Individual/Collective Ministerial Responsibility UKP Flashcards
(31 cards)
in March 2023, what did Suella Braverman blame for failure to stop channel crossings
- leftwing lawyers
- civil servants
- Labour party
what happened during COVID for department of OFQUAL and Secretary of state for education
- head of OFQUAL, sally colier, resigned
- secretary of state for education, gavin williamson, did not
what happened in 1995 with ‘operational responsibility’
- 1995 - Michael Howard
- sacked Derek Lewis, director general of the Prisons Service after escapees from Parkhurst Jail
what happened to the ministerial code in May 2022
- Johnson revised after news had found out about it
- weaken rules on individual ministerial responsibility
- ministers who breach code are no longer resign, but apologise and/or accept reduction in pay
examples if Individual Ministerial Responsibility where the person resigned in 2002
- Estelle Morris
- resigned after department hadn’t let literacy and numeracy targets they set
- RESIGNED WITHOUT BEING PUSHED BY PM
examples if Individual Ministerial Responsibility where the person resigned in 2018
- Amber Rudd after inadvertently misleading the Home Affairs Select Committee
- media scrutinised her over windrush scandal
examples if Individual Ministerial Responsibility where the person resigned in 2021
- resigned after video showed Hancock having extramarital affair during COVID restrictions
- PM said the matter was ‘closed’ but Hancock resigned a week later
- MEDIA WAS THE REASON
examples if Individual Ministerial Responsibility where the person resigned in 2022
- Suella Braverman sent classified information using personal email
- she was reappointed as Home Secretary weeks after
- SHOWS THE LIMITS OF MINISTERIAL RESPONSIBILITY IMPORTANCE
examples if Individual Ministerial Responsibility where the person resigned in 2023
- Nadim Zahawi
- failed ministerial code by failing to tell officers he was under investigation by the tax authorities when he was chancellor under Boris Johnson
- ministerial responsibility was seen as important under Sunak
examples if Individual Ministerial Responsibility where the person did not resigned in 2019
- Chris Grayling
- giving multi-million pound ferry contract to company which never owned a ferry
- major cost to the tax payer
examples if Individual Ministerial Responsibility where the person did not resigned in 2020
- Priti Patel
- bullied civil servants
- sir alex allen, author of report, resigned in protest
- she didn’t resign, BJ didn’t force her, she was also very popular in her party
examples if Individual Ministerial Responsibility where the person did not resigned in 2020
- Education Secretary Gavin Williamson
- failure in algorithm to determine results
- remained in office for over a year
examples if Individual Ministerial Responsibility where the person did not resigned in 2022
- Boris Johnson
- number of parties and ministers attended but still did not resign
- reduce power of ministerial code afterwards
- HIGHLIGHTS that PM is ‘Judge, jury and Executioner’
examples if Individual Ministerial Responsibility where the person did not resigned in 2023
- Dominic Raab
- bullying and mistreatment of staff from over 20 civil servants
- Sunak, instead of forcing resignation, set out inquiry
arguments that Individual Ministerial responsibility no longer remains important
- dependent on individual - most likely will take pay cut than resign
- PM is ‘judge, jury and executioner’
- resignation will be based on reaction from the media (‘spin doctors’ can influence this [Alastair Campbell’s ‘golden rule’])
- near complete breakdown of IMR under Johnson
why is the PMs role as ‘judge jury and executioner’ controversial
- PM hesitant to make government look weak by sacking
- don’t like forcing resignation on loyal allies
- some PMs have low standards in relation to personal conduct
arguments that Individual Ministerial responsibility remains important
- IMR became important under Truss and Sunak through resignation of Braverman and Raab
how could there be reforms to IMR
independent body to uphold Ministerial code [unlikely to happen as PM would run risk of being forced to resign]
what is collective ministerial responsibility
all members of the cabinet must publicly support governmental decisions made in Cabinet, even if they do not
what are ‘Free Votes’ and how do they relate to Collective Ministerial Responsibility
- ministers are able to vote how they wish
- 2013 - cameron did so with same-sex marriage and Phillip Hammond voted against
- 2023 - Sunak did it for sanctions given to Johnson after lying about Partygate
what are ‘Referendums’ and how do they relate to Collective Ministerial Responsibility
- 1975 European Communities Referendum, Harold Wilson allowed ministers to campaign both sides
what are ‘coalition’ and how do they relate to Collective Ministerial Responsibility
Lib Dems could abstain in votes on:
- construction of nuclear power stations
- tax allowance for married couple
- higher education funding
- renewal of trident
- ALSO parties took opposing sides during AV 2011
how is ‘leaking’ a limit to collective ministerial responsibility
- sometimes leak dissatisfaction with media
how is ‘big beasts’ a limit to collective ministerial responsibility
- some ministers are important figures in politics and parties
- too powerful/popular for sacking as this might cause revolt within party
