collective and individual ministerial responsibility

• collective responsibility - Ian Duncan Smith - 2016


  was opposed to plans to cut disability benefits
• collective responsibility - Robin Cook - 2003


  opposed to the invasion of Iraq
• collective responsibility - Tom Watson - 2006


  was one of the signatories to a letter urging Tony Blair to quit as prime-minister
• collective responsibility - Amber Rudd - 2019 


  resigned over Boris Johnson's 'purge' of the party and said he was not looking for a Brexit deal
• individual ministerial responsibility


  the principle that members of the cabinet take ultimate responsibility for what occurs within their department (including both administrative and policy failures

  they are also individually responsible to the PM for their personal conduct
• collective ministerial responsibility 


  all members of the government are expected to publicly support it

  if a minister cannot do this, they should resign

  they should not disclose the contents of private ministerial discussions

  if the administration is defeated in a vote of confidence, this convention also states the whole government must resign
• individual ministerial responsibility - flaws


  depends on the prime-minister being prepared to hold their ministers properly accountable, as well as not breaching the ministerial codes themselves

  e.g. Boris Johnson attending parties during the Covid-19 lockdown

  soon after Johnson released a revision of the ministerial code

  reference to 'integrity, objectivity, accountability, transparency, honesty and leadership in the public interest' was removed and replaced with the statement 'it would be disproportionate to expect any breach to, however minor, should automatically led to resignation'
• individual ministerial responsibility - Priti Patel - 2020


  Priti Patel's treatment of the permanent secretary of the Home Office had 'not consistently met the standards required by the ministerial code for treating her civil servants with respect'

  therefore should've resigned

  however, Johnson stated that she had his 'full-support' so she didn't resign