changes in recent decades

• Theme 1: For - increased power of backbenchers

  • introduction of wright reforms, sought to make executive more accountable and increase power of backbenchers
  • backbench business committee in 2010 - gave backbenchers more of a say on the agenda of parliament
  • select committee chairs elected by their fellow MP's in a secret ballot within party groups
  • limiting the executives dominance, thus increasing power
• Theme 1: Against

  • increased power of backbenchers and increased use of urgent question limited impact in decreasing the dominance of executive over parliament
  • still dominated by executive due to its majority in parliament
  • urgent questions can raise the profile of an issue but less likely to get any action or influence government policy
  • select committees still made up of a majority of governing party MP's - limiting their ability to hold government in account
• Theme 2: For - reformed house of lords

  • new labour reforms to house of lords limited executive dominance as they made house of lords more independent and professional thus more effective at holding government to account
  • new labour reforms removed all but 92 of hereditary peers
  • house of lords no longer has an in built conservative majority with crossbenchers ensuring no single party can get a majority
  • life peers aren't elected so they don't need party machine or party funding to remain in post
  • tony blair defeated 4 times in house of commons
  • 2001, ten defeats in house of lords
• Theme 2: Against

  • house of lords influence continues to be limited by its lack of legislative powers, even if conservatives have majority
  • parliaments act of 1911 and 1949 prevent the lords from voting down any financial bills, can only delay legislation
  • used 3 times by tony blair - passed hunting act 2004, banned hunting dogs
  • salisbury convention prevents house of lords from voting down any legislation that fulfils a commitment in governing party's election manifesto
• Theme 3: For

  • comparison to before 2010, many governments and governing parties since 2010 have been weak
  • suffered frequent defeats in house of commons, compromising on key policies
  • tony blair defeated 4 times in his 10 years in office
  • gordon brown defeated 3 times in his 3 years in office
  • theresa may defeated 30 times when she had minority government and suffered worst defeat on 15 january 2019
  • boris johnson defeated 12 times in just 6 months in minority government and 4 times when he had majority government
• Theme 3: Against

  • minority governments of theresa may and boris johnson were exceptions and that the majority governments since 2010 have had little success passing policies
  • david cameron defeated 7 times from 2010-2015 and was able to fulfil key manifesto pledges such as austerity
  • government bill being passed successfully every six sitting days of parliament