British Flashcards
recall petition
In British politics, a recall petition is a mechanism that allows constituents to initiate a process to remove a Member of Parliament (MP) from office before the end of their term. It is a form of direct democracy.
The Recall of MPs Act 2015 introduced the recall petition process in the United Kingdom. According to this law, if an MP is convicted of a criminal offense and receives a prison sentence of 12 months or less, or if the House of Commons resolves that the MP engaged in serious wrongdoing, a recall petition can be triggered. A specified number of registered voters in the MP’s constituency must sign a petition within a designated period. The number of signatures required is set at 10% of eligible voters in the constituency.
Once the threshold is met, a by-election is triggered, allowing constituents to decide whether the MP should be removed from office.
prerogative
arising from the prerogative of the Crown (usually delegated to the government or the judiciary) and based in common law rather than statutory law.
“the monarch retained the formal prerogative power to appoint the Prime Minister”
Parliamentary Sovereignty
Parliamentary sovereignty is the principle that the UK Parliament has the ultimate legal authority and can make, change, or repeal any law without restriction. It is the highest legislative body, and its laws take precedence over all other sources of law. There is no formal judicial review of legislation, and future Parliaments are not bound by decisions made by their predecessors. This principle grants Parliament significant power, but political accountability and checks and balances still play a role in practice.
