The Executive and Parliament

Question 1

What is meant by ‘elective dictatorship’

Answer 1

Coined by Lord Hailsham in 1976 referring to the way power had been concentrated in the hands of the executive

Question 2

What factors contribute to Executive dominance

Answer 2

-FPTP electroal system, which tends to favour a single-party government, sometimes enjoys a large Parliamentary majority based on a small share of the popular vote

-The whip system and the PM’s power of patronage reinforces party loyalty and discipline

-Government domination of the legislative timetable

-The use of the Salisbury Convention and the Parliament Acts to limit opposition to a government’s programme from the House of Lords

Question 3

What Blair statistic shows the rarity of government?

Answer 3

Blair did not lose a single vote in the Commons until after 2005 where his majority was slimmed down by 100 seats (from 167 in 2001 to 66)

Question 4

Give examples of government shelving plans in fear that they will be defeated in the Common

Answer 4

-2023 Conservatice Criminal Justice Act with over 40 Conservatice MPs threating to rebel

-2015 Cameron government proposing to reduced ban on hunting until after the SNP made it clear they would vote against

Question 5

Give an example of a free vote by the Cameron government?

Answer 5

Same Sex Marriage Act (2013), recieved cross party support

Question 6

What power do Ministers hold over Select Committee’s

Answer 6

Can obstruct them from summoning officials to their hearing and they do not have to act on their proposals

Question 8

What reforms sought to increase the power of backbenchers and reduce executive dominance after 2010?

Answer 8

The Wright Reforms were introduced after the 2010 General Election to increase executive accountability and empower backbenchers.

Question 9

What committee was established by the Wright Reforms and what was its function?

Answer 9

The Backbench Business Committee (BBBC), established in 2010, gave backbenchers more control over Parliament’s agenda, selecting topics for debate for 35 days per session (around 1 day a week).

Question 10

Provide an example of a debate led by the BBBC that gained media attention.

Answer 10

On 5 December 2024, Sir Iain Duncan Smith led a BBBC debate on detained British nationals abroad, calling for regular Foreign Office reports and raising the issue of human rights abuses.

Question 11

How are Select Committee chairs now chosen as a result of the Wright Reforms?

Answer 11

Select Committee chairs are now elected by MPs in a secret ballot within party groups, rather than being chosen by party whips.

Question 12

Give an example of a high-profile MP who has used their Select Committee role to challenge the executive.

Answer 12

Emily Thornberry, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, criticised the government’s China policy and called for stronger Russian sanctions.

Question 13

What has increased under recent Speakers, allowing MPs to challenge ministers more directly?

Answer 13

The use of Urgent Questions has increased, allowing MPs to question ministers on urgent issues. The Speaker decides whether to grant them, requiring immediate ministerial response.

Question 14

Provide an example of an Urgent Question being used under Speaker Hoyle.

Answer 14

On 30 March 2023, an Urgent Question was raised about Junior Doctors strikes, requiring a government response.

Question 15

Why might the Wright Reforms and Urgent Questions have limited effect on executive dominance?

Answer 15

Though they raise issues and enhance scrutiny, they rarely lead to policy change. The executive still dominates the timetable and legislative process.

Question 16

How is Select Committee scrutiny still limited despite reforms?

Answer 16

Select Committees are still composed of a majority of governing party MPs. In the current Parliament, Labour holds 18 of 27 committee chairs and majorities on each committee due to a 174-seat Commons majority.

Question 17

What major reform to the House of Lords reduced its in-built Conservative majority?

Answer 17

New Labour’s reforms removed all but 92 hereditary peers, increasing independence and eliminating the in-built Tory majority.

Question 18

How did the composition of the Lords change after New Labour’s reforms?

Answer 18

Many life peers were appointed, including professionals and experts in various fields, improving scrutiny.

Question 19

Provide examples of expert life peers in the House of Lords.

Answer 19

Lord Andrew Adonis (former Secretary of State for Transport) and Lord Mair (Professor of Civil Engineering at Camebridgeand chair of the Science and Technology Committee).

Question 20

Why do life peers face less pressure to vote along party lines?

Answer 20

As they are not elected, life peers do not rely on party machines or funding, giving whips little leverage.

Question 21

How often was Tony Blair defeated in the House of Commons vs. the House of Lords?

Answer 21

Blair was defeated only 4 times in the Commons (all in his last term) but 353 times in the Lords.

Question 22

Give an example of the House of Lords influencing legislation through defeat.

Answer 22

In 2001, 10 defeats in the Lords led the government to remove incitement to religious hatred from anti-terrorism legislation.

Question 23

What limits the legislative power of the House of Lords despite its professionalisation?

Answer 23

The Parliament Acts (1911, 1949) prevent the Lords from rejecting financial bills and allow only a one-year delay on other bills.

Question 24

How did Blair’s government override Lords’ opposition using the Parliament Acts?

Answer 24

The Parliament Acts were used to pass the Hunting Act 2004, banning hunting with dogs.

Question 25

What is the Salisbury Convention and how does it limit the House of Lords?

Answer 25

It prevents the Lords from blocking government bills that fulfil manifesto commitments, allowing only technical amendments.

Question 26

Provide an example of a bill that the Lords cannot block due to the Salisbury Convention.

Answer 26

The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, in Labour’s 2024 manifesto, aims to remove the 92 hereditary peers and cannot be blocked by the Lords despite it containing signifcant changes to the upper chamber

Question 27

What is the overall judgment regarding backbencher reforms and executive dominance?

Answer 27

Although backbenchers gained influence, debates and questions rarely change policy, so the executive still dominates the legislative process.

Question 28

What is the overall judgment regarding House of Lords reforms and executive dominance?

Answer 28

New Labour’s reforms made the Lords more professional and independent, limiting executive dominance to some extent, despite the Lords' limited powers.

Question 29

In comparison to before 2010, what has emboldened and increased the power of Parliament while decreasing the power of the executive?

Answer 29

Many of the governments and governing parties since 2010 have been weak, divided and unpopular around key issues, therefore emboldening and increasing the power of Parliament, as well as decreasing the power of the executive.

Question 30

How many times was Tony Blair defeated in Parliament during his time in office?

Answer 30

Tony Blair was defeated just four times in his 10 years in office, all of which were in his third term.

Question 31

How many times was Gordon Brown defeated in Parliament during his time in office?

Answer 31

Gordon Brown was defeated three times in his 3 years in office.

Question 32

How many times was Theresa May defeated in Parliament when she had a minority government?

Answer 32

Theresa May was defeated thirty-three times when she had a minority government.

Question 33

What is the most significant defeat Theresa May suffered in Parliament and when did it occur?

Answer 33

On 15 January 2019, her government tried to get Parliament to approve its Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and suffered the worst defeat in modern political history (432–202, with 118 Tories voting against).

Question 34

How many times was Boris Johnson defeated when he had a minority government?

Answer 34

Boris Johnson was defeated twelve times in just 6 months when he had a minority government.

Question 35

How many times was Boris Johnson defeated in Parliament when he had a majority government?

Answer 35

Boris Johnson was defeated four times in 3 years when he had a majority government.

Question 36

What happened on 15 September 2021 regarding an opposition day motion?

Answer 36

An opposition day motion from the Labour Party calling on the government to cancel a planned £20/week cut to Universal Credit was passed 253–0 after the government told its MPs to abstain.

Question 37

Why are the minority governments of May and Johnson considered exceptions in terms of executive dominance?

Answer 37

It can be argued that the minority governments of Theresa May and Boris Johnson were exceptions and that the majority of governments since 2010 have had little difficulty passing the policies they wish to pass.

Question 38

How did Sunak’s government perform legislatively despite being unpopular?

Answer 38

Despite Sunak and his government being very unpopular throughout his leadership, he faced few problems passing legislation due to the significant majority secured by the Conservative Party in the 2019 election.

Question 39

How many times was Rishi Sunak defeated as Prime Minister?

Answer 39

He was defeated just once as Prime Minister.

Question 40

How many bills did the government introduce in the 2022/23 parliamentary session, and how many received royal assent?

Answer 40

The government introduced 56 bills. Of these, 43 (76%) received royal assent by the end of the session.

Question 41

What were two examples of successful laws passed under Sunak’s government in 2022/23?

Answer 41

The Illegal Migration Act and the Online Safety Act.

Question 42

What majority did Starmer secure in the 2024 general election and how has this affected legislation?

Answer 42

Starmer secured the biggest majority since 1997, with a huge 174 seat majority in the 2024 election. He has faced no problems passing legislation so far and will likely be able to pass a number of significant legislative proposals.

Question 43

What does the continued dominance of the legislative process by the government suggest about executive power?

Answer 43

Even though electoral support for the two main parties has decreased, the FPTP electoral system and government dominance of the legislative process mean that the executive is still able to dominate Parliament.

Question 44

How did the 2010–2015 coalition government under David Cameron demonstrate executive dominance?

Answer 44

Despite being in charge of a coalition, David Cameron was defeated just seven times from 2010–2015 and was able to fulfil key manifesto pledges such as austerity, with a government bill being successfully passed every six sitting days of Parliament.

Question 45

What is the judgement about executive dominance under weak and unpopular governments since 2010?

Answer 45

There were certainly a number of weak and unpopular governments since 2010 and for these governments, the executive’s dominance over Parliament was significantly limited.

Question 46

Despite being weak, what were these governments still able to do?

Answer 46

They were still able to pass legislation.

Question 47

What do the two most recent elections show about the electoral system and executive power?

Answer 47

The two most recent elections demonstrate how FPTP still produces majority governments that can dominate Parliament most of the time.

Question 48

What convention limits the prerogative power to declare war?

Answer 48

The convention that the executive must consult parliament first as seen with Blair and Iraq (2003) resulting in the resignation of Robin Cook and Cameron backing down from Syria strikes in 2013 after it was voted down by the Commons. However, this is simply a convention, Sunak declared war against Houthi rebels in Yemen without consulting parliament

Question 49

Give 3 powers of the executive

Answer 49

-Prerogativee powers -Makes budet decision -Legislative powers

Question 50

Give examples of government's determining the budget

Answer 50

-In Oct 2024 Rachael Reeves announced tax rises (NI for employers) and increased minimum wage to £12.21 -February Starmer cutting international aid from 0.5% to 0.3%

Question 51

Give examples of Parliament having an influence on the budget

Answer 51

-In May 2025 the government u-turned on Winter fuel payments to pensions after over 6 months of from the oppositon