Influences on Parliament

• Democracy


  A government system which allows the population of people to make decisions.
• Parliament


  The law making branch of government which is located in the Houses of Parliament. Consists of the House of Commons, House of Lords, and the King.
• Government


  The party who holds the majority in the House of Commons and therefore has authority to run the country.
• House of Commons


  The elected branch of Parliament consisting of 650 MP's, each elected by and representing a constituency area in the UK. They make laws for the UK, alongside the House of Lords.
• House of Lords


  The unelected branch of Parliament consisting of peers, who have either inherited their position or been appointed due to their achievements in a certain field. They make laws for the UK alongside the House of Commons.
• Legislation


  Laws/ Acts of Parliament/ Statutes
• Judiciary


  The name given to judges as a whole.
• Parliament - key principle in democracy is that laws should be made by the elected representatives of society. Laws made by Parliament which consists of 2 houses: House of Commons and House of Lords.
• House of Commons:

  • Elected house
  • 650 members (MP's) being chosen by the public at each General Election.
  • Each MP represents a specific area called a constituency, and all MP's could change at each election, which under Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011 happens every 5 years at most.
• House of Commons:

  • If MP resigns, retires, or dies, then by-election will happen to replace them.
  • Whichever party wins the General Election can form a government, lead by the Prime Minister.
  • Currently:
  • 351 Conservatives
  • 198 Labour
  • 17 Independent
  • 43 SNP
  • 15 Lib Dem
  • 8 DUP
  • 18 other
• House of Lords:

  • is a non-elected body consists of 92 hereditary peers, around 640 life peers (people who have been given a title for their service to country) and 24 of the most senior bishops in the Church of England.
  • are no longer any judges who sit in the House of Lords, they now sit in the Supreme Court since it was formed in 2009
• House of Lords:

  • Currently:
  • 266 Conservatives
  • 171 Labour
  • 182 Crossbenchers
  • 82 Lib Dem
  • 37 Non-Affiliated
  • 14 Other
• Why might the law need to change?

  • Changes in Society
  • Medical Changes
  • Technological Changes
  • Changes in Morals
• Influences on Parliament - are different methods by which the House of Commons or House of Lords might be persuaded to make change to law. Can come from a variety of sources.
• Influences on Parliament:

  • Pressure Groups
  • King's Speech
  • Media
  • Lobbyists
  • Manifesto
  • Public Opinion
• Pressure Groups:

  • May represent certain groups in society and some may be referred to as 'special interest groups' as they focus on specific projects and help to inform the government on certain areas.
  • E.g. when Stonewall campaigned for repeal of s.28 of the Local Government Act 1988 - prevented schools from teaching about LGBTQ education as well as campaigning for reduction in age of consent for homosexual acts in private to 16.
• King's Speech:

  • Every year on opening of Parliament, King will deliver speech to House of Lords which will set out broad intentions that he expects his government to focus on in terms of passing new laws. Reflects the priorities of government at time and is not initiated by the King himself.
  • E.g. King's speech in 2023 where King Charles outlined the intention to introduced a smoking ban which would gradually increase legal age to buy cigarettes, so that nobody aged 14 or below would ever be able to legally buy them.
• Media:

  • Information supplied to public. Plays large role in bringing public opinion to governments attention. Where issue is given high profile on television and in the newspapers. Also brings attention of public and may add to weight of public opinion.
  • E.g. The Snowdrop Campaign following the Dunblane massacre where a gunman shot a teacher and students at a primary school in Scotland 1996.
• Lobbyists:

  • Some people try to persuade individual Members of Parliament to support their cause. Name is used because members of public can meet MP's in lobbies (hallways) in House of Parliament. Most lobbying done by professional lobbyists on behalf of businesses, trade associations and big charities. Kind of lobbying can have a significant influence over legislation.
  • E.g. seen when David Cameron left his position as Prime Minister, and in his next role for Greensill Capital he used is personal connections with Rishi Sunak to gain Covid contracts for firm, making £3.3 m.
• Manifesto:

  • Before general election all political parties publish list of the reforms that they would carry out if they were elected as next government. Called manifesto - one of the ways in which party tries to persuade people to vote for them.
  • E.g. Tony Blair's Labour government promised the 'bring rights home' in their manifesto, and once elected, they passed the Human Rights Act 1997 to bring the European Convention of Human Rights into UK.
• Public Opinion:

  • Where there is strong public opinion about a change to the law, the government may bow down to such opinion. Is more likely to happen towards the end of a term of government when there will be a general election soon and government wants to remain popular with the majority of people.
  • E.g. EU Referendum in 2016. A referendum is when the public are asked a question by government usually with yes/no response.
• Other Sources:

  • EU Law - such as the Consumer Protection Act 1987 which was passed to comply with an EU Directive.
  • Private Member's Bills - this is when an individual MP introduces a new law, which happened with the Abortion Act 1967 (David Steel) and the Computer Misuse Act 1990 (Michael Calvin).
• Other Sources:

  • The Law Commission - is an independent body who review changes that are needed to the law.
  • Emergency situations - such as introduction of Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Securities Act 2001 following the 9/11 terror attacks.
• Advantages of Political Influences:

  • Manifesto informs public and outlines what parties stand for.
  • Shows what the government will do.
  • Winning party will have a majority in the Commons so should be able to enact new laws.
• Disadvantages of Political Influences:

  • Parties don't always keep their promises.
  • It is a big document so the public may not bother to read it all.
  • New parties can repeal old laws.
  • Small majorities or Coalitions may not reflect the wishes of the whole country.
• Advantages of Public opinion/ Media:

  • Fastest way to spread news.
  • Way of getting the public involved.
  • Democratic
  • Events can happen which causes a swell of public support for an issue.
  • Social media is immediate feedback for government.
  • Free press can criticise government.
• Disadvantages of Public opinion/ Media:

  • Government respond too quickly to the public which could be bad as they may not have taken their time to think it through.
  • Public can resort to criminal behavior to promote their cause.
  • Media can create public panics.
  • Main aim is to make profit.
  • Not politically neutral.
• Advantages of Pressure Groups:

  • Gives the public voice.
  • They raise awareness.
  • Can provide well thought-out law changes.
  • Some have large membership representing the electorate.
  • They can raise issues that government might usually back away from.
• Disadvantages of Pressure Groups:

  • Biased
  • May only help a minority 9tryanny of the minority).
  • May resort to undesirable tactics which can be violent or illegal.
  • Two conflicting groups can cancel each other out.
• Advantages of Lobbyists:

  • Easy for members of the public to get their views in Parliament.
  • They are successful in bringing issues to the attention of MP's.
  • Professional lobbyists are experts and can provide advice and information for the government on the issue at hand.
• Disadvantages of Lobbyists:

  • It can be unethical and the process can get abused (e.g. cash for questions).
  • It requires experience to offer a solution.
  • It will only be effective for 1 group.
  • Revolving Door.