comparative powers

commons - removing the government

• The HoC can remove a government through a vote of no confidence

• A motion is put forward by MPs for a vote in the HoC on whether the House still has confidence in the government

• If a vote of no confidence is passed, by convention the PM must resign or request a GE

  • EX: A vote of no confidence removed the government of PM James Callaghan in 1979

• The Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011, which provided a statutory 14 day window, was repealed in 2022

commons - legislation

• The HoC has law-making powers

• The HoC has the power to reject legislation by voting against it and has final approval over any proposed amendments to bills by the HoL

commons - select committees

• Select Committees have powers to examine the government

• They are able to call on members of the government to answer questions from the committee on the work that the government is doing

commons - government budget

• The HoC has the power to approve the government’s finances and reject or amend the government’s Budget

• The HoC will debate the Budget put forward by the government and then the Finance Bill will pass through the legislative process to become law

• The HoC has the primary role in passing Finance Bills, with exclusive power to amend them

• The HoL is not able to amend or reject a Finance Bill

lords - legislation

• The HoL has the power to propose amendments and revisions to bills which the HoC can review

• The HoL will scrutinise legislation in detail through debates and select committees

• The Parliament Act 1949 gives the HoL the power to delay a bill by up to one year, but the HoL does not have the power to reject a bill

• The HoL has the power to veto secondary legislation, although this power is rarely used

similar powers

• Both chambers can scrutinise the government and hold ministers to account

• Both chambers debate and vote on bills

  • A bill must go through readings in both chambers, and pass in both chambers, to become law

greater powers in the commons

• The Lords can propose amendments, but the Commons has the final say on amendments to bills

• The Salisbury Convention means that the Lords does not oppose bills proposed in the government’s election manifesto

• The Commons can overrule legislation, but the Lords can only delay it from being passed

• Only the Commons can bring down a government through a vote of no confidence

• The Commons has more power over public finances

• The Commons had a public mandate, whereas the Lords is unelected