Parliament - Functions

Power to Back benchers - blue Scrutiny of gov

Bercow’s urgent questions

Bercow’s urgent questions

0.44 per day

Public Accounts Committee

• NHS Test and Trace

• NHS IT system with 700% overspend

2007-8 Michael martin’s urgent questions

• 4

• 0.02 per day

Lindsay Hoyle’s urgent questions

0.6 per day

• David Davis (con)

• Post office Horizon scandal

• Department of Business

Urgent Question Jan 2024

Standing Order 21

any MP can apply to the speaker for an urgent question

Total opposition days

20

• 17 to Official Opposition

• 3 to 2nd largest party (SNP)

Standing Order 24

Mps can apply for an emergency debate

Over the decision of the UK government to prevent the Gender Recognition Bill passing in Scotland

Emergency debate - Jan 2023

Emergency Debates Cons

• not binding

• Mps must vote on whether the debate will take place

• no amendments to original debate allowed

Emergency Debate Nov 2021

• Brought by Lib Dems

• On Owen Patterson Lobbying scandal

PMQs is ‘informative’

36%

% who think PMQs ‘makes me proud of parliament’

12%

Leader of the opposition’s questions at PMQs

6

• prosecutorial questioning of johnson over partygate

• Asked Truss ‘why are you still here’ at hight of mini-budget shambles

Starmer scrutiny at PMQs

• 1997 Blair vs ‘weak, weak, weak’ Major

• 2007 Cameron vs ‘Bottler Brown’

• 2024 Sunak vs ‘flip-flopping’ starmer

Punch and Judy politics

Wright Reforms 2010

select committee membership is chosen by MPs

Dr Sarah Wollaston

• Kept off Health and Social Care Public Bill Committee (2013)

• Voted as chair onto Health and Social Care Select Committee (2014)

Domestic Abuse Public Bill Committee

• received over 96 pieces of written evidence

• Jess Phillips MP member of committee

Hoyle broke convention (that only gov could amend opposition day motions) and allowed labour to change SNP’s language on call for immediate cease-fire

SNP opposition day Feb 2024

weakness of opposition days

• votes unbinding

• gov always votes against opposition motions

last opposition day motion that past

• 2009

• (lab rebellion following Joanna Lumley’s campaigns for gurkhas residency rights )