable
- ‘Cronyism’: Life Peers are elected by the PM so are often given as a reward for loyal MPs, an accusation levelled at BoJo bringing in 36 new peers in quick succession
What are the three reform proposals for the HOL as well as one strength of each?
All-appointed: people with special experience and expertise could act as better scrutiny for the government
All-elected: if through PR, this could work to ofset the government majority and provide the HOL legitimacy
Part-elected, part-appointed: the best of both worlds
What are the three roles of Parliament?
- Legislatin’
- Representatin’
- Scutinatin’
How does the House of Commons provide legitimacy to government legislature?
The people can’t be assembled for every single bill so, by representing their constituencies, MPs indirectly provide the ‘will of the people’ and scrutinise it so that it can be more in line with such.
How does the House of Commons legitimise government finance? Give a counter argument.
To avoid difficulties in collecting tax (or worse, an armed revolt such as the one that began the American Revolution), the House of Commons (not a function of the Lords since 1911) votes on the Governments spring and Summer budgets. However, this may just be a rubber stamp as, as the defeat of the budget would require the government to step down, the government has never been defeated.
What is one type of legislation that the HOL can’t touch and why?
Any legislation that concerns public finance cannot be delayed by the HOL, as set out in the Parliament Act 1911 after the conservative-led HOL vetoed the Liberal government’s ‘People’s Budget’.
When does the HOC approve the government tax expenditure?
Every Spring and Summer, after the Chancellor of the Exchequer announce the annula budget.
What are non-government bills proposed by MPs called? Name one successful one.
Private Members’ Bills
Although the Voyeurism (Offences) Act 2019 (which outlawed the new crime of upskirting) was not passed as Hobhouse’s Private Members’ Bill, it’s reintroduction as a government bill shows how PMBs can pass even when they are denied.
Why don’t Private Members’ Bills often pass?
It doesn’t look good for a government to pass bills proposed by members of other parties, they appear to need help/can’t come up with legislation - however, they may support a bill that is largely uncontroversial like the Voyeurism (Offences) Act, or may reintroduce it as their own idea to save face.
When are Private Members’ Bills most successful?
The smaller the majority of the government, the greater the likelihood of success of a PMB; 10% success rate for the first year of the coalition, compared to 0% under Blair in 2000
What are the Lords’ role in legislation?
The Lords do not provide consent, but rather scrutinise the legislation and recommend changes - this power has diminished since the Lords lost the ability to vote down legislation, but they are still able to delay legislation for a year. They also have a prominent role in scrutinising secondary legislation.
Give an example of the Lords successfully changing legislation
The Lords power may be greater closer to an election - given that they have the power to delay legislation for a year, they are able to stop any legislation that is introduced within a year of when an election is likely (convention follows about the 4th year of the current government) - for example, the Rwanda Scheme was delayed by the House of Lords till the Sunak conservative government lost the election.
Give two occassions where the House of Lords has delayed legislation for a year and been bypassed.
- Sexual offences Amendment Act (2000): lowered the age of consent for gay men to 16
- Hunting Act (2006): banned fox hunting with packs of dogs.
Explain how the Lords scrutinise secondary legislation.
The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee combs through legislation that does not pass through the Houses and presents any causes for concern to the HOC.
What was the importance of the House of Lords and Secondary Legislation in 2018?
Theresa May attempted to pass more than 600 Henry VIII clauses concerning Brexit, giving them the power to unstoppably decide Brexit, the return of powers, and the rights of people - even threating to remove the HOLSLSC so the HOL had no say.
Why may the importance of the HOLSLSC be declining?
Although the number of SIs increased rapidly between the 90’s and mid-2010’s, seeing an average of 4,200 in the 00’s, they have rapidly dropped since (possibly due to greater scrutiny after May) and are averaging at around 3,000
When can MPs criticise the government? Is this effective?
Mainly during Ministers’ Question Time and Prime Minister Question Time, when they can directly ask the government questions to scrutinise their actions.
- No, the government can wave away questions that they do not like with half-answers and the asker has no ability to make further comments unless they are the leader of the opposition
What is the most common way for MPs to scrutinise the government?
Through committees (such as the Public Accounts Committee or select committees), MPs can investigate the quality of governance and call them to account.
What PM has the largest losing margin the Commons, as well as the most total defeats.
Theresa May
- Brexit Vote (2019): 230 margin
- 33 defeats in 2 years
Why can the threat of voting in the Commons work as scrutiny? Give an example.
The government may not put a bill to vote if they feel they will lose as this may make them look weak and ineffective. This may cause the government to U-turn on policy, for example, Starmer has been threatened with the ‘Mother of all rebellions’ if he tries to push his austerity-style cuts forward, possibly leading him to weaken the cuts.
What is the greatest act of scrutiny MPs can enact? Give an example and a counterargument.
If 2/3 of MPs vote in favour of a motion of no confidence, the government of the day is removed. This last occurred in 1979 with Callaghan’s government.
- This is incredibly rare, as it requires MPs from one’s own party to disavow them and vote for their removal - even May, who the Leeds Uni found was only less popular than 3 other post-war PMs, survived a vote of no confidence with 19 votes even with a 317 seat minority
How is scrutiny of government difficult for the House of Lords?
Almost all Government ministers sit in the House of Commons so there is no means of scrutiny, aside frim asking questions to junior ministers.
How is the HOL advantageuos in scrutiny of legislation?
Many peers are experts in their field so can provide detailed and nuanced critiques of acts, especially during the committee stage - for example, Lord Dannatt was formerly the Chief of General Staff (the highest ranking soldier in the UK) so is able to provide knowledgeable input on government policies, like arguing to redeploy troops in Iraq in 2016 to fight ISIS.
What does an MP have to represent?
- Constituency
- Party
- National interest
- Causal groups
- Personal interest
What 5 ways can MPs represent their constituency?
- Lobbying a minister and their department
- Raising a matter on the floor of the House
- Redress of grievances
- Joining local campaigns
- Surgeries
Give 2 examples of times MPs have represented their constituency and gone against their government.
- Adrian Ramsey, co-leader of the Green Party, said he would vote against wind turbines being constructed in his constituency due to the displeasure of his constituents
- Zac Goldsmith resigned his seat in 2016 to protest the expansion of Heathrow airport, due to concerns about noise pollution and environmental impact.
Give a time when an MP has failed to adequate represent their constituents.
Nicki Morgan voted against gay marriage in 2016 as she believed her constituents were against it, they were not - this evidences the failure of sampling for representatives who wish to work based on delegate model of representation, Morgan reported ‘10-1 requests’ asking her to oppose it; without proper research, the loudest voices (the most radical) will always be the ones represented.
Explain MP Johnny Mercer’s representation of veterans in 2020.
Johnny Mercer was a consistent advocate for veteran’s rights, such as mental health support and fair treatment; resigned seat as Minister of Veteran’s affairs in 2020, the government’s failure to support veterans.
Explain MP Caroline Nokes’ representation of women in 2015
Caroline Nokes has headed the Women and Equalities committee since 2015, fighting against discrimination and domestic violence.
Why is the HOL more well-suited to representation of groups than the HOC?
- There is no overall party majority so a wider range of beliefs can be represented, John Bird, a homelessness campaigner, joined in 2015.
- Lords do not have to worry about being re-elected so can represent groups that span the country, rather than just their constituents
How many MPs are from minority ethnic groups, as of 2024?
90 (13.85%)
How many MPs are women, as of 2024?
263 (40.46%)
What % of 2024 MPs are from state schools?
63%
Give evidence that the House of Commons is getting younger.
Mharia Black, elected in 2015 for the SNP, was the youngest MP in history at only 20
What is the average age of a member of the House of Lords?
71
How many female peers are there as of 2023?
236 (29.28%)
How many peers come from ethnic minority backgrounds, as of 2022?
55 (6.82%)
Give evidence for educational unrepresentativeness in the House of Lords.
42% were educated at Oxbridge and 62% went to independent schools.
Why may the Commons be more representative that the Lords?
People may be more likely to elect representatives who are similar to them. Lords are also come in three types: lords spiritual (high ranking bishops - white people may be more likely to join the Church); hereditary peers (old white families); and life peers (white people and men are more likely to go onto higher education and become experts in their fields when they are older).
Why is the social unrepresentativeness of the HOL a problem? Why isn’t it?
The HOL is socially comprised of individuals who are more likely to be conservative or right-leaning; although they are not party affiliated, this may affect their worldview and how they vote, such as delaying the lowering of age of consent for gay men for as long as possible. Even if this is not true, the idea of bias is harmful to legislation.
- The Lords exists to represent expertise, rather than social perspectives - they are employed based on their knowledge of fields like the military (Lord Dannatt) or homelessness (Lord Bird), their social categories should play no part.
What three acts/conventions limit the power of the Lords over the Commons?
- The Parliament Act 1911: Removed The Lords ability to veto and only allowed them to delay bills for two years, also removed Lords power over any ‘money bills’
- The Parliament Act 1949: reduced two years to one
- The Salisbury Convention: Any policy that was in a government of the day’s manifesto cannot be amended or delayed
Why can’t the Lords have any say on taxation levels?
The Lords are not accountable to taxpayers, being unelected, so cannot have any say on the level of taxation, a liberal democratic principle of democracy.
Explain ‘Confidence and Supply’
Confidence is given by the Government, it refers to the faith of the Commons in the government to operate effectively; supply is given by the Commons, it refers to the willingness of the Commons to authorise the taxation and borrowing that allow the Government to operate. This agreement usually takes the form of the government have a majority in the Commons; however, it can also take the form of a coalition (2010 - Conservatives and LibDems) or a minority government with the support of another party without a formal coalition (2017 Conservatives with the DUP, pledging an additional £1bn to Stormont).
What does the House of Lords lack that remove their power to hold the government to account?
As the have no ability to provide ‘confidence’ (such as in voting for the Budget or taxes, the loss of which would automatically trigger a general election), they have no leverage over the government to scrutinise them effectively.
How has the 1999 House of Lords Act given the HOL more power? How have recent events added to this?
The removal of all but 92 hereditary peers removed any party majority giving them more ability to scrutinise government; further, the larger proportion of life peers increased their prestige. Adding to this, Starmer pledged to break the Cranborne Compromise and remove the final 88 hereditary peers, further increasing their power.
What has made the House of lords more powerful in recent years?
The string of coalition or minority governments has increased the influence of the House of Lords recommendations, as well as all the governments that lacked an electoral mandate to use the Salisbury Convention.
What powers does the Commons have that The Lords does not?
- Examination and approval of financial measures
- Vetoing legislation
- Votes of no confidence
- Select committees
- Final approvements of amendments
What powers does the Commons have that the Lords does no?
- Voting on financial measures
- Veto of legislation
- Votes of no confidence
- Committee scrutiny
What powers does the Lords have that the Commons does not?
- Examining secondary legislation
- Delaying bills
What powers do both Houses of Parliament share?
- Debating and voting on legislation
- Proposing legislation and amendments
- Calling governments and ministers to account
- Debating key issues of the day
Explain the three kinds of bills.
Private Bills: bills introduced by non-government groups or individuals
Private Members’ Bills: bills proposed by non-government MPs
Public Bills: bills introduced by the Government
What are the five stages of the legislative process in each house?
First Reading: The bill is introduced to the house
Second Reading: Details of the bill are given and debated
Committee stage: Public Bill Committees debate and possibly amend each clause of the bill
Report stage: amendements are reported and new one’s proposed in the house and voted on
Third Reading: final version is presented, debated, and voted on.
Why has the Salisbury Convention become less important recently?
The long string of conservative governements with no electoral mandate meant the Salisbury Convention did not apply.
What is Parliamentary Privelige?
The right of members of Parliament to make certain statements within Westminister and not be subject to the law.
What is the importance of Parliamentary Privelige for scrutiny?
Members can feel secure in criticising the government and other state agencies and not be arrested
Give an example of Parliamentary Privelige in action.
2022: MP Layla Moran names 35 Russian Oligarchs close to Putin to be sanctioned, an act that could have gotten her sued outside the chamber.
What is the issue with Parliamentary Privelige? Give an example.
It can negate Rule of Law; when Lord Peter Hain broke an injunction by Sir Phillip Green over allegations of sexual assault in 2018 and nothing was done about it, the Lord Chief Justice called it ‘a straightforward attack on Rule of Law.’
It also may provide to much freedom for MPs who don’t always use it with the best intentions; in 2025, PM Starmer has continually used his privelige to mock Liz Truss, saying she ‘crashed the economy’
What is the importance of MPs in representation?
MPs represent small constituencies that have very local needs; without them, many issues would go unresolved, causing greater tension in society and loss of faith in democracy - Zac Goldsmith resigning in protest of the expansion of Heathrow airport, Adrian Ramsey
- MPs don’t always represent their constituencies effectiely - Nicki Morgan
- MPs need to represent the country as well - Adrian Ramsey
What is the importance of MPs in terms of committees
MPs do lots of important scrutiny in committees, largely going unrecognised but continually holding the government to account for its actions, also PMQT and MQTs - 2015 Public Account Committee investigation into the effectiveness of cancer care by the NHS
- Committees lack teeth to properly scrutinitse the government - BoJo skipped 3 of 6 meetings with the Liason Committee
- QTs lack power for backbenchers, with opposition leader getting 6 questions
What is the importance of MPs in voting for legislation
MPs are incredibly important for voting on legisaltion, legitimising it and holding power in their votes (and even the possibility of voting against the government) - Starmer faced with ‘mother of all rebellions’ over austerity measures, May 230 losing margin
- Most governments have a large majority so can afford to lose votes or ignore MPs- Johnson’s 21; Iraq
What three things is Mhairi Black, previous SNP MP, known for?
- Youngest MP elected in history (20)
- Quickly became a member of the Work and Pensions Committee, specialising in welfare and inequality
- Prominent LGBT+ rights spokesperson
What three things was Yvette Cooper, Labour MP, known for?
- Chose to return to the backbenches in 2015 having even been a cabinet minister before 2010, back on the front again
- Became chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, responsible for the resignation of Amber Rudd post-Windrush Scandal
- Introduced a Private Members’ Bill to block a no deal Brexit that narrowly passed.
What are two things Lord Dannat is known for?
- Previously was the Chief of General Staff, the highest ranking soldier in the UK
- 2015: Campaigned for UK ground troops to be redeployed in Iraq
What are two things Baroness Floella Benjamin is known for?
- Raises awareness of issues relating to education, children, healthcare, immigration
- 2013: marked international women’s day with a speech about the harmful effects of violent porn on children and women
What is the role of the Public Accounts Committee?
To moniter government spending and collection, investigating and calling the government to account.
What are the reasons the Public Accounts Committee are so powerful?
- The chair is alway a member of the Opposition (currently Geoffrey Clinton-Brown)
- Members are elected by MPs and not controlled by ministers
- Its reports are often unanimous so stands above party politics
- Has a high media profile so betters scrutiny
Explain the 2015 Public Account Committee investigation into the effectiveness of cancer care by the NHS.
It was found that there was great variation in treatment depending on age and region, paired with low cure rates and increased wait times.
- The government launched a task force to improve the delivery of cancer treatment.
How isn’t the Public Accounts Committee effective?
Its membership is voted on by Parliament, where the government has a majority - this leads to large government majorities, such as Labour MPs being more than half current members.
Additionally, lower profile cases can often be ignored - the government took no accountability for it’s £10bn failed attempt to digitize NHS records, despite PAC report
What is the purpose of departmental select committees?
To investigate and scrutinise the work of specific government depatments.
What were the successes of the 2018 Home Affairs Committee’s investigation into the Windrush Scandal?
The standing Home Secretary Amber Rudd was forced to resign due to her attempt to feign ignorance; additionally, the Windrush Scandal Compensation Scheme provided over £90mn to more than 2,500 claimants
What are the issues with Departmental Select Committees?
They aren’t experts - the Defence Committees reliance on foreign reports to properly assess complex military procurement procedure slowed down oversight on trident renewal
Governments can wait out the public outcry and do no further action - PACAC condemnations of lack of transparency during COVID, especially wth PPE contacts, resulted in reform.
What is the role of the Liason Committee and who are its members?
The LC directly calls the Prime Minister to account twice a year, it is comprised of the chairs of all DSCs.
Why is the Liason Committee inneffective? Give an example.
They have no power to force a PM to show up, Boris Johnson skipped out on 3 of 6 meetings.
What is the role of the Backbench Business Comittee?
Set up by the 2010 Wright Reforms, it determines what should be debated on the one day of the week allocated to backbench business.
What is the most celebrated example of the work of the Backbench Business Committee?
After an e-petition received 100,000 signatures to release all documents relating to the 1989 Hillsborough football disaster, the BBBC hosted a debate that resulted in multiple inquiries and th release of previously secret papers.
What makes committees so powerful?
They are usually made up of independent-minded MPs, being elected by other MPs rather than controlled by parties and thus are allowed a level of scrutiny that would not otherwise be possible.
What gives the Opposition power over the executive?
- The Leader of the Oppostion has priority at PMQTs (up to 6)
- They recieve 20 Opposition days to decide the topic of debate
- They have an extremely large media platform to use for scrutiny
What MP had the lowest vote share in 2024?
Labour MP Terry Jermy for South West Norfolk only had 26.7% of the vote.
How many times was Blair beaten and what was the first?
4 time total; his first in 2005 on extending detention of terrorist suspects
How many defeats did the Lords inflict in the 2017-2019 session?
69
How many amendments did the Lords make in the 2013-2014 session?
1,686
How many Urgent Questions did Speaker Jon Bercow allow in the 2017-19 session?
307
Give an example of toxic behaviour in Parliament
In 2015, Cameron called Milliband “Alex Salmond’s Poodle”, to which the Conservative MPs responded with barking.
