Evaluate the view that the conventions of CMR and IMR are no longer an effective check on the government

Question 1

LOA

Answer 1

they are an effective check

Question 2

Para 1 - Weaker - Don’t enforce Unity

Answer 2

• Johnson wrote weekly critical messages of May to the Daily Telegraph whilst acting as her foreign secretary but he could not be fired because he represented the Brexiteers in the party
• in 2005 Brown leaked information about the proposed education reforms that were set up by Blair and Blair could not fire him for he represented a large part of the Labour party

Question 3

Para 1 - Stronger - most uphold conventions

Answer 3

• Phillip Hammond, despite being a Remainer worked not to disclose any of the Brexit talks under May
• Annalise Dodds resigned after the Labour government reduced international aid
• in 2013 the Lib Dem ministers had to oppose the Mansion tax in order to keep unity with the conservatives

Question 4

Para 2 - Weaker - doesn’t reduce sleaze

Answer 4

• Jeremy Hunt didn’t resign after claims that his ties with the Murdoch family affected his stance on letting NewsCorp take full control of BskyB
• in 2020 it was found Priti Patel had been bullying her civil servants but Johnson came out and defended her showing it is not effective because PM can reduce severity

Question 5

Para 2 - Stronger - does reduce sleaze

Answer 5

• First Sec of State Damian Green resigned in 2017 after Pornographic content was found on his work laptop
• in 2019 Alan Cairns (Sec of State for Wales) resigned over claims he knew of a former Aide’s role in the sabotage of a rape trial
• Alistair Campbell said if a story didn’t leave the papers for 7 days the minister should step down

Question 6

Para 3 - Weaker - no accountability

Answer 6

• in 2020 Gavin Williamson (minister of education) shifted the blame for the exam fiasco onto OFQUAL rather than accepting blame
• in 2020, Matt Hancock avoided resignation during the Covid pandemic for putting blame on Public Health England
• In 2011 the Foreign Sec, Theresa May, blamed the lapses in border control on civil servant Brodie Clark, who she claims acted beyond the guidance she gave him

Question 7

Para 3 - Stronger - accountable

Answer 7

• in 2018, Amber Rudd (Home Sec) inadvertently misled parliament on the immigration removal target and she resigned as Home Sec after this happened
• Priti Patel resigned in 2017 after it became clear that she was holding unauthorised meetings with Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu