UK Politics

• Example of disagreements breaching collective responsibility

  Then foreign secretary Boris Johnson and brexit secretary David Davis openly criticising May's Chequers deal in 2018
• Example of collective responsibility being set aside

  EU referendems in 1975 and 2016

  
  

  Alternative Vote referendem 2011

  
  

  2013 Marriage Act
• Example of collective responsibility being weakened through leaks to the media

  Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson leaking Huawei tower plans

  
  

  leaking of Chancellor Hammond's comments that "public sector workers are overpaid"
• How has collective responsibility been weakened

  Leaks to the media

  
  

  Disagreements

  
  

  Set aside
• what factors contribute to the Opposition's power?

  
  

  parliamentary arithmetic

  
  

  popularity of the government

  
  

  media attention
• What is the Confidence and Supply Agreement?

  in the event of a minority government where the governing party relies on an agreement with another party to keep itself in power

  
  

  2017 CON and DUP
• how can the Opposition effect legislation?

  The Official opposition has a number of designated days where they chose a topic of debate (eg: 2018 Labour raised issues of: grenfell tower fire, school funding, NHS privatisation)

  
  

  Shadow cabinet members can ask questions of ministers

  
  

  can pose as an alternative gov (government-in-waiting)

  
  

  eg: marcus rashford's free school meals campaign supported by labour caused the gov to change their policy
• What is an elective dictatorship?

  A government that dominates Parliament and faces little scrutiny apart from election season
• What is the Strathclyde Review (2015)?


  House of Lords shouldn't be able to stop secondary legislation passing, but ask the Commons to rethink its proposal
• example of a law granting ministers secondary legislative powers

  (1971) Misuse of Drugs Act, allows ministers to add new drugs to the list of banned drugs as new information of harm is discovered
• how is secondary legislation limited?

  The House of Lords can reject it (eg: voted against (2015)Tax Credits Regulations Act)

  
  

  Supreme Court can overturn it
• what is secondary legislation?

  A law made by ministers, who have been granted this authority by an Act of Parliament, rather than made by parliament
• How was the 2020 UK internal market Act impactful for devolution?

  the 2020 UK Internal Market Act makes it so goods produced (or imported) in one devolved nation can be traded to another devolved nation regardless of the laws of the devolved nation.

  
  

  Again reasserts parliamentary sovereignty, while also breaking the Sewel Convention
• what impact did Miller 2019 have on the constitution?

  Rules Johnson's proroging of parliament (which was done to push through his Brexit legislation and avoid parliamentary scrutiny).

  
  

  Again reasserts parliamentary sovereignty
• what impact did Miller 2017 have on the constitution?


  The Supreme Court rules that May's government couldn't leave the EU without consent from Parliament (as parliament brought the UK into the EU with the European Communities Act 1972).

  
  

  Stated that parliament didn't need devolved nation's consent to trigger article 50, undermining Sewel convention

  Effectively reinforces parliamentary soveriegnty
• What is the Public Bills Committee?

  standing committee that reviews bills in detail
• what is royal assent?

  monarch gives royal assent to a bill, it is now law
• what happens AFTER the third reading stage?

  bill goes between chambers until agreement or after a year
• what happens in the third reading stage?

  bill is debated and voted on but no more amendments
• what happens in the report stage?

  debate and voting of amendments from committee
• what happens in the committee stage?

  bill examined in detail

  
  

  decide whether to make changes within the bill, consider amendments to the bill proposed by gov, Commons or Lords
• what happens in the second reading stage?

  debate in chamber, the for case will be argued by the minister then the opposition and/or backbenchers make their points

  
  

  after debate, bill is voted on. If voted against, bill is defeated
• what happens in the first reading stage?

  bill is announced and is available for viewing and scrutiny by everyone
• What process does legislation go through in parliament

  first reading

  second reading

  committee stage

  report stage

  third reading

  [goes to other house]
• Examples of MPs having the whip removed

  in 2019, 21 Tory backbenchers (including 2 former chancellors, many former ministers and Churchill's grandson) had whip removed after they defied PM and voted in favour of bringing brexit dealings in control of the Commons not gov
• What does removing the whip permanently mean?

  
  

  The MP in question is suspended from the party and is no longer apart of the party's parliamentary party. In the next election they stand in they have to run as an independent
• example is a three-line whip used

  Labour Party leadership to order Labour MPs to vote for triggering Article 50, to begin the process of the UK leaving the EU
• What does the Whip do?

  The party whip ensures that MPs vote in accordance to how the executive wants

  
  

  3 line whip= MPs are strongly advised to vote in a certain way or risk getting the whip removed

  
  

  2 line whip= MPs should vote a certain way or probably not get a promotion

  
  

  1 line whip= MPs are advised to vote a certain way and there's little consequences

  
  

  free vote= MPs can vote how ever
• What does the Leader of the House of Commons do?

  cabinet position, sees that bills are timetabled properly and making sure the executive's perspective runs smoothly
• types of opposition in parliament

  The Official Opposition (LAB or CON)

  Other Opposition Parties

  Intra-party (opponents in governing party)

  Inter-party (coalition disagreements)
• What is a redress of grievances?

  an MP's duty to raise issues of constituents to local councils or relevant government departments
• What are controversies with the Speaker?

  Michael Martin (2000-2009) resigned over expenses scandal

  
  

  John Bercow critised over giving alleged favour to opposition MPs during Brexit proceedings
• What does the Speaker of the Commons do?

  The speaker manages debates in the Commons

  
  

  They're an MP who is appointed by other MPs
• What is bicameralism?

  Two house legislature
• How have metro mayors impacted the Constitution?

  Further devolution, more power to metro mayors eg: Andy Burnham pressure the government for further funding for Greater Manchester's covid measures
• What are some key post-2010 Constitutional changes?

  Metro mayors

  2016 Scotland Act

  2020 UK Internal Market Act
• What is the Factortame (1990) case?

  asserted that EU law was superior to UK law
• What is the role of the Civil Service in select committees?

  in accordance with Osmotherly Rules, civil servants are representatives of their minister, puts them into a difficult position as witnesses in a select committee
• Examples of Select Committees being limited

  2016 Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary at the time, was accused of "waffling" by the committee chair of the foreign affairs select committee during questioning

  
  

  Dominic Raab as secretary of state for exiting the European Union refused to give evidence to the Lords European Union Committee until a deal had been finalised with EU. Chairman accused gov of keeping MPs and Peers in dark

  
  

  ministers not forced to appear before committee

  
  

  membership of committees controlled by Whip's office
• Examples of Select Committees being impactful

  2018 Home sec Amber Rudd contradicted herself regarding deportation targets, misleading the committee, she resigned

  
  

  2021 spad Cummings told committee health sec Hancock was incompetent in dealing with the pandemic

  
  

  chaired by MPs with background knowledge, Jeremy Hunt chairing the Health Select Committee in 2020