Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Collective & Individual Ministerial Responsibility - Coggle Diagram
Collective & Individual Ministerial Responsibility
Collective Responsibility or CMR extends to all members of government and this convention requires that they stick to agreed policy and do not question it in public
CMR has come under strain recently, e.g Liz Truss's where the threat of resignations was higher than ever, with several ministers disagreeing but not resigning
It ensures the government presents a united front against opposition, discussions inside the Cabinet are kept confidential, binds the government together and any member who disagrees is expected to resign
A good example of this is in the Blair Years (20017-1997) between Blair and Gordon Brown which reflected deep personality rivalries. Their often public disagreements led to no resignations, and this reinforced the need for the CMR
The past decades have seen many internal Cabinet struggles which lead to the downfall of a PM, party unity is crucial
Individual Responsibility is where ministers have a responsibility for their own conduct in office as well as in Parliament, either legal or political
Legal Responsibility is where ministers are responsible for all that goes on within their department whether they are directly concerned or not
David Cameron resigned after the UK voted to leave in 2016 and he had campaigned to stay
They must give accurate information to Parliament and if they knowingly mislead Parliament they are expected to resign. e.g Amber Rudd resigned in 2011 as she inadvertently misled Parliament over the question of whether she knew about targets ro remove illegal immigrants
Ultimately the PM decides how long a minister remains in office, in 2002 Estelle Morris resigned as education secretary after failing to meet government targets, but she remained Home Secretary in 2012 despite confusion over deadlines for deportation of terrrorists
Political Responsibility is where ministers are responsible for their own personal conduct, they may be forced to resign due to personal failings not necessarily related to their performance
It depends on how serious the issue is perceived to be, e.g Maria Miller resigned as culture secretary in 2014 after a row over her expenses
It also depends on how critical Parliament is over the matter and any media response, e.g in 2014 Conservative MP Newmark stepped down over a newspaper report that he sent an explicit image to them
Finally it depends on how the PM responds to the issue, Peter Mandelson was told him to resign over accusations he gave the Hinduja brothers passports
IMR & CMR under failure
under the coalition, IMR was reinterpreted for Vince Cable, instead of being sacked he was stripped of all responsibilities for competition / media policy after he boasted to reporters he had declared war on Robert Murdoch and retained his Cabinet seat
The coalition government alos had impacts on CMR, and was suspended temporarily on some issues where the parties fundamentally diasgreed
in the Av referendum parties were allowed to campaign separately as they wished
Liberal Democrats were also allowed to abstain from nuclear power, tax allowances and tuition fees
Vince Cable was often immune from the CMR, he was able to speak out in a way that would not normally be tolerated by a Cabinet minister