Prime Ministers Questions

avatar
Created by
Una Demick

Cards (5)

  • Prime Ministers Questions
    One way that the government is held to account is through Prime Minister’s Questions.
    During PMQ, the leader of the opposition gets to ask 6 questions. They can use this as an opportunity to highlight any perceived failings of the government and put forward alternatives. Leaders of the other parties and backbench MPs also get the opportunity to ask questions - giving multiple political parties the opportunity to effectively scrutinise the government.
  • Prime Ministers Questions - EXAMPLE & ANALYSIS
    For example, in January 2025 Kemi Badenoch (leader of the conversative party) questioned Keir Starmer about about tax raises and budget allocations, particularly focusing on the impact these have had on areas such as education and business.
    This evidences the direct platform that other MPs have to confront the government on their workings, allowing an ability to improve the government’s work.
  • Prime Minister‘s Questions - REBUTTAL
    However, PMQs can often turn into 30 minutes of mudslinging in which politicians resort to a game of ‘political point scoring’
    Rather than scrutinising the work of the government, they will often begin to use the time trying to gain advantage over each other - known as ‘Punch and Judy’ politics. This can make it hard for effective scrutiny of the executive, if each 30 minutes session has parts where the leaders are just insulting each other.
  • Prime Minister‘s Questions - REBUTTAL (EXAMPLE & ANALYSIS)
    An example of this is during a PMQ in December 2024, when Kemi Badenoch and Keir Stamer traded blows over the Louise Haigh furore, leaving many of the questions regarding large issues such as budget allocation remained unanswered.
    This highlights how this great opportunity can often be derailed by the chaos in the chamber, evidencing how this is an ineffective measure of scrutiny as questions often go unanswered
  • Prime Minister’s Questions - EVALUATION
    Therefore, although PMQs may be effective at scrutinising the government in theory, the chaotic practice of the procedure reduces the ability of parliament to question the PM efficiently, highlighting that the government is not effectively held to account through this questioning.