The House of Commons

What system does the HoC use?

• HoC made up of 650 MPs

• Under the FPTP electoral system, each constituency elects a single MP

• Tends to create single-party majorities

• PM, most cabinet ministers, junior ministers and ministerial aides serve as MPs due to fusion of powers

• All MPs expected to follow convention of collective ministerial responsibility (vote for/support all aspects of govt policy)

How does FPTP and fusion of powers help get legislation through the Commons?

• PMs with large Commons majorities suffer few defeats in Commons

  • e.g. Thatcher’s Tory govt lost only four votes in 11 years in Commons

  • e.g. Blair’s Labour govt undefeated for 8 years from 1997-2005

• Even PMs with smaller majorities are rarely defeated in Commons

  • e.g. May undefeated in her first year (2016-2017) with a majority between 10 to 12 MPs

How is the executive branch subject to scrutiny in the Commons?

• PMs participate in weekly PMQs

• PMs attend meetings of the Liaison Committee (composed of the chairs of every select committee)

• Question times for ministers from each govt department to scrutinise their work, asked by backbench and opposition MPs

• Select committees can summon ministers and special advisers to face questions about issues they are responsible for

How does HoL scrutinise HoC?

• All legislation going through HoC has to be agreed by HoL

• Only HoC can vote on confidence motions to bring down a govt

• Since Parliament Act (1911) HoC only chamber able to block, amend or delay financial legislation

• Legislation rejected by HoC can never become law, HoC can overrule HoL with Parliament Acts