UK POLITICS PARLIAMENT

Question 1

what is the structure of the house of commons

Answer 1

• consists of 650 MPs (elected members of parliament)
• there is one MP per constituency who will take that seat, after being elected within their constituency through the first past the post voting system
• MPs will be loyal to a specific party through the whip system
• most MPs are backbenchers, but there are some members of government who are frontbenchers (ie cabinet ministers)
• the commons have select committees, of which the membership is composed of secret ballot chairs and backbench MPs elected

Question 2

what is the structure of the house of lords, and who are the different peers appointed by

Answer 2

• consists of 801 lords (who are all appointed) in total which can be broken down into:
• life peers (690) - appointed by monarch on the advice of the prime minister
• people peers (70) - lords appointment commission established in 2000
• hereditary peers (86) (but the maximum that can sit is 92) - inherited title - limited by the House of Lords reform Act
• archbishops and bishops (26) - appointed by PM from church of england rec

Question 3

bullet point the functions of the house of commons

Answer 3

• representation
• scrutinise the government (mainly done by opposition backbenchers)
• debate and generate legislation
• recruitment of ministers
• promote legitimacy

Question 4

bullet point the functions of the house of lords

Answer 4

• scrutinise / delay legislation
• scrutinise the government
• propose amendments to bills
• representative function

Question 5

what are the features of PARLIAMENTARY government

Answer 5

• a fusion of powers, whereby the executive and legislative branches are fused - the government (ie executive) is also involved in the law making process
• as a result of elections in parliament, a government is formed, of which the strength of the party is based on their dominance in parliament
• there are no separate elections for a prime minister (head of government)
• government is not individual leadership, it consists of a cabinet
• people within the government must come from parliament (ie cabinet ministers must also be MPs and democratically elected)
• the cabinet is responsible to parliament, and can only continue to govern with the confidence of the commons through a vote of confidence (idea of confidence and supply)

Question 6

what are some of the methods to scrutinise the government in the commons

Answer 6

• prime minister’s question time
• select committees
• voting on legislation
• the opposition

Question 7

what is the role of the opposition

Answer 7

• scrutinise and discredit the government
• present itself to the electorate as an alternative, and better government to obtain popular legitimacy and support

Question 8

how is the opposition effective at scrutinising government

Answer 8

• 20 days a year to raise issues for debate in prime ministers question time
  1) FPTP nature creates a dominant two parties and strong opposition to increase accountability
• ie Brown was defeated in opposition challenge regarding gurkhas,
• Tony Blair was defeated over the 2005 Terrorism Bill for holding suspects for 90 days without charge

2) forces clear responses to government policies because of accountability
- ie on the increase of RAF airstrikes from Iraq into Syria in 2015 by Cameron
- opposition forced Johnson to come forward with clear COVID policies
- Sunak breached ministerial code by claiming that Labour would rise tax to over 2000 pounds per family - accountability and forcing government transparency

3) highlights the failures of the government and will exploit these
- ie failures regarding the 2020 rejection of free child meals
- the Liz Truss budget of 2022 with Kwarteng
- failure of the government under Sunak to launch the Rwanda plan before summer as he claimed - level of incompetency and lack of credability

Question 9

how is the opposition ineffective at scrutinising government

Answer 9

1) FPTP - creates sizeable majorities from small percentage of vote
- ie 33% of vote and an 174 seat majority, means Kemi Badenoch finds it difficult to scrutinise policy of Starmer
- Conservatives found it difficult to criticise and discredit Blair, given his political and popular credability

2) a PM is usually effective based on their magnetism of personality
- ie william hague had to counter the charisma of Blair to draw attraction and faith in a conservative government, and the conservatives were not back in power until 2011

3) only 20 opposition days in Parliament, backbenchers have more days in parliament - reliant on PMQs to highlight problems

Question 10

what is the role of the whip system

Answer 10

• ensure that the party leader is aware of feelings of MPs toward legislation
• ensure that MP’s (esp backbenchers) toe the party line and follow party discipline to present the government as strong and united
• can withdraw the whip from MPs (ie Brexit, Johnson, 21 MPs)

Question 11

when may the role of the whip be more difficult

Answer 11

• when in a coalition or minority government, there is more power given to backbenchers, because the government relies on them so heavily to pass these votes - cannot enforce party discipline
• only a small number of voters can cause the government to lose a vote

Question 12

give statistics to show how does the lords fulfil and not fulfil its representative function

Answer 12

FULFIL:
POLITICAL: in 2021, there were 263 conservative members in the lords - mirrors the political majority in the commons which was created by the electorate
NEUTRALITY: 184 crossbenchers who lack party affiliation - neutrality
- for example, Lord Callanan (conservative) voted to send the Reform and Revocation bill back to the commons after proposed by Conservatives - neutral

NOT FULFIL:
- 576 men compared to 225 women
- 71% of lords are men compared to 48% of the population
- only 48 people of ethnic minorities (ie Baroness Amos)
- previously, only 12 people of LGBTQ+ orientation
- power of appointments - on average, Cameron added 40 peers a year, compared to the average of 21 - packed with loyalty and political supporters

Question 13

what are the EXCLUSIVE POWERS of the house of commons

Answer 13

1) have supreme and primary legislative power
- can propose legislation
- can also reject amendments made by the Lords
2) expenditure power
- power to approve finances and amend a government budget
- primary role in passing finance bills which can only be held up for a month by the Lords and cannot be rejected by the Lords (can only delay)
3) question government ministers and PM
- for example through PMQ etc
4) remove the government of the day through a no confidence vote - ‘confidence and supply’
-replace them within 14 days under the Fixed Term Parliament Act or a general election is held.

Question 14

what are the MAIN POWERS of the house of lords, and how may the power of the house of lords be limited.

Answer 14

1) propose amendments to legislation which forces the house of commons to review the amendments (dictating agenda in some way?)
- 1949 Parliament Acts - the Lords can delay a bill for only up to a year, cannot delay money bills for more than a month, and cannot reject legislation

2) the lords cannot defeat measures which are in the government manifesto (SAILSBURY CONVENTION)

3) have some veto powers, ie if the Commons tries to extend parliament when a general election has been called

Question 15

describe the legislative process

Answer 15

1. a green paper is introduced with vague potential policy implementation ideas
2. based on the reaction of the public to the green paper, a white paper is published with more concrete policy proposals
3. the government makes a draft of a bill, whereby senior party members and pressure groups make comments
4. first reading - the government announces the bill in the house of commons / is read to the commons
5. second reading - MPs debate, discuss, question and vote on the bill and if it should continue
6. committee stage - groups of MPs will scrutinise the bill and make amendments to it in committees - chairman decides which amendments will be voted on
7. report stage whereby amendments are made and voted on
8. third reading whereby the bill is read for the final time - bill is voted
9. the bill will enter the house of lords, whereby the process of parliamentary ping pong will take place
10. royal assent is given

Question 16

examples of how are backbenchers an effective check on the governments power

Answer 16

1) lack strong political affiliation
- ie backbenchers went against the government on heathrow runway plans - since the post war period, there have been 2x the number of rebellions

2) prevent government evasiveness
- ie in the 2011 Hillsborough disaster and May’s attempt to prevent parliamentary scrutiny
- forced a 2011 membership debate
- forced government acknowledgement of the slave auctioning in Libya with 260,000 signatures
- Emily Thornberry forcing a debate on the israel-palestine conflict
- David Lammy exposed the lack of knowledge of Amber Rudd in Windrush
- May’s evasive nature when answering questions from Corbyn made her ‘weak’

3) rebel against the party
- ie Johnson removed the whip from 21 MPs after their vote on the European Withdrawal Bill
- in the first 4 years of the coalition, 40% of votes were rebellions
- called for the deployment of troops in Afghanistan
- 139 MPs rebelled against the Iraq war vote

4) backbenchers compose many of the select committees - selected by secret ballot and elected by the house (WRIGHT REFORMS ENHANCED THEIR POWER)
- select committees are proportional to dynamics in the house
- 1/3 of committee changes are made
- tarnish government image - ie committees over infected blood scandal
- can force resignations - Amber Rudd on the Windrush Scandal

Question 17

how are backbenchers an ineffective check on government power

Answer 17

1. the whip system and ideas of patronage has decreased the frequency of rebellions
   - ie Starmer suspended 7 MPs after they voted with the SNP to get rid of the two child benefit cap - induction of fear etc
   - barred Faiza Shaheen from the party due to her views on Palestine
   - members feel a duty toward their party
2. too much emphasis placed on e-petitions, which consumes the majority of their time
   - for example, an e-petition on making pet theft a specific criminal offence
3. cannot propose legally binding motions
   - only 2% of private members bills by the BBBC are actually passed - only 10 bills passed from 2013-2014

Question 18

how are select committees ineffective checks on government power

Answer 18

1. lack resources and legitimacy
   - ie Mark Zuckereberg didn’t attend his hearing regarding fake news teice- lack the resources to force this or are not treated seriously
   - only 40% of suggestions are adopted
2. high turnover rate
   - ie from 2010 to 2015, the defence committee had a turnover rate of 83%
   - lower perceived authority and experience and a lack of established continuity
   - membership will change depending on government majority - ie Starmer’s majority in committees
3. partisan alignment
   - Cameron assists Reece Mogg to answer questions
   - during the conservative tenure, the conservatives would have chaired 12/19 committees

Question 19

how are select committees an effective check on government power

Answer 19

1. force resignations of ministers and exposes gaps in knowledge to force a government with more expertise
   - ie Amber Rudd in 2018 on the Windrush Scandal and leaked emails by Cooper
   - david davis resigning after claiming there were no economic reports for Brexit, despite previously claiming there were 57
2. forces accountability and recognition of key issues
   - for example, the liason committee questioned cameron on his intervention in syria and libya, declaring it was unethical
   - Liason committee questioned Johnson on COVID testing - force transparency and accountability to implement
   - BBBC can schedule debate for one day a week
   - Foreign Affairs Committee in 2016 concluded that the UK’s actions in Libya were unethical
3. specialist presence
   - Sarah Wollaston was used for the health committee
   - allows them to have more expertise - 89% of MPs think theyre effective
   - a report in 2015 from the environment committee claimed that cracking was damaging, and provisions to stop it were included in the Climate Change Act
4. leads to a tangible change in government policy (ie 2015 report published by the environmental committee announced fracking as damaging, thereby the government introduced the climate change act 2008)
5. good publicity, which forces the government to acknowledge these findings (education select committee was mentioned 10x in 2008, but 55x in 2012)

Question 20

examples of the recruitment of ministers

Answer 20

• cameron was appointed by major to prepare him for prime ministers question time
• ed miliband was a special advisor for gordon brown

Question 21

examples of how is the commons effective and ineffective in terms of representation

Answer 21

EFFECTIVE:
- MPs launched a campaign to reverse the introduction of casinos to boost the local economy, in constituencies which would be impacted and face a spike in crime (ie Manchester)
- the shadow Labour party consisted of 51% women
- Conservatives gain 48 new seats in 2019 to reach a majority - amplifying public opinion and displaying its shift

INEFFECTIVE:
- use of the FPTP voting system which exaggerates party majority and success (lack of proportionality, no regional representation, feel a need to toe along party lines) - lib dems attain 11% of the vote, but only 1% of the seats
- 27% went to a private school, only 5% of the population go to a private school
- only 10% of MPs are of an ethnic minority
POLITICAL LACK OF REPRESENTATION:
- 75 represented constituencies in the North but 84 in the South - party dominance and outweigh
- there are 533 english constituencies - english dominance
- only 1/3 of the commons are women
- 7 different classifications of party being represented in 2024 election

Question 22

how is prime ministers questions an effective and ineffective check on the power of the prime minister

Answer 22

EFFECTIVE:
- on the spot, forced accountability
- televised - ie the showdown between Thatcher and Corbyn over poverty alleviation and the housing crisis

INEFFECTIVE:
- becomes excessively loud and chaotic, whereby more attempts are made to quiet the area than improve policy - ie the reaction to when Cameron claimed “calm down dear”

Question 23

how is the house of commons more powerful than the house of lords

Answer 23

1) financial autonomy and powers of the commons, whereby the lords cannot block money bills (ie HS2 would have access to over $65 billion of funding)
2) bills in the government manifesto cannot be blocked by the lords - despite a Conservative majority in the lords, the Labour VAT on private school fees cannot be rejected
3) power to remove and create governments - ie fixed term parliament act - ie had the power to create Sunak’s government after Truss lost a no confidence vote
4) introduction of primary legislation and dictate the legislative agenda
- ie Blair put a large influence on Consittutional Reform, and passed the 1997 and 1999 Scotland and Wales Acts, 1998 HRA, 1999 House of Lords Act etc
5) the lords can propose amendments, but they can be blocked by the commons and the commons has the final say
- ie in 2017, the Lords attempted to add amendments which would guarantee EU citizen’s rights who lived in the UK - to pass Article 50 to trigger the UK exit from the EU - common’s overturned
-2004 Hunting Act was forced through
- 2005 prevention of terrorism bill was forced through
- ie in April 2024, all of the 10 amendments made by the lords were rejected
6) public mandate of the house of commons - more legitimate and have the right and opportunity to scrutinise government - the Lords cannot challenge the government face to face - unlike PMQ

Question 24

how is the house of lords more powerful than the house of commons

Answer 24

1) the lords can induce parliamentary ping pong and delay the legislative process
- ie because Rwanda was not in the manifesto, the Lords introduced ping pong, and amended elements regarding soliders in the Afghan war

2) the lords can force amendments into government bills
- ie 374 amendments were added to the health and social care bill, 5091 amendments to government legislation in 2016-2017

3) increasing legitimacy since reform (ie House of Lords Act 1999 limited the number of hereditary peers)
- lacks party affiliation, 180/800 members in the lords are crossbenchers - Lord Callanan point
- have significant levels of EXPERTISE

4) the Lords do not need to be re-elected so party control and discipline is much weaker - much more political balance in the Lords
- retained EU reform and revocation bill
- criminal justice bill 2000 - would save the government 20 million pounds
- EU withdrawal bill was defeated by 230 votes
- rejected calls for an early election in 2011
- victims and prisoners bill amendments forced commons concessions

Question 25

what were the wright reforms

Answer 25

allowed for reform and re-establishment of select committees to become more effective

Question 26

forms of scrutiny in parliament

Answer 26

• backbenchers
• opposition
• house of lords
• select committees
• PMQ

Question 27

how could parliament be said to be legitimate

Answer 27

• multiple houses - ability to scrutinise and check laws
• commons is elected - to be a head of government and in cabinet you must be elected
• lords = experience and professionalism (ie Beeban Kidron)

Question 28

how is parliament not legitimate

Answer 28

• FPTP system used in the commons - creates an unelected dictatorship
• the lords is an unelected body, often members are appointed by the prime minister who will pack the lords for patronage reasons

Question 29

how is parliament effective and ineffective at passing legislation

Answer 29

• decisive majority will create a lack of opposition and allow for the quick and swift introduction of bills without any scrutiny (ie the European union (future relations) bill was passed by both houses in one day)
• backbench business committee - can choose topics which come up in discussion and emergency measures

ineffective:
- parliamentary ping pong structure which hinders the quick passing of emergency legislation

Question 30

bullet point the different types of parliamentary bills, and give an example for each

Answer 30

1. private members bill - sponsored by an MP or peer (ie Kim Leadbetear on the assisted dying bill, or Helen Newlove on the victims and prisoners bill)
2. public bills - bills which have been introduced by the governing party (ie House of Lords reform)
3. private bills - bills which will affect one area or organisation, seen through the HS2 railway scheme
4. Hybrid Bills - private and public bills which are merged together, including the Channel Tunnel Rail Act 1996

Question 31

what influences the power of the opposition / enlarges the power of the opposition

Answer 31

• government approval ratings
• how late in the term a prime minister may be
• how unified their party is
• the composition of their cabinet and their unity
• the size of their majority
• does the opposition have a clear alternative for voters in terms of policies?

Question 32

examples of interaction between the commons and lords during the legislative process

Answer 32

1. Retained EU Reform and Revocation Bill
   - amendments introduced over the protection of food and environmental standards
   - commons denied changes to food standards, but compromised on environmental standards
2. the lords passed an opposition amendment to the EU (withdrawal) no.6 bill
   - the government was defeated, but the bill was passed anyway
3. Prevention of Terrorism Bill 2005 - each chamber viewed the bill 5 times over the course of 30 hours
4. in 2017, the Lords attempted to add amendments which would guarantee EU citizen’s rights who lived in the UK - to pass Article 50 to trigger the UK exit from the EU - common’s overturned
5. parliamentary ping pong on amendments surrounding the Rwanda Bill

Question 33

role and significance of backbenchers

Answer 33

• key part of holding the government to account, because they are a driving force in if a bill will pass - ie their 35 days in parliament
• role to represent constituent interests
• can influence the legislative agenda and spark interest in specific issues
• importance in being a key part of the composition of select committees - key accountability institutions
• power of parliamentary privilege - idea that MPs are protected in parliament no matter what they say - expose ideas to public and create an environment for open debate (ie Sunak breaking PP according to Starmer, over claiming that Labour would increase taxes by 2000 in their tenure)

Question 34

how are PMQs an effective check on government power

Answer 34

1. attract the attention of the media and public
   - Cameron’s calm down dear comment in 2011 which gained significant media attention
   - over 60,000 views of weekly PMQs - exposure and clarity of policies
2. force tangible changes in policy
   - ie the death of Paul Goggins who promoted the ISA scheme - Cameron was questioned about his scheme, in which Osborne later announced $5million to the Junior ISA scheme
   - Ed Milliband forcing action over syrian refugees
   - urgent questions have increased to 73 in 2016-2017 from 9 in 2006-2007

Question 35

how are PMQs an ineffective check on government power

Answer 35

1. often extremely chaotic, and answers will therefore lack satisfaction
   - ie Sunak would not answer clearly to questions, always starting with the same phrase of ‘this is a matter the government is working on’, which lacks clarity and doesn’t promote transparency
2. seen as an opportunity for point and party scoring
   - the time was increased from 30 to 45 minutes

Question 36

what are the characteristics of the house of lords

Answer 36

1. independence and neutrality - 180 crossbenchers, lord Callanan
2. critical and constant scrutiny
3. expertise - over 3000 are brought in from outside Lords committees

Question 37

how is the lords effective at scrutinising

Answer 37

1. forces the government to rethink and reconsider policy
   - proposed 5091 amendments from 2016-2017
   - over 5244 amendments to over 100 bills
   - forced the government to rethink the 2005 Terrorism Bill due to claims of violating human rights
   - Lord Berkeley forced questions and a rethinking of policy over the police interfering with civil liberties
   - government was defeated 98 times between may 2015 and June 2017
   - ie the Health and Social care bill of 2012
2. can make key legislative changes
   - ie made key changes to the use of identity cards before an election
   - EU reform and revocation bill - forced to make key changes on environmental provisions of leaving the EU
3. defeat the government, displaying indirect discontent with policies
   - Nationality and Borders Bill faced 34 defeats
   - 128 defeats from 2021 to 2022
   - 2010-2015 = gov suffered 99 defeats from the Lords
4. impartial lord ministers
   - for example, Beeban Kidron who focused on the protection of children’s rights within the media
   - Lord Callanan
   - Helen Newlove (conservative) placing pressure on the government over the implementation of the Victims and Prisoners bill
   - attendance has increased by 26% since 2016

Question 38

how is the lords ineffective at scrutinising

Answer 38

1. overarching political influence
   - over 70% of lords will vote along party lines
   - 34/62 of Cameron’s appointees were previous MPs
   - Cameron packed around 40 lords on average per year, in comparison to 21
2. conventional and legislative limits
   - for example, the lords could not delay rwanda anymore
   - only 1/10 of the key amendments made to rwanda were adopted by the commons - don’t take on criticism
3. still a perceived lack of legitimacy
   - for example, despite low turnout, the majority of peers will still claim their 11,000 a year baseline salary
   - estimated turnout is only 25% to debates and activity in the lords - only 235 are involved in the active committee process

Question 39

what is the importance of:
1. scrutiny
2. representation
3. legitimacy
4. legislation
5. recruitment

Answer 39

scrutiny:
- ensures democratic practices are fulfilled
- challenges the expansive power of the government
- ensures the government is held accountable and transparent

representation:
- ensures power is not just concentrated with a select few of individuals
- cross section of political opinion
- bridge between public and parliament

legitimacy:
- allows the public to have a level of trust in the government
- ensures that a effective parliament is being pursued
- solidifies government mandate

legislation:
- embeds and codifies the actions of the executive

recruitment:
- increases political expertise, knowledge and diversity
- bridge generations and create a level of continuity

Question 40

how is parliament effective and ineffective at recruiting ministers

Answer 40

effective:
1) creates continuity and a level of expertise
- for example, Liz Truss was environment secretary, justice secretary, foreign secretary and international trade secretary - expertise

ineffective:
1) lack of diverse qualities and only have limited skills
- for example, Ed Milliband only ever worked in politics, under Brown
- creates an echochamber of thought

Question 41

how is parliament well suited and not well suited for its legitimacy function

Answer 41

well suited:
1) not reliant on the monarch - for example, Johnson did not use royal prerogative to push through Article 50
2) more sanctions from within government which force ethical practices and set a good example to the public
- ie Neil Parish was expelled for inappropriate consumption of content
- Mercies was suspended over the misuse of their campaign funding

not well suited:
1) FPTP system which exaggerates minority votes
- ie 33% and getting an 174 seat majority - with assistance from the fixed term parliament act, it creates an elected dictatorship
2) members of the House of Lords are appointed by the prime minister - idea of patronage and cronyism
3) parliamentary sovereignty - idea of overruling courts and public opinion

Question 42

evaluate the view that the government’s control over parliament has tightened over time

Answer 42

1) more imposed party control by the leader:
- ie starmer suspending 7 MPs after they supported the SNP on removing the limit two child tax credits
- helped by the FPTP system
- government suspended 21 MPs over Brexit rebels

increasing number of rebellions and government defeats:
- 44% of tory MP’s had rebelled at one point
- 2022-2023 = 126 rebellions

2) increasing accountability and scrutiny
- introduction of the wright reforms, select committees
- government defeats in legislation - ie environment committee and their report on fracking in the climate change act

high levels of patronage in parliament:
- appointments to the house of lords by Cameron
- voting along party lines = 70%

3) reform to the house of lords has allowed for better scrutiny
- ie the use of crossbenchers
- 5091 amendments from 2016 to 2017
- lord Callanan on the EU reform and revocation bill and compromising
- 34 defeats to the Nationality and Borders bill

the commons still does not view the lords as legitimate and force through legislation:
- ie the hunting bill of 2004
- only one of the amendments to Rwanda was adopted

Question 43

how is parliament well suited and not well suited for its legislative function

Answer 43

well suited:

1. FPTP majorities:
   - Sunak had the majority to enforce the Rwanda plan, despite 65% of the population expressing discontent toward the policy
2. ability to pass emergency legislation
   - for example, emergency legislation over the russia and ukraine conflict
3. easy ability to pass legislation due to size
   - bipartisan agreement over the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

not well suited
1. common to have minority governments which face a legislative gridlock
- ie May could not pass her proposals to grammar schools
- the institute of government claimed that 41 manifesto proposals were blocked
2. the ping pong and complex structure of passing legislation
- ie the prevention of terrorism bill in 2005 took 30 hours to pass

Question 44

examples of select committee departments

Answer 44

1. liason committee - power to question PM 3x a year
   - question johnson on COVID testing
2. environment committee - report on fracking which was implemented in the climate change act
3. defence committee - reported on the interference on government troops in afghanistan in 2014
4. international development committee - launched an inquiry into the ebola crisis in Iraq, Liberia and Guinea