Individual Ministerial Responsibility

• What is individual ministerial responsibility?

  The principle by which ministers are responsible for their own personal conduct as well as responsible for the running of their department and its policies
• Where is the official definition of individual ministerial responsibility set out?

  A document known as the Ministerial code, which is issued at the start of a new government by the prime minister
• What are ministers obliged to do under individual responsiblity?

  Give accurate information to parliament
• What happens if a minister knowingly mislead parliament?

  They are expected to resign
• Example of a minister that resigned because they misled parliament

  Amber Rudd resigned as home secretary saying she ’inadvertently misled’ MPs over targets for removing illegal immigrants. The Windrush scandal heaped pressure on Rudd who faced renewed criticism saying she was unaware about the removal targets
• Example of an MP who resigned due to personal conduct

  Dominic Raab (former deputy PM) due to allegations of bullying
• What factors determine the fate of an individual minister?

  How serious the issue is perceived to be, the level of criticism in parliament and the media when the mistake is made, the attitude of the prime minister of the day
• Matt Hancock and Individual Ministerial Responsibility

  He was found guilty by a judge to have acted unlawfully when his department failed to disclose details about contracts and the companies who supplied PPE during COVID and made a large sum of money. These suppliers may also have made contributions to the conservative party
• Peter Mndelson broke Individual Ministerial Responsibility when he borrowed money from Geoffrey Robinson (fellow Cabinet minister) to buy a house. They failed to disclose this leading to birth of them leaving the government