government interaction

• Backbenchers

  Backbenchers as representatives:

  • Backbenchers represent UK citizens through impacting on laws and scrutinising the government.
  • Backbenchers in the House of Commons represent the interests of the citizens in their constituency.
• Backbenchers

  Parliamentary privilege:

  • Parliamentary privilege enables backbenchers to carry out their roles, particularly representing the electorate’s interests through having free speech.
  • Parliamentary privilege ensures that MPs and members of the House of Lords can freely debate on any issue without interference.
  • Parliamentary privilege gives backbenchers legal immunity over what they say in Parliament.
  • MPs used their parliamentary privilege during the Ryan Giggs affair to name the footballer who had taken out an injunction over an affair.
• Backbenchers

  Party Delegates:

  • Backbenchers are expected to support their party in Parliament.
  • Backbenchers of the party in government are expected to not overly criticise the government and to follow the party line when voting.
  • Backbenchers of the opposition parties have a role to oppose the government through criticism in ministers questions and voting against government policies.
• Backbenchers

  Gov. Policy and Legislation:

  • Backbenchers in the House of Commons represent their constituents' interests and should vote on legislation in a way which meets their constituents’ interests.
  • House of Lords' backbenchers look to improve legislation.
  • All backbenchers can speak in Parliamentary debates over legislation.
  • Backbenchers can participate in voting in favour of or against legislation.
  • Backbenchers are members of standing committees which review bills in detail.
  • Backbenchers can put forward Private Members’ bills
• Backbenchers

  Government Scrutiny:

  • Backbenchers scrutinise the government and hold it accountable for its actions.
  • Backbenchers can question government ministers during Question time and the Prime Minister in Prime Minister’s Questions on their policies and actions to ensure they are held to account.
  • Backbenchers make up and chair select committees which scrutinise government departments.
  • Backbench MPs can write questions to ministers about issues which impact their constituents which ministers must reply to.
• Significance of Backbenchers

  Rebellions:

  • Backbenchers often make up the majority of a party in Parliament. The government’s backbenchers are important to pass legislation.
  • Backbenchers can use their vote to express support or discontent with the Government.
  • Backbench rebellions can change the direction of government policy.
  • In 2012, 91 Conservative backbenchers voted against coalition government plans for House of Lords reform.
• Significance of Backbenchers

  Constituency:

  • Backbenchers are important for the voices of their constituencies to be heard - and can spend more time in their constituencies because they are not ministers. -Rebelling backbenchers often prioritise their constituency.
• Significance of Backbenchers 


  Importance:

  • Backbenchers can change public policy by introducing Private Members’ Bills.
  • Backbenchers in committees can hold government ministers to account and research policies.
• Significance of Backbenchers

  Limitations:

  • Party whips have a lot of power over backbenchers, which reduces the likelihood of a backbench rebellion.
  • If a ‘three-line whip’ is enacted, backbenchers risk being removed from their party and having to sit as an independent in parliament if they vote against the party’s position.
  • Private members’ bills are rarely successful, especially if the government doesn’t back them.
  • Select committees are often ignored by the Government.
• Select Committees 


  Composition:

  • Select committees are made up of members from across parties to represent the balance of parties in the House.
  • The Home Affairs Select Committee is made up of 5 Conservative MPs, 4 Labour MPs, 1 Scottish National Party MP and 1 Independent MP, reflecting that the Conservatives and Labour have the most seats in the House of Commons.
• Select committees

  Scrutiny of the government:

  • The House of Commons’ select committees mainly scrutinises the government and the work that it does.
  • There is a select committee scrutinising each government department.
  • Some House of Commons select committees investigate issues scrutinising multiple government departments.
  • The Public Accounts Committee is a cross-department select committee which investigates how all departments use taxpayers’ money.
• Select Committee

  Scrutiny of the government 2:

  • Select committees call on government ministers to be questioned by the committee and give evidence.
  • Philip Hammond, the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 201 to 6-2019, sat before the Treasury select committee to answer questions about the UK’s financial agreement with the European Union (EU) as part of its Brexit deal.
  • Select committees conduct inquiries where they collect spoken and written evidence and write reports which have recommendations for future government action.
• Select Committees

  Scrutiny of public institutions:

  • Select committees scrutinise public institutions and question them if it is in the public interest.
  • The Business, Innovation and Skills select committee questioned Mike Ashley, the owner of Sports Direct, over the working conditions in Sports Direct’s shops.
  • Rupert Murdoch, the CEO of News Corporation, was questioned by the Culture, Media and Sport select committee when the News of the World (a newspaper owned by News Corporation) hacked people’s voicemails to get information for stories.
• Select Committee

  Investigating Policy

  • The House of Lords select committees investigate proposed laws and public policy and may produce reports publishing their findings.
  • The House of Lords select committees include members of the Lords who are experts in certain fields and can analyse and investigate policies.
  • The main House of Lords select committees are the European Union, Economic Affairs, Constitution, Communications, Science and Technology, and the International Relations committees.
• Select Committees

  Advantages 1:

  • Select committee work can highlight government weaknesses and put pressure on the government to act on certain issues.
  • The Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee report in 2018 on the importance of the private rented sector encouraged the government’s Build to Rent programme, which increases the number of homes available for rent.
• Select Committees

  Advantages 2:

  • Select committees ask government ministers and public officials many lengthy questions.
  • Nick Buckles, the chief executive of security company G4S, described the company’s security at the 2012 Olympics as “a humiliating shambles” after lengthy questioning by the Home Affairs select committee, after G4S failed to provide enough security.
• Select Committees

  Disadvantages:

  • Select committees do not have power over legislation and are not able to make changes to laws.
  • Select committees can not force government ministers to appear before them which weakens how well they can scrutinise.
  • Select committees questions are not always effective in examining an issue in depth.
  • The majority of MPs on a select committee are members of the party in government, which can limit MPs' criticism of government ministers.
• Role of the Opposition

  Debate:

  • Opposition raises issues for debate and debate with the government on legislation in the committee stage and second reading of the legislative process.
  • Opposition members make up part of all committees and a member of the opposition chairs the Public Accounts Committee.
  • The opposition can scrutinise government policies and oppose them in Parliament.
• Role of the Opposition

  Alternative government:

  • The opposition party usually tries to present itself as the best alternative to the Government so they can attract voters and support, and provide a clear choice for voters.
• Role of the Opposition

  Shadow Cabinet:

  • The opposition party usually puts forward a ‘shadow’ cabinet, with ‘shadow’ ministers.
  • The shadow cabinet is made up of MPs who represent areas such as healthcare, jobs, the Treasury and the Home Office, but not in an official government capacity.
  • This means that different policies can be researched, and representatives from the shadow cabinet can debate government cabinet ministers.
  • The shadow cabinet tries to demonstrate that it is a ‘government-in-waiting’.
• Role of the Opposition

  Executive Scrutiny:

  • The opposition uses question time, adjournment debates and PMQs to challenge the executive and hold them to account.
  • For example, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has used PMQs to ask the PM questions submitted by the public.
  • The opposition often opposes government legislation and tries to stop it passing, or votes against it to demonstrate discontent.
  • If the opposition gets support from other small parties they can stop bills from passing.
• Significance of the Opposition

  Size of the Majority:

  • The size of the government’s majority impacts on how strong an opposition can fulfil its roles.
  • The opposition often fails to defeat government legislation if the government has a large majority.
• Significance of the Opposition

  Majority Examples:

  • Theresa May’s government does not have a majority and relies on a ‘confidence and supply’ deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
  • So, May’s government is vulnerable to the Labour opposition.
  • If the Labour party can get enough votes and encourage other parties to vote against the Government, Government legislation may not pass.
  • Tony Blair’s 1997 government had a majority of 179 seats, and so the Conservative opposition had less power.
• Significance of the Opposition

  Unity:

  • Unity within each party impacts on the opposition’s significance. A united opposition or a divided government gives the opposition more chance of successfully voting down government legislation.
• Significance of the Opposition

  Alternative:

  • The opposition are significant in offering a clear alternative for voters, as their policies will often differ from those of the government.
  • If the opposition party’s policies are not radically different from the main party, they can either gain support (if voters like the government party), or lose support (if voters are looking for an alternative).
• Question Time

  Ministers Questions:

  • Minister’s questions take place for an hour every day in parliament.
  • Ministers must attend and answer questions about their department put forward by other MPs.
  • Minister’s questions ensure that ministers are fully aware of their department’s work and acting in the interests of UK citizens.
• Question Time

  PMQ's:

  • Prime Minister’s questions takes place every Wednesday for 30 minutes.
  • MPs question the Prime Minister on issues which they must answer.
  • The opposition leader will ask six questions of the Prime Minister, and then other MPs from all parties can ask follow up questions.
  • Prime Minister’s questions is an important way of scrutinising the government and receiving direct answers.
  • The PM does not know questions in advance and so must be briefed in detail on major issues in the public interest.
• Question Time

  Nature of PMQ's :

  • Prime Minister’s questions is often unruly and is arguably more about political point scoring than effective scrutiny of the Prime Minister and government.
  • Prime Minister’s questions has been named ‘Punch and Judy’ politics because it becomes a shouting match between politicians in front of the media.
• Question Time

  Nature of PMQs 2:

  • MPs from the government’s party will ask the Prime Minister planted questions to make the government and the PM appear strong in front of voters.
  • PM David Cameron’s aides sent emails round to Conservative MPs suggesting questions for them to ask at Prime Minister’s Questions including on the benefits of the government’s economic policies.
• Work of committees


  Public Bill Committees:

  • go through legislation clause by clause and debate amendments, temporarily meet when a bill is in the committee stage
  • ensures bills are properly written and can fulfil its aims, MPs can suggest changes, although these are unlikely as government has majority in committees
• Work of Committees


  Commons Select Committees:

  • Provides a more general oversight of the workings of government departments and ministers, less partisan and can be chaired by opposition backbenchers, can investigate and summon witnesses
• Work of committees


  Lords of Select Committees:

  • investigate specialist subjects, taking advantage of Lord's expertise - currently main committees are covering communications, science, economic affairs, the constitution, and international relations
  • Often contain genuine specialists in their field, the governing party does not have a majority on committees
• Work of committees 


  Public accounts committee (Commons only)

  • traditionally chaired by experienced opposition figure, scrutinises value for money in public spending and government efficiency
  • Covers a wide range of policy areas, recent reports in NHS track and trace, and HS2
• Work of Committees


  Backbench business committee (commons):

  • selects topics for debate in parliament on days not given over to government business, can take place in the chamber and in Westminster hall, oversees e-petitions
  • enables backbenchers to have a greater say in what is debated, such as Yemen, and Jobcentre closures - better at raising issues than generating legislation
• Work of Committees


  Commons Liason Committee:

  • comprises all the chairs of the commons select committees
  • usually chaired by a senior and independent minded backbencher of the governing party, chooses select committee reports for debates in Westminster hall, questions the PM on aspect of public policy three times a year
  • provides a more measured and focused war for ordinary MPs to make the PM accountable without PMQs, coordinates the roles of select committees, has no ability to force the government to change policy