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Parliament – NotesParliament
The UK has a bicameral legislature - parliament with two chambers.
House of commons - lower chamber
House of lords - upper chamber
House of commons
Democratically elected chamber of 650 MPs
Each MP’s elected in the single member constituency by FPTP.
Number MPs is not fixed and can change following reviews of parliamentary constituencies.
More than 100 MPs Hold ministerial positions in the government.
The main opposition party appoints shadow ministers.
Ministers and shadow ministers are known as frontbenchers while MPs that have no
ministerial shadow initial posts are known as backbenchers.
Pay and privilege
MPs are paid a salary.
Increases are set by the independent parliamentary salaries authority which also regulates
and pays MPs parliamentary expenses.
The system was overhauled after the daily telegraph expenses scandal.
MPs who faced criminal charges over the expenses unsuccessfully claimed that they should
not face prosecution because of parliamentary privilege.
Parliamentary privilege - the legal immunity enjoyed by members of parliament.
Elements of parliamentary privilege
Freedom of speech
- Members of both houses are free to raise any issue in parliament without fear of
prosecution
Exclusive cognisance
- This is the right of each house to regulate its own internal affairs without interference
from outside bodies
Key office Holders
Whips
The party system in the house of commons has traditionally been strong
Parties appoint a number of MPs to act as whips
Ensure a peace attend parliamentary divisions (votes) and approving the absence of MPs
when they would not be required
Issuing instructions on how MPs should vote
Enforcing discipline within the parliamentary party
- Whips seek to persuade waiving MPs to vote with their party by providing assurances,
making offers and issuing threats
, The speaker
The speaker presides over debates in the chamber, selecting MPs to speak and maintaining
order
Speaker may temporarily suspend MP’s who break parliamentary rules
Speaker is elected by MPs in a secret ballot
Once chosen, the speaker gives up their party affiliation and is nonpartisan
House of lords
Unelected chamber and is subordinate to the house of commons
Peers do not receive a salary but can claim a daily attendance allowance
House is shared by the lord speaker, who is elected by peers and politically neutral
Three types of peers - hereditary peers, life peers, lord spiritual
Hereditary peers
House of lords act 1999 removed all but 92 hereditary peers
Before the act, the HOL had more than 750 hereditary peers
Life peers
The life peerages act 1958 gave the prime minister the right to appoint members to the
upper house for life
The title and right to sit in the lords cannot be inherited
Life peers are now the largest category of members of the upper house
The creation of life peers increases the diversity and professionalism
Life peers include former MP’s, and leading figures from business education and the arts
Prior to 1999, many hereditary peers took the conservative whip
- Their removal ended the conservative party's historical predominance in the upper
house
- No party now has a majority in the lords
- PMs use their power to nominate life peers to alter the party balance within the lords
- Removal of hereditary peers also increase the proportion of women in the lords
Comparative powers of the commons and the lords
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