UK Parliment

Question 1

What are the origins of the House of Commons

Answer 1

The origins trace back through medieval history - king Henry III did not want to share his powers, which prompted a reaction from nobility member called Simon de Montfort who, once Henry was captured, summoned representatives of nobility, knights and churchmen to meet at Westminster hall in 1265 and this was considered the first English parliament

Question 2

During the civil war what did King Charles do?

Answer 2

Enter parliament and tried to arrest 5 MP’s

Question 3

In 1689, what did William II accept?

Answer 3

The bill of rights, which established parliamentary surpremacy

Question 4

Definition of parliament:

Answer 4

Parliament in the UK compromises of the House of Commons and House of Lords, and possesses supreme legislative authority. It scrutinises the work of government and represents the diverse interest of the UK

Question 5

Composition if the House of Commons:

Answer 5

The only democratically elected chamber, containing 650 MP’s, they have the right to dismiss a government if it loses a vote of no-confidence because it is a democratic body that represents the nation

Question 6

What are frontbench MP’s?

Answer 6

Mp’s who have been invited by the PM to join the government as senior ministers, junior ministers or permanent private secretaries who are all bound by the principle of collective ministerial responsibility

Question 7

What are party whips, how are they elected and what is their impact?

Answer 7

Party whips are appointed by party leaders to help to maintain discipline within a party. Whips encourage and cajole MP’s to support the party line, report back rebellions within a party and they can issue ‘one line’ or ‘three line’ whips to either encourage MP’s to vote in a certain way, or to force their MP’s to vote in line with the party

Question 8

In 2019 and 2024, where was the ‘three line whip’ used?

Answer 8

21 Conservative MP’s, including Philip Hammond and Rory Stewart had their party whip withdrawn for supporting the HOC taking control of the EU withdrawal negotiations several MP’s were removed from labour for voting for voting against the child benefit tax

Question 9

‘Three line whip’

Question 10

Under what circumstances are whips particularly important?

Answer 10

When a government has a small parliamentary majority or a minority

Question 11

What is the role of the speaker and how are they elected?

Answer 11

They are the ‘presiding officer’ of the commons, and they have a duty to be impartial. They arrange parliament business with leaders of the main parties, ensure proper procedures are followed and keep order/preside over debates. They can also suspend MP’s

Question 12

Since 2009, How has the speaker been elected?

Answer 12

By a secret ballot of MP’s

Question 13

In 2022, who was suspended from the Commons and why?

Answer 13

The leader of the SNP (Iain Blackford) was suspended by the speaker for claiming that the PM, Boris Johnson had been ‘wilfully misleading’ parliament over the lockdown parties at Downing Street

Question 14

What did John Bercow push for/achieve as speaker?

Answer 14

• he stood up for the rights of parliament against the executive
• He supported several reforms to increase powers of backbench MP’s to scrutinise government, for example, he ensured that they were allowed to ask more ‘urgent questions’ which ministers had to respond to on the same day
• his critics of government attempts to dominate parliamentary time won him support of many backbench MP’s

Question 15

When did John Bercow critisise government?

Answer 15

• in 2018 he reacted furiously when the government attempted to limit the time provided for an opposition day debate on the grenfell tower disaster
• in march 2019, he stopped Theresa May from reintroducing her unamended Brexit deal in the HOC

Question 16

What did Sir Lindsay Hoyle criticise in 2021?

Answer 16

He criticised the treasury when it briefed journalists about the upcoming budget before informing the House of Commons. Also in august 2021, he condemned the government’s handling of the UK’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and he criticised the delay in recalling parliament to debate the crisis. He also criticised the government’s decision to cut foreign aid from 0.7% to 0.5 of GDP for its lack of proper scrutiny

Question 17

What is the ‘Deninson rule’

Answer 17

A role of the speaker that says they have to settle a tied vote in government, to which they have to try and always vote in line with the status quo

Question 18

What is the role of the leader of the opposition?

Answer 18

• they ensure the government is thoroughly scrutinised
• they are given the right to ask 6 questions in PMQ’s
• they select a shadow cabinet whose task it is to hold the government accountable and persuade the electorate that their shadow government can be trusted in government

Question 19

What is the process of passing legislation?

Answer 19

A bill is presented to parliament at its first reading, then at its second reading the principles of it are debated, following this it is scrutinised by MP’s on a public bill committee, then at the third reading it’s debated at a report stage then sent to the HOL for scrutiny before receiving royal assent and becoming a law

Question 20

What are the criticisms with how legislation is passed in the UK?

Answer 20

• the public bill committee votes on party lines and always have government majority which may impact objectivity
• MP’s on many bills are expected to vote the way whips tell them to - limiting genuine engagement
• many changes to law came from secondary/delegated legislation, using statutory instruments, meaning the executive can sidestep the Commons

Question 21

How are ministers provided?

Question 22

What is an advantage of the way is which ministers are selected?

Answer 22

It allows MP’s to prove their abilities in the legislature, and so can persuade the executive of their fitness in government office. This was shown when the young Tory MP Iain Macleod impressed Churchill in debate and as a result Churchill demanded he be in government and refused the advice of the chief whip saying he was ‘too young’

Question 23

What are the disadvantages of the way front benchers are decided in government and opposition?

Answer 23

It significantly restricts choice because as many as one in three members of the governing body may be given a ministerial role. Also the PM being able to select government from backbenchers is seen to give the PM ‘patronage power’ which encourages conformity and reduces debate

Question 24

What are the different ways in which MP’s can scrutinise and debate?

Answer 24

The parliamentary backbench business committee, the petitions committee, adjournment debates, early day motions and emergency debate

Question 25

What is the parliamentary backbench business committee and when was it established?

Answer 25

It was established in 2010, and provided backbench MP’s with 35 days a year to control parliamentary business. MP’s can raise any issue with the committee such as Black History Month in 2021-22

Question 26

When was the petitions committee established and how does it work?

Answer 26

It was established in 2015 and was created to schedule debates on petitions that reached 100000 signatures

Question 27

What are adjournment debates and how long are they?

Answer 27

They are debates that take place after an MP apply’s to the speaker to ask a minister a question, and after this response other MP’s can also ask a question. These debates are limtied to 30mins

Question 28

What are adjournment debates good for and when was this shown?

Answer 28

They are effective at raising issues of public interest, for example in 2020, when Neil Parish’s MP adjournment debate led the BBC to protect regional news programs

Question 29

What are early day motions?

Answer 29

Motions introduced by MP’s urging debate on a specific issue

Question 30

Negatives of early day motions:

Answer 30

Most don’t reach the floor of the commons

Question 31

What are emergency debates and how are they approved?

Answer 31

Emergency debates take place in response to an MP’s call for it, to which the speaker will allow or disallow it. If allowed, an MP has 3 minutes to make the case in the chamber for the debate - and then if allowed here, the commons decide if it should take place

Question 32

In 2019, what emergency debates take place did John Bercow approve and what was the outcome?

Answer 32

On 3rd September 2019, in an emergency debate, 21 pro EU conservative MP’s voted for Oliver Letwin’s amendment for the House of Commons to take control of parliamentary business to stop the possibility of the Johnson government leaving the EU with a ‘no deal Brexit’. The government lost the vote 328/301ase for emergency debates take place was approved, which enabled the commons to successfully demand government extensions of Brexit negotiations by a vote of 329-300

Question 33

What are urgent questions and how do they take place?

Answer 33

MP’s can apply to the speaker to ask an urgent question and then if allowed, they are required to explain to the HOC what the government is doing on the issue raised

Question 34

In January 2022, when was an urgent question raised?

Answer 34

Sir Lindsay Hoyle granted Angela Reyner an urgent question to the PM on whether he had knowingly broken lockdown restrictions

Question 35

What are the positives of urgent questions?

Answer 35

The effectiveness of parliamentary debate and scrutiny is disputed, and powerful arguments tend to be generated which boosts the concept of independent MP’s. Urgent debates can also effectively respond to new emerging issues such as the Afghanistan withdrawal 2021, and transparency between gov. and public is increased because it ensures both bodies are kept informed about key issues

Question 36

In December 2021, which urgent questions debate sparked strong arguments?

Answer 36

The debate on Covid passes being introduced generated powerful arguments over the extent to which government can intrude peoples’ private life

Question 37

Why is representation in parliament important

Answer 37

It ensures that all diverse voices are heard, meaning that all groups in society are accounted for. Also without proper representation laws and policies may not properly reflect the will of the public and could lead to dissatisfaction or unrest. Representation also prevents the monopolisation of power because it restricts the domination of power among a single group

Question 38

In the HOC in 2019, what evidence is there to suggest it was the most socially representative in parliamentary history?

Answer 38

It obtained the highest number of female MP’s (340), the highest population of BAME MP’s (10%) and the highest number of LGBTQ+ MP’s (7%)

Question 39

What evidence suggests that the 2019 HOC wasn’t representative?

Answer 39

80% of these ‘representative’ MP’s had a business or professional career, therefore the working class was significantly under-represented. Also, 66% of MP’s were still male and 27% of MP’s were privately educated as opposed to 6% of the nation

Question 40

Representation in the HOC in 2025:

Answer 40

- 335 new MP’s entered the HOC for the first time - there are 263 female MP’s (41%) - the commons now has the highest proportion of ethnic minorities at 14% - there are currently 64 MP’s of LGBTQ+

Question 41

How it legitimation ensured in the HOC?

Answer 41

- parliamentary bills require the consent of the commons before they are enacted - the commons are consulted over the committing of military forces to action (after the 2003 Iraq war) - FPTP system usually grants a majority

Question 42

Why is legitimation in the commons controversial?

Answer 42

There is no codified constitution that shows the powers of the Commons in relation to the government, allowing the government/PM to act without consulting parliament. This was done in 1982, where Margaret thatcher failed to sufficiently consult MP’s prior to the invasion of the Falkland Islands and instead relied on a decision by her war cabinet and a debate was held on 3rd April after the government had already deployed a task force, also in 2017, May failed to consult MP’s before calling a snap election as Instead of following the spirit of the Act, May used the two-thirds majority provision to push the election through on 19 April 2017, meaning she avoided long debateand in 2018, May joined the US-led assaults on the Syrian government without consulting the Commons, which led Jeremy Corbyn to react strongly

Question 43

Where has consultation of the House of Commons proved successful?

Answer 43

Attempts by May’s government to begin the process by which the UK would enter negotiations to exit the EU without consulting the commons failed and in the 2017 Gina Miller case, the Supreme Court declared that the PM couldn’t legally do this by proroguing parliament

Question 44

What is ‘having the whip withdrawn’ and when has this happened?

Answer 44

- Having the whip withdrawn is when an MP essentially gets removed from a party for misconduct, meaning they can still be an MP but must be independent - labour suspended 7 rebel MP’s over the 2 child benefit cap - recently, Andrew Giuynee was sacked as health Minister by the government after allegations came to light of comments he made regarding his electorate and some anti-Semitic references he made in a WhatsApp group

Question 45

What is the role of the leader of the opposition?

Answer 45

They appoint a shadow cabinet and keeps them in account and challenges the current PM/governmen

Question 46

What are the three branches of powers?

Answer 46

Legislative, judicial, executive

Question 47

Why is the UK parliament described as bicameral?

Answer 47

It means ‘two chamber’

Question 48

What is the House of Lords?

Answer 48

The unelected chamber of Westminster parliament, composed of life peers, elected hereditary peers and bishops

Question 49

What are hereditary peers?

Answer 49

Peers that were made lords because their father was previously one, and after the 1963 peerage act, this title was extended to girls as well

Question 50

How many people did several PM’s put forward for peerage?

Answer 50

Tony Blair put forward 357 David Cameron put forward 243 Gordon brown appointed 34

Question 51

In 2022, what was the composition of the House of Lords?

Answer 51

There were almost 800 members, including 26 bishops of the Church of England (including Canterbury and York), 92 hereditary peers and the rest life peers

Question 52

Why are life peers appointed and why is this an advantage?

Answer 52

Due to service to the nation, which could mean that the HoL is less influenced by party politics in comparison to the Commons

Question 53

Who is the speaker of the Lords and when were they appointed?

Answer 53

Lord Mcfall was elected as speaker in 2021

Question 54

HoL impact over legislation:

Answer 54

- they are unable to stop bills passed by the House of Commons from becoming laws - they can however, make amendments to bills, hence they are seen as the ‘revising chamber’ - they can delay legislation for a year as a result of the 1949 Parliament act - as members aren’t influenced by dictates and party whips, they tend to be more independent and open minded

Question 55

Due to the 1911 and 1949 parliament acts, legislation can be passed regardless of objections. Where was this shown?

Answer 55

In 2000, the sexual offences (amendment) bill which reduced the legal age of gay sex from 18 to 16 was rejected by the lords however the government invoked the 1949 parliament act to give to the bill royal assent so that it could become a law

Question 56

What may heavy HoL defeats prompt government to do?

Answer 56

Reconsider/remodify or even discontinue legislation (especially when the initial bill was passed with a small majority) because there is a risk to continual ‘parliamentary ping pong’ which could bog down parliament regarding a bill that doesn’t even appeal to the public very much

Question 57

Where have heavy defeats in the HoL and small HoC majorities caused government to rethink legislation?

Answer 57

in 2008, a clause in the counter terrorism bill to enable suspects to be held for 42 days with no charge lost in the Lords by 191 votes and because this clause was only passed in the Commons by 9 votes, Brown decided to drop the clause

Question 58

Where has HoL criticism/scrutiny shown to be insufficient?

Answer 58

HoL critics of the 2020 internal market bill failed to sufficiently recognise the authority of devolved governments to determine goods and services policy, which led to the government conceding that some regulatory differences could be accepted within a common framework

Question 59

What does a larger HoC majority mean for HoL amendments?

Answer 59

The HoC would tend to be less prepared to accept amendments, evident after Johnson’s 80-seat majority in 2019, as in January 2020, the commons rejected all HoL amendments to the EU withdrawal agreement bill

Question 60

What are HoL sessional committees and special enquiry committees?

Answer 60

- sessional committees deal with a particular issue and last from one parliamentary session to the next - special enquiry committees investigate a specific issue and are set up for a specific time period

Question 61

‘Governing from the shadows’

Answer 61

Critics have accused governments of increasingly using statutory instruments to introduce significant changes to law without them being scrutinised in the same way as primary legislation, shown in 2020, as 1618 statutory instruments were passed but only 29 acts of parliaments were, which led veteran labour MP Angela Eagle to accuse recent governments of ‘governing in the shadows’

Question 62

What is a key ‘HOLSC’?

Answer 62

The secondary legislation committee

Question 63

What is the purpose of the secondary legislation committee and where was it used?

Answer 63

It highlights when statutory instruments are so badly drawn up that they may not achieve purpose, for example in 2022, a statutory instrument was used to reduce from 3 months to 4 weeks, the time claimants may limit their job search to the same occupation with the same pay level as their former job, however the committee said that these measures were rushed

Question 64

What are joint committees and what are three key examples?

Answer 64

They are joint between the Lords and the Commons and are created to deal with specific issues, such as the Human rights committee, National Security strategy, and statutory instruments

Question 65

Impact of the House of Lords’ on the Public order Act (2023):

Question 66

Backbenchers in both houses:

Answer 66

They are protected by parliamentary privilege, meaning they are free to raise any issue without being prosecuted in courts for libel or deformation of character

Question 67

What does backbench influence depend on and where was this key?

Answer 67

The size of government parliamentary majority . From 1976-1979, , the Callaghan government had to survive without a majority and in several votes labour and conservative whips struggled to ensure that all their MP’s went through division lobbies - famously, conservative MP Michael Heseltine furiously brandished the mace when he felt labour had unfairly won a division by one vote and on another occasion, when Tory MP Roger sins was late for a vote, the government won by one vote, which provoked a menancign response from Tory whips’ office saying that it ‘happens to us all’ when thatcher managed to rid the government by a vote of no confidence 311-310

Question 68

Due to a large parliamentary majority, where has the PM been able to survive backbench rebellion?

Answer 68

Tony Blair won a landslide in 1997 and 2001 so could survive backbench rebellion, shown in 2003 when 84 labour MP’s voted against involvement in Iraq, but Blair still won the vote

Question 69

When labours majority dipped in 2005, how did backbenchers gain influence?

Answer 69

In 2005, labour’s majority dipped to 66, and Blair failed to introduce a 90 day detention for terrorist suspects, as 49 labour’s majority dipped MP’s voted against it

Question 70

Features of government bills:

Answer 70

- most are introduced by government - the government can rely on whips to encourage support for the bills - according to the Salisbury convention, the HOL can oppose it with wrecking amendments

Question 71

What are the critics of the government legislative function?

Answer 71

- if the government has a large majority it can rely on loyalty of MP’s to vote for the bills thus making debates and votes a formality - membership of public bill committees is proportionate to party strength in the HOC so they will always have government majority - whip’s influence committee selection members - MP’s who are too critical of their governments bills are unlikely to advance their careers

Question 72

What were labour backbenchers from 1997 & 2001 landslide criticised of?

Answer 72

They were criticised for their lack of independent judgement and not properly scrutinising policy

Question 73

Where have backbench MP’s been shown to be highly critical of government?

Answer 73

Under Johnson’s gov. in 2021, they succeeded to introduce Covid passports in England, however 99 Tory MP’s voted against it, forcing the government to rely on support of the Labour Party for success

Question 74

What are some notable government defeats in the House of Commons?

Answer 74

- EU withdrawal agreement 2018: in jan 2019, May’s government was defeated by 432 votes to 202 on the Brexit deal - the largest ever government defeat in parliament. In March 2019 a modified deal was also defeated (391-242) and the third attempt in March as well (346-286) - Shops bill 1986: defeated on its second reading when 72 Tory MP’s keen to maintain tradition voted against plans to deregulate Sunday trading. Despite thatcher’s 140 seat majority, her government lost the vote 282-296

Question 75

What do critics say about backbench rebellions?

Answer 75

They say that rebellions slow down government legislative plans however it also shows backbench the independence of backbenchers

Question 76

Private members’ bills:

Answer 76

- a ballot is held at the beginning of each parliament in which mp’s can put forward proposals for a private members’ bill. Usually about 7/20 are debated - MP’s can put forward their proposals for a bill in a 10 min speech, however this is less likely to be a success - An MP can formally present a private members bill to HOC

Question 77

What may private members’ bills be used for?

Answer 77

They can be to do with raising the profile of an issue rather than actually changing the law

Question 78

Where have private members’ bills found high profile success?

Answer 78

-In 2018 Peter Kyle’s representation of the People bill which proposed reducing the age to vote in most elections and referendums to 16, it wasn’t given enough time to proceed but the issue obtained a high profile - assisted dying bills: various proposals for this, despite them not being enacted sparked extensive debates and in 2024, the bill proposed by Kim Leadbeater was eventually passed

Question 79

What is a filibuster?

Answer 79

This is an action designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question.

Question 80

In 2016, where did the alleged filibuster lead to a bills failure through lack of time?

Answer 80

John Nicholson introduced the sexual offences bill (Turing bill) which would have pardoned living-dead men for same-sex historic sexual offences. However, when the justice minister (Sam Gynmah) spoke at length in the debate and Nicholson tweeted ‘it seems the minister plans to talk the ‘Turing out’. If he keeps talking until 14:30 the bill dies’

Question 81

Composition and functions of HOC select committees?

Answer 81

Composed of a small number of MP’s and they investigate the work of depts. of state, but they also focus on specific subjects

Question 82

What is a strength of select committees?

Answer 82

They can consult widely with ministers, civil servants and experts and they can compel attendance from the public, and due to parliamentary privilege they can ask anything

Question 83

Ministerial questions:

Answer 83

As the executive sits within the legislature, it can be regularly questioned, in both chambers and be held accountable for government policy

Question 84

Functions of the HOC:

Answer 84

Represent constituents - establish accountability - propose bills and gives consent for legislation to be enacted

Question 85

Examples of backbenchers using parliamentary privilege:

Answer 85

- The retail tycoon Philip Green was named by Lord Hain, back in 2018, again using parliamentary privilege, as the mystery businessman involved in allegations of misconduct (sexual harassment and bullying), reported by the Daily telegraph - Paul Farrelly (Labour MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme) disclosed how oil trading company Trafigura dumped toxic waste in Ivory Coast, causing thousands of illnesses, which Forced the release of suppressed documents showing Trafigura’s role. As a result The company later paid £32 million in compensation to victims.

Question 86

What is a key of example of select committees being powerful/effective

Answer 86

In 2015 the health select committee recommended that a 20% tax on sugary drinks be enacted to cut childhood obesity. Although the Cameron government had consistently been against this in 2016, George Osborne introduced a sugar tax

Question 87

What are the limitations of select committees?

Answer 87

They require lots of work, effort and cross examination across different parties. Not all MP’s have the resources of time to perform select committees duties