Todo

The lesson notes/slides for this go up today - I’ll be able to finish off my missing notes.

PMQs

Every Wednesday at 12:00, when Parliament is sitting, the main event of the parliamentary calendar takes place - Prime Minister’s Questions. It receives a huge amount of coverage in the press and on the TV, with build-up, live coverage, and reactions.

It offers the chance for the Leader of the Opposition to quiz the Prime Minister on important issues of the day, whilst allowing for backbenchers to do the same or to raise constituency matters to the attention of the Prime Minister.

Personal Positives

• Allows the Prime Minister (and other politicians) to be criticised and held to account
• Allows issues to be brought up and deliberated

Personal Negatives

• Very much Punch and Judy/pantomime - quite a lot of political slagging off
  • Draws a lot of people into watching
  • More entertainment
    • Speaker offers comedic relief at points

Urgent Questions

MPs are able to request an Urgent Question (UQ), which—if granted by the Speaker—requires the relevant government minister to come to the Commons that day and give an immediate answer. These are usually used when something important has happened suddenly, and Parliament wants answers straight away rather than waiting for a scheduled statement or debate.

They give MPs a quick way to force the government to explain itself, respond to emerging events, or justify actions that might otherwise go unchallenged.

Personal Positives

• Ensures ministers can’t dodge scrutiny on fast-moving or controversial issues
• Lets MPs react quickly to new developments and demand accountability
• Helps keep Parliament central in major political moments

Personal Negatives

• Relies heavily on the Speaker granting it, so not every request succeeds
• Responses from ministers can be vague or evasive due to short notice
• Can sometimes feel more reactive than constructive

Emergency Debates

MPs are also given the right to call an emergency debate, requiring an immediate answer from the relevant government minister. This question has to be granted by the Speaker, and must be a ‘specific and important matter … for urgent consideration’.

If it is approved than the government will have to send someone to attend.

Examples: Emergency debate on European Union Withdrawal (2019), Independent public inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal (2017).

Personal Notes

• scrutiny of past govt
• current govt held accountable for improper action
• raising awareness
• nothing in the debate is legally binding.

Backbench Business Committee (BBC)

The creation of the Backbench Business Committee (BBC) in 2010 gave backbenchers more power to set the agenda at Parliament. The BBC has 35 days of parliamentary time for debates of its choosing.

Some of these are handed over to the e-petitions system, where 100,000 signatures are required for a debate.

This time can also be opened up …

Example: MPs debate whether Trump’s state visit should be cancelled

Backbench Rebellions

Backbenchers can also pose a threat to government plans when they rebel in large enough numbers to threaten their success in the vote. The government, especially when there is small (or a non-existent majority), has to win over its backbenchers to avoid such a defeat.

Theresa May saw many noticeable rebellions in big Brexit votes, facing one of the largest defeats ever in the first vote on her deal in January 2019 when she lost be 202-432. Boris Johnson face several rebellions over Covid-19 policy and Liz Truss was force into dropping some of her tax cutes due to the threat of rebellion.

Example: 2019 Brexit - Theresa May (202-432), 2025 Welfare Bill - Keir Starmer

Note

Throughout 2019 - 2021, 1/3 MPs rebelled at some point under Boris Johnson.

Limits on Backbenchers

Just because MPs have the ability to air their views in debates in Parliament does not mean that the government are under pressure to listen. Party whips remain enormously powerful in terms of maintaining loyalty, as well as backbenchers feeling a sense of loyalty to their party.

Example: Boris Johnson removed 21 MPs.

House of Lords

Whilst the House of Lords is limited in its ability to prevent government legislation, that has not stopped it from challenging the government completely. After all, with no majority in the House of Lords, the government can find it hard to find sufficient support.

Example: Rwanda Bill - Rishi Sunak 2024

Select Committees

In the House of Lords, the select committee system works slightly differently. Rather than shadowing government departments, they scrutinise legislation and investigate certain issues.

They will try to avoid clashes with the House of Commons’ select committees in terms of what they are investigating…

Public Bill Committees

A Public Bill Committee is a committee set up by the House of Commons to examine the details of a particular bill. All bills, other than money bills, are automatically sent in a public bill committee following their second reading unless they are committed to a committee of the whole House.

Read more here.

Select Committees

One of the other ways that the government is held to account is through Departmental Select Committees. Select committees are committees of 11 or more members in a permanent committee, it does not simply close when its job is done like a legislative committee.

Departmental select committees are those which have a role overseeing the work of a ministry, although they many also investigate into areas that the ministry may not currently legislate for that fall into its remit. They do this through gathering evidence and summoning witnesses to investigate an issue. They will then produce a report which the government should respond to within two months.

If the government is asked to do something by a select committee and declines, they must have a good reason due to how well educated and specific they are.

The idea is to have experts.

Example: Chi Onwurah - Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee, Shadow Minister 2016 - 2024.

Video Review

What topics were covered?

British involvement in strikes in the Red Sea, risk of British soldiers, publishment in the SDR, etc.

What was the quality of the questions asked?

They were high quality and in-detail, using known evidence to further the depth and technicality.

How did the minister/representative respond?

The respondent is answering in a considerate and clear manner.

Importance

• Select committees are seen as important due to the evidence-based nature of heir investigations, which adds weight to their findings. This is also helped by televising …

Weakness

• The membership of select committees are still dominated by the majority government in most cases.
• Select committees still do not have enough resources or time to launch detailed investigations on long-term issues.
• Committees have high turnover rates and some MPs…

Liaison Committee

• Composed of all select committee chairs.

The Opposition

The ability of the Opposition to hold the government to account is firstly limited by their own size. In reality, unless the government has a fragile majority, or none at all, the opposition parties are limited in terms of being able to defeat the government in Parliament. For example, William Hague found it almost impossible to challenge Blair’s 1997 - 2001 government with its majority of 175 seats.

Otherwise, the Opposition has to concentrate on criticising the government in the media, which is usually more successful. However, they have the issue of having to do so in a ‘statesmanlike’ manner, portraying themselves as a better alternative to the government also.

Short Money

Opposition parties are supported in their work through funding from taxpayers money, known as ‘short money’. This is meant to help the opposition parties carry out their parliamentary business and to support the operation of their leader’s office. The support is therefore meant to stay in Parliament, rather than going elsewhere.

For 2021/2022:

• Labour received £6.6 million
• The SNP received £1.1 million
• The Greens received £282 thousand

The amount of short money provided was reduced by the Conservatives…

Opposition Day Debates

Within Parliament, the opposition parties are given 20 days a year in which they can propose subjects for debate. These are split in relation to party size.

These days allow the opposition parties to raise debates on issues that the government would rather avoid otherwise. For example, on 13 May 2025, the Conservative Party used an Opposition Day to call for a debate and vote on the UK-EU summit and Brexit policy, urging the government to stand by the result of the 2016 EU referendum and oppose things like re-introducing free movement or agreeing to further EU oversight.

Ministerial Question Time

A more successful form of accountability is seen in ministerial question time, when government ministers answer questions on their own departments. AN example is questions to the Imagery Secretary in 2023 on reaching net zero.

The questioning is usually more detailed in nature, with ministers given forward notice of oral questions. This allows them to prepare satisfactory responses, helping all MPs to better represent their constituents and understand government policy.

However, these question times are known far less than PMQs, reducing their success in showing the public accountability in action.

This is an effective and good example of scrutiny.

How effective is Parliament at holding the executive to account?

”The House of Lords performs some important functions in Parliament …“

2025 - Hereditary Peers

The Labour Party, in the 2024 manifesto, pledged to scrap the remaining hereditary peers in the House of Lords, calling it an “immediate modernisation” to make the chamber more democratic and representative by ending the practices of inheriting seats.

Labour’s House of Lords reform plans, initiated by a bill 2024-25, aim to remove the 92 excepted hereditary peers left after the 1999 Act, alongside introducing mandatory retirement ages and the participation requirements, through the process has faced amendments and debate.