key terms

• Parliament - British bicameral legislature made up of the House of Commons and House of Lords
• House of Commons - primary chamber of UK legislature, directly elected
• House of Lords - second/upper chamber of the UK legislature, not directly elected
• Parliamentary sovereignty - the principle that Parliament holds absolute sovereignty and cannot hold or be held by future/past Parliaments or the executive/judiciary
• Confidence and supply - right to remove the government and to grant/withhold funding. Used to describe a type of informal coalition agreementwhere the minority partner agrees to provide these things in exchange for policy concessions.
• Salisbury convention - says that the House of Lords cannot block/delay legislation included in government manifesto
• Parliamentary privilege - right of MPs/Lords to make certain statements within Parliament without being subject to outside influence e/g/ the law
• Legislative bills - proposed laws passing through Parliament
• Public Bill Committees - committees responsible for looking at bills in detail and offering a report to Parliament. Members are selected by party whips and membership refects HoC makeup
• Backbenchers - MPs/Lords who do not hold any government office
• Select committees (DSCs) - committees responsible for scrutinising the work of government, particularly individual government departments. Elected by back benchers
• Front benchers - government ministers/opposition shadow spokespeople
• Backbench Business Committee - a committee hich brings forward business before the House for approx. one day a week, on behalf of BBs
• Opposition - MPs/Lords not part of the governing party/parties
• Reserve power - power that may be exercised by the executive without the approval of another branch e.g. vote of no confidence/hire and fire