Paper 2
Evaluate the extent to which backbench MPs are effective in Parliament (30) *****
pages 195- 205 TABLE ON PAGE 205 IS VERY IMPORTANT ; Backbenchers and
Legislation including Private Members Bills (p198); Backbenchers and Scrutiny including
select committees and PARLIAMENTARY PRIVILEGE (P201 and 184/5) ; Backbenchers
and PMQs (with ministerial questions and the impact of the liaison committee (p202) (Key
argument is Government majorities in terms of effectiveness)
Backbench MPs are effective in Parliament However, the select committees’ reports and
because of the existence of select the scrutiny they offer have no binding
committees. power of the government.
An example of a backbench committee is According to UCL’s ‘The Impact of House
the ‘Backbench Business Committee’. This of Commons Select Committees’, the
gives opportunities for backbench MP’s to government seems to not treat the
bring forward debates of their choice. This committees with adequate respect.
allows for backbench MPs to have more
control over the parliamentary agenda. Additionally, UCL named the Ministry of
Defence’s attitude to the Defence
Within these select committees they can Committee as ‘positively hostile’.
consult widely with ministers, civil servants
and experts and can send for ‘persons, For example, the government ignored
papers, and records’ to help them with their recommendations on disability by the
investigations. They can compel attendance Women and Equalities Committee.
from members of the public because of
parliamentary privilege.
An example of a select committee’s efficacy
is the Health Select Committee. The
committee recommended a 20% tax on
sugary drinks to be enacted to cut childhood
obesity. Although the Cameron government
had consistently been against this, in 2016
the chancellor of the exchequer, George
Osborne, introduced a sugar drink tax.
Another example of a select committee’s
efficacy is the Electoral Law and
Administration Committee (1998). The
Committee recommended an Electoral
Commission be established – and it was in
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums
2000.
,Health Committee 2005 recommended a
ban on smoking in public places. The then
Chief Medical Officer described the
committee as ‘hugely influential’.
Diana Johnson – Contaminated Blood
Scandal
Backbench MPs are effective in Parliament 28% decreased to just 16% under Brown
due to their role in PMQ’s:
Planted questions: Sunak and Labour ran
Opposition backbench MPs made up 28% Birmingham council declared themselves
of words spoken under Thatcher. bankrupt
Backbench MPs are effective in Parliament Although MPs wielded significant influence
due to the requirement for a Prime Minister during Brexit negotiations from 2017-20,
to have their support. this was only because the second May and
first Johnson administrations lacked a
The erosion of their backbench parliamentary majority.
parliamentary support led to the resignations
of Margaret Thatcher, Theresa May, and Once Johnson had achieved an 80-seat
Boris Johnson. majority, the influence of the backbenches
decreased.
From 2017 to 2019, backbenchers were very
influential in delaying the May and Johnson
governments’ EU withdrawal legislation.
Theresa May’s Brexit deal was defeated
three times and in September 2019 MPs
took control of parliamentary business to try
to stop a potential ‘no deal Brexit’.
Additionally, the process by which a PM is
disposed is done via the 1922 Committee.
15% of Tory backbenchers would need to
write to the chair of the committee –
currently Sir Graham Brady – trigger a vote
of no confidence.
In 2018, Theresa May survived a vote of no
confidence – but resigned a few months
later.
In 2022, Boris Johnson survived a vote of
, no confidence – but resigned a month later.
Evaluate the view that opposition parties have only limited impact in the House of Commons
****(30)
Pages 202-205,196-198, 184-185 ; Opposition and Scrutiny/Debate- Petitions Committee;
Adjournment Debates; Early Day Motions, Emergency Debates; Urgent Questions (p184) ;
Opposition and Legislation (Government Bills) p196-198; Opposition and PMQs (p202) and
opposition days (p204) -also look at role of Speaker and Whips in limiting/supporting
opposition p181-182 (Key is Government majorities in terms of impact)
POLITICAL AGENDA: POLITICAL AGENDA:
UKIP Party, gaining one seat despite 3.8 The changing of the legislative agenda of a
million votes, was able to affect the party must still occur through the party in
legislative agenda by influencing the Brexit power – highlighting the weakness of
referendum. opposition parties.
Opposition parties continues to influence Indeed, the UKIP party’s Euroscepticism
the legislative agenda, with SNP’s leader could only have been accommodated
John Swinney penning a letter asking the through Cameron’s calling of a referendum.
government to recognise Palestine as a state
– else he would table a vote on the matter
after the election has finished.
When Tony Blair became Prime Minister in
1997, immigration policy was not a top
priority. In his party manifesto, he only
made a short and vague promise to ensure
‘fairness towards asylum seekers’.
However, asylum policy became a key issue
during his first term in office, and he
adopted far-reaching restrictions as a result.
This remarkable policy shift came after
vocal criticism from the opposition alleging
that ‘fake’ asylum seekers were allowed to
enter the country, and that the UK’s asylum
system had been undermined as a result.
Blair’s response was an outright
accommodation of the opposition – a tactic
to prevent the opposition emphasising an
issue to make it salient and politically
important.
SCRUNTY: PMQ’s
Sir Keir Starmer used PMQ’s to forensically PMQ’s use planted questions – such as
, examine the extent of Boris Johnson’s Sunak and his question about the Labour ran
culpability of illegal lockdown parties at Birmingham council’s declaration of
Downing Street. bankruptcy – to reduce scrutiny.
It also allows for the PM to address Media-circus
opposition parties directly – with Sunak
recently stating that the SNP’s ‘entire
purpose’ is to break up the UK.
DEBATE: DEBATE:
During each parliamentary session, 20 days The opposition day on the Israel-Gaza war
are set aside to debate subjects chosen by highlighted the ability for opposition days to
the opposition. Naturally these will be over devolve into disrepute – as the SNP’s
issues which the opposition parties believe opposition day devolved into a Labour
the government should try to justify itself. opposition day due to an upending of
convention by Speaker Hoyle.
In 2009 a Liberal Democrat motion on the
Brown government’s failure to provide In 2019, a Labour opposition day motion
Gurkha veterans with UK residency rights urging the government to declare ‘an
passed. environment and climate emergency’, was
also supported by the House of Commons,
In 2019, a Labour opposition day motion although ultimately not endorsed by the
urging the government to declare ‘an government. This shows that even the
environment and climate emergency’, was passing of motions in the Commons does
also supported by the House of Commons, very little for the actual governmental
although ultimately not endorsed by the agenda.
government.
Evaluate the view that the House of Commons is effective in its representative function
(30)***
p185- 186 -Party Representation (p185-186 and p198-199 ; Constituency Representation
(p185-186 and p204-5); Social Representation (p186)
SOCIAL: SOCIAL:
Most diverse Parliament: Average voter is 40 years old, not 50
50% of MPs are 50 years old. BAME = 15% not 10%
34% women 51% of women in the UK, not 34%
BAME representation is at the highest level 1% Oxbridge not 29%
since records began at 10%.
