Mandate and Manifesto

• Advantages of mandates

  • Strengthens government and gives them legitimacy.
  • Allows Parliament to call Government to account if they stray away from their manifesto promises.
  • Voters can decide at the next election if they feel the government has delivered on their manifesto - voters in 2001 gave Labour their mandate due to approval of their actions.
  • Helps Parties to maintain discipline as MPs are bound by their party mandate.
• Disadvantages of mandates

  • Mandates rely on one party winning an overall majority - if coalition or minority government then no Party can claim a mandate and government lacks legitimacy.
  • Mandates are exhaustive and assume that all voters support the Party's manifesto policies.
  • Circumstances may change after a Party take power, for instance COVID and the Conservatives.
  • Manifesto commitments can be vague and so calling the government to account based on meeting it's mandate is hard.
• Examples of manifestos

  • 2017 Labour Manifesto; 50% income tax for those earning above £123,000; abolish tuition fees; arms sales to Saudi Arabia ended; build 300K homes a year for 5 years.