Parliament Flashcards by lotte mohan

What is the composition of HC: parties?

403 labour
120 cons
72 LD
15 independent
9 SNP
7 Sinn Fein
5 DUP
5 Reform
4 Green
4 Plaid Cymru
2 SD&Labour
1 Alliance
1 Ulster
1 TUV

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What is the HL composition: party?

285 cons
212 lab
181 cross
77 LD
39 non
24 bishops
6 DUP
3 Ulster
2 Green
2 Plaid Cymru

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What is the HC composition: gender?

263 women
387 men

40% women

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What is the HC composition: gender?

260 women
573 men

31% women

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What is the HC composition: ethnicity?

66 EM
over half are women

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What is the HL composition: ethnicity?

around 6% EM
⤷ 14% EM population

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What is the HC composition: class?

63% comprehensive school, 23% privately
20% Oxbridge uni

lab 15% private
cons 46% private
cabinet 8% private

population 7% private

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What is the HL composition: class?

more than half were privately educated at secondary

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What is the average age in the HC?

51 as of 2020

youngest - 22
oldest - 81

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What is the average age in the HL?

71
almost 300 are over 80

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What is the role of the whips?

Ensure MPs attend divisions
Ensure party unity
Ensure attendance
Remove rebellious MPs

KEY to success within party, so they hold a lot of power

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What are whip scandals?

2022 blackmail scandal
- allegations over blocking Johnson being ousted
⤷ claimed that they would withdraw levelling up funds if they didn’t vote with the government
⤷ links to why affluent areas had high levelling up funds

Christian Wakeford
- defected from cons after funding of a high school was put on hold after he voted against the gov

2-Child Benefit Cap

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What Speakers have been controversial?

Michael Martin 2009
- forced from office for how he dealt with the MP expenses scandal

John Bercow
- Took the most urgent questions
⤷ 2015/16 - 77
- More backbench support
- Supported measure to increase female MPs
- EV - called a “serial liar” + “serial bully”
- repeatedly challenged Brexit deals
⤷ helped pass the ‘Benn Act’ which delayed Brexit

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How do speakers lack control?

cannot vote on acts
can only chose individuals to ask questions, cannot ask themselves
must remain impartial or can be at risk of removal
⤷ attempt to remove Hague by Gove and his rebellious cons MPs

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What are the ways Parliament is in control?

Private members bills
Approval of spring budget
PMQs
Scrutiny of laws
Vote of no confidence
Backbenchers
Committees
Opposition days

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What private members bills have passed?

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Organ Donation Act 2019
- Geoffrey Robinson, lab
- assumes everyone to be organ donors

Stalking Protection Act 2019
- Sarah Wollaston, lab
- early police intervention in cases before the become violent

Voyeurism Offences Act 2019
- Wera Hobhouse, LD
- makes up skirting an offence

When have backbenchers been useful?

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Theresa May
- had to manage her party to negotiate an agreeable brexit deal

Partygate
- May and PMQs

all private members bills

When have backbenchers been not useful?

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1997-2001 majority
⤷ (2003) 84 lab MPs voted against Iraq war, but Blair still won vote

How are MPs held accountable?

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Constituency
- surgeries
- emails
- lobbying

What are important cases regarding the safety of MPs?

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Jo Cox 2016 and David Amess 2021 murdered while attending surgery
Conservative’s biggest donor said Dianne Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and she “should be shot”

How are opposition days useful?

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Allows policy to pass in favour of minority parties
⤷ e.g. 2009 LD motion on Brown govt failing to provide Gurkha veterans with UK residency passed

How are opposition days limited?

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20 days per session
rare for an opposition day motion to pass

e.g
2024 labour amendment considered over Gaza ceasefire from SNP - led to calls for Hoyle to retire
⤷ SNP and tories walked outer
2019 labour op motion to declare ‘an environment and climate emergency’ was supported by the HC but not endorsed

How is the PM limited?

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PMQs
Legislation limits
Select committees
⤷ Liaison committee - represents all select committees and questions PM twice a year
Ministerial questions

When have PMQs been useful?

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May
- criticised party gate
⤷ asked Johnson if he was unsure of the rules he imposed on the public, or if he was deliberately violating them

Sunak
- received backlash for comments of Brianna Ghey

When have PMQs been sensationalised?

- Brianna Grey - Cameron - sing the national anthem *limited as leader of opposition can only ask 6qs *** add more

When have PMs' legislation been blocked?

Cameron - 10 defeats May - 33 defeats ⤷ mainly on rejections of EU withdrawal proposals and amendments Johnson - 16 defeats ⤷ 2021 - labour opposition day that cancelled the government's planned £20-per-week cut to universal credit Truss - none Sunak - 1 defeat Stamer - none

What legislation has not been scrutinised?

Coronavirus Act 2020 Hunting Bill 2004 ⤷ Parliaments Acts 1911 and 49 ⤷ 4 uses in 75 years

When has legislation had lots of ping-pong?

EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018, finalised 2020

When has the Salisbury been challenged?

2010-15 coalition ⤷ EU Withdrawal Act

How do select committees scrutinise legislation?

- Introduced 1979 - Can compel attendance from members of the public - Consult with ministers and experts - Can ask questions without fear of prosecution ⤷ parliamentary privilege

What select committees have been useful?

Health Select Committee - 2015 recommended a 20% tax on sugary drinks ⤷ G. Osborne introduced - 2021 Cummings called to give evidence (BJ's chief advisor) ⤷ questioned on if BJ was fit and proper to run the country through the pandemic ⤷ answered no - Public Accounts Committee

Why are committees limited?

- Can refuse to attend ⤷ BJ refused to attend his first liaison committee as he was facing too much pressure on Brexit ⤷ argued that he wanted to meet after the same time Brown, May etc had

Why are ministerial questions useful?

- 1hr in HC, 1/2 in HL from mon-thurs to ask ministerial questions - Ministers must respond within a week for HC, two for HL

When has ministerial questions been useful?

Foreign Office had to respond to questions around the Russia-Ukraine war ⤷ mainly on if the UK was having the desired effect in the conflict

How is the lords useful?

- Expertise - Scrutiny

Who are experts within the lords?

Chakrabarti ⤷ director of Liberty ⤷ made 4 speeches and 3 interventions on the Rwanda Bill Grey-Thompson ⤷ Paralympian ⤷ areas on disability travel Walton - former president of the BMA - part of select committees as an expert ⤷ Science and Technology Committee ⤷ Chair of the Medical Ethics committee

What does the HOL Reform Act 1999 and 2014 entail?

1999 - 92 hereditary peers 2014 - lets lords retire or resign ⤷ includes for non-attendance ⤷ e.g. Willoughby de Broke (hereditary) and John Prescott - whole session w/o appearance

When has peerage been controversial?

Peerages Scandal 2008 John Prescott peerage in 2010 David Cameron in 2023 - to be foreign secretary

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Parliament Flashcards

(39 cards)