UK politics examples Flashcards
(23 cards)
1
Q
examples of backbench rebellions
A
-Theresa May’s government was defeated on 33 occasions during her tenure. Notable ones include the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement
- Phillip Hammond’s plan to increase National Insurance Contributions in 2017 was quickly abandoned after several Tory backbenchers voiced concern over the move.
- Currently, there are several Labour MPs who are voicing concern over the cut in disability payments. It is rumoured that Starmer will now allow his own MPs to abstain on the vote if they do not agree with the plans.
2
Q
examples of debates affecting executive
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- 2013 debate in the House of Commons resulted in the government being defeated on a motion to authorise military action in Syria
- Windrush Scandal debates in 2018 highlighted the mistreatment of the Windrush generation, leading to significant government action. This led to the resignation of the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd,
- Neville Chamberlain famously resigned after a debate on the progress of the Allies in the Second World War in 1940. The debated culminated in a vote of no confidence which Chamberlain lost, forcing his resignation
3
Q
examples of question affecting executive
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- Intense questioning of Boris Johnson at Prime Ministers’ Questions in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 around issues related to lockdown, PPE shortage, and testing. This increased scrutiny and pressure on the PM highlighted government shortcomings and led to some policy adjustments in these areas.
4
Q
examples of scrutiny by select committees
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- The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has examined building safety in April 2025 as result of the outcry following the Grenfell tower fire.
- A report by Meg Russell of the Constitution Unit found that the government implements 40% of the recommendations made by Select Committees
- Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee in 2024, where they recommended the government improve infrastructure for electric vehicles, the government responded by accelerating the rollout of electric vehicle charging points.
- Committees act as a means of specialisation. Select Committees offer MPs the opportunity to develop a specialised knowledge in one area, this means that MPs are better informed, and this enhances the critical capacity of the House. An example is Labour’s Calvin Bailey, a former Royal Air Force officer who is also a member of the Defence Select Committee.
5
Q
examples of Liason commitee scrutiny
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- Keir Starmer faced the Liaison Committee in December 2024 and was questioned on a range of issues, from the state of the UK economy to welfare reforms and issues pertaining to the NHS
6
Q
example of privilleges committee scrutiny
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- carried out an investigation into Boris Johnson regarding the ‘Partygate’ scandal. The committee examined whether Johnson misled Parliament about the legality of gatherings at 10 Downing Street during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The committee concluded that Johnson had deliberately misled the house, which constituted a contempt of Parliament
7
Q
examples of public bill commitee scrutiny
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- Higher Education and Research Bill 2017 received evidence from a range of stakeholders, including universities, student unions, and educational experts. This resulted in the government accepting recommendations for greater student representation in higher education governance.
- About 60% of MPs appointed to committees have some experience in dealing with similar bills beforehand
8
Q
examples of House of Lords scrutiny
A
- House of Lords have frustrated and forced the government to amend legislation in recent years over contentious issues. Examples include the Nationality and Borders Bill 2022, the Lords made amendments concerning the treatment of refugees which forced the government to address the concerns raised.
- Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2022 also saw amendments successfully implemented after the Lords raised concerns over the power to restrict protests.
- Peers in the House of Lords debated the Climate Change Act 2023, emphasising the need for more ambitious targets and policies to tackle climate change. The government responded by strengthening its climate action plans.
9
Q
examples of private members bills
A
- Abolition of the Death Penalty Act 1965 and the Abortion Act 1967 are notable examples of Private Members’ Bills which have become law.
- Other PMB reflect the desire of MPs to carry out their representative role by responding to constituent concerns. One example is the Pet Abduction Act 2024 which was introduced by MP Anna Firth, responding to complaints made by her constituents over the number of pet abductions in the constituency.
10
Q
example of how whip system helps executive dominant
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- Notable examples of MPs who have had the whip removed recently are Zarah Sultana and John McDonnell of the Labour Party who defied the party’s line on the two-child benefit cap in July 2024.
11
Q
examples of how patronage system helps executive dominance
A
- An example of a careerist MP who had been rewarded for their loyalty is Nadine Dorries, a staunch supporter of Boris Johnson, she was rewarded with a cabinet position for her unwavering support in September 2021.
- about 140 salaried ministerial and junior ministerial roles within the UK government. This means that MPs who are part of the ‘pay-roll’ vote are bound by collective responsibility. This ensures a large block of guaranteed support for the government. This also means they are less likely to vote against their own party, as collective responsibility dictates that a minister must resign if they do not agree with the collective decision.
12
Q
how does the parliamentary timetable support the executive
A
- . By controlling debate time, the government can prevent opposition parties from delaying or obstructing its legislative agenda. The Coronavirus Act 2020 had guillotine motions attached to fast-track it through Parliament as a means to deal with the pandemic.
13
Q
how PMBs are restricted by executive
A
- Further constraints exist on the quorum need to move the bill to debate stage. You need 40 MPs to vote for this, and since Private Member Bills are debated on a Friday (traditionally the day MPs stay in their constituencies), there is less chance of going forward
- debate does go ahead, time limits are rarely attached. This means that opponents can filibuster the bill. To end debate and move forward, a closure motion requires at least 100 MPs to vote in favour. This is difficult to achieve on a Friday for the aforementioned reasons. Therefore, government support is often required
- 2,500 Private Members’ Bills have been introduced in the 2010-24 period with 110 making it into law. This gives a pass rate of 4.4%
14
Q
how debates fail to scrutinize executive
A
- The Hansard Society has pointed to a lack of debate around pre-legislative scrutiny as hindering effective scrutiny of the government
- often superficial with MPs often making speeches that are more about political posturing than a detailed examination of issues.
15
Q
how do questions fail to scrutinize executive
A
- There are also time constraints which mean not every MP who wants to ask a question gets to ask one. Supplementary questions are allowed at times which may catch a minister off guard, however, there is no mechanism to hold them to account so they can provide vague responses with little consequence. An example of ministers giving vague responses is during the Windrush Scandal 2018, this led to little progress within Parliament and took a massive media and public pressure campaign for action to be taken.
- for written questions responses can again be vague, or avoidant of the question. There is no follow up debate unless MPs use other procedures. Sometimes, ministers delay answering, especially when the answer might be politically sensitive. An example of this is during the Covid-19 pandemic, Labour MP Alex Norris asked about government spending on contracts and the cost to the public purse. The response from the minister involved, Jo Churchill, was vague and lacked full transparency
- An example of PMQs being ineffective is during the Partygate Scandal 2021-2022, Boris Johnson repeatedly denied wrongdoing or gave misleading answers about parties held during lockdown
16
Q
how do select committees fail to scrutinize executive
A
- may lack specific knowledge or expertise in the areas they are investigating. For instance, the Treasury Select Committee’s questioning of private equity figures in 2007 was criticized for the MPs’ lack of understanding of complex financial matters, which led to less effective scrutiny.
- not always effectively linked to debates and decisions on the floor of the House of Commons. This means that their findings and recommendations may not influence legislation or government policy as much as they could. For example, despite the Health Select Committee’s recommendations on public health issues, there is often a gap between committee reports and legislative action
- A study by Meg Russell into Select Committees concluded that 40% of their recommendations were ultimately implemented by the government, but this means that 60% were not. For example, in 2017, the Women and Equalities Committee made several recommendations to improve accessibility for people with disabilities in the built environment.
17
Q
how does the House of Lords fail to scrutinize
A
- The Parliament Acts have been enforced to pass legislation without the approval of the House of Lords on a few occasions such as the Hunting Act 2004.
- Salsibury convention explains why the House of Lords did not unduly delay the House of Lords Reform Act 1999, even though it went against their interests, as reform was included in the Labour Party’s 1997 manifesto.
- Between the years 2019-2024, an average of 49% of hereditary peers attended, 47% of life peers, and only 14% of Bishops were in attendance. This means that there is less time spent scrutinising the government as half the total peers were not attending sessions
18
Q
how Public bill committees failed to scrutinize the executive
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- Richard Berry of the Democratic Audit group notes that ‘sometimes whole sections of bills pass through committees without any scrutiny’.
- Over 99% of amendments moved at committee stage by the government are successful. Less than 1% of amendments made by opposition are successful.
19
Q
how do the executive dominate legislation
A
- the government can generally rely on their majority to ensure they meet little opposition within Parliament. The former Lord Chancellor, Lord Hailsham coined the term ‘elective dictatorship’ to describe this situation in Parliament. Indeed, about 95% of bills introduced into Parliament come from the government. About 86% of government bills have passed into law since 1997
- strong economy, public satisfaction, and a charismatic leader can also help the government dominate Parliament as it reduces the chances of dissent within the party. Tony Blair’s government went 8 years before suffering their first defeat in Parliament.
- there have been instances where the government has used military force without the approval or consultation of Parliament. This has been seen recently with the strikes on Houthi forces in Yemen in January 2024.
20
Q
examples of judicial review
A
- September 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s advice to the Queen to prorogue Parliament for five weeks during a critical period before the Brexit deadline was unlawful. The Court found that the prorogation had the effect of frustrating or preventing Parliament from carrying out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification. As a result of the ruling, the prorogation was declared null and void, Parliament was reconvened immediately, and the government was forced to abandon its attempt to suspend parliamentary scrutiny during the Brexit process
- Gina Miller argued executive cant trigger article 50 without parliaments approval courts agreed
21
Q
examples of judicial inquiries
A
- the Levenson Inquiry (2011-2012) received intense media scrutiny, leading to widespread debate about press regulation and ethics. The government responded by setting up a new Independent Press Standards Organisation in 2014 to improve the behaviour and practices of the media in the UK.
- Grenfell Tower Inquiry, survivors and bereaved families gave powerful public testimonies, which helped to expose systemic failures in housing safety.
- 2006 Afghan hijacking case used 1998 human rights act to stop deportation of Afghani hijakers which caused judges to get pulled into politics
- the Hillsborough Independent Panel, and subsequent inquests allowed families of the 96 victims to present evidence that had been ignored for decades.
22
Q
how does the PM use patronage power to control cabinet
A
- The PM selects ministers, often rewarding loyal allies and sidelining potential rivals. This ensures that key government positions are filled with individuals who support their agenda. Keir Starmer has appointed key allies in his inner circle such as Rachel Reeves as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Angela Rayner as Deputy PM,
- ability to reshuffle the cabinet allows the PM to remove dissenters and promote loyalists, reinforcing their grip on decision-making. Rishi Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle in 2023 was seen as an attempt to reassert control over the party by sacking Suella Braverman and bringing David Cameron into the cabinet. As Cameron was a former PM and member of the Lords, he was not deemed a potential rival and seen as a safe pair of hands in a turbulent time for the party.
- PM can nominate individuals for peerages, securing influence in the House of Lords and rewarding supporters. Boris Johnson nominated 86 peers between 2019-2022, David Cameron 110 life peers, and Tony Blair 374 during the 1997 to 2007 period. The ability to get a peerage generates a sense of loyalty by PMs who wish to be rewarded with a life peerage when they leave the House of Commons
23
Q
how does collective responsibility help the PM dominance
A
- Examples of ministers resigning over disagreements on policy are Robin Cook, who resigned from the cabinet in 2003 over the decision by Blair to take part in the Iraq War. David Davies resigned from May’s cabinet in 2018 in disagreement over Brexit
- PM decides which issues are discussed, allowing them to prioritise policies that align with their views while sidelining dissenting views. Some PMs preferred to ‘pre-cook’ policy by making key decisions outside cabinet and then presenting them to cabinet for confirmation, rather than making decisions on a collective level. Blair informed ministers about transferring control of interest rates to the Bank of England after the decision had already been made
- Blair was known for his ‘sofa government’ style, where he made key decisions in informal meetings with key ministers such as Gordon Brown. A controversial example of this in action is the decision to commit to the Iraq War in 2003 which was said to be a decision that Blair made on his own, rather than a cabinet level collective decision
- David Cameron ran many important issues through the ‘quad’ during his coalition which involved Cameron, Clegg, Osborne and Alexander
- Crossman terming it the ‘collective obedience to the will of the PM’. For example, Boris Johnson regularly made snap decisions with then Health Secretary Matt Hancock during the COVID-19 crisis to direct a rapid response to the pandemic.
- Cabinet meetings have also become shorter and less frequent in recent times. In the 1950s there were about 100 meetings a year, this has dropped to around 40 per year now. The duration of cabinet meetings is also shorter, meetings under Blair and Cameron rarely lasted more than one hour
