Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Composition of the house of Commons - Coggle Diagram
Composition of the house of Commons
Summary
Democratically elected chamber
Each member represents one of 650 constituents
Constituencies are allocated so that all people in the UK can claim equal representation.
Vast majority of MPs represent a political party
Front and backbench MPs
Front bench MPs are MPs who have been invited by the PM to join the government as senior ministers, junior ministers of permenant private secretaries.
They are all bound by the principle of collecitve ministerial responsibility.
This means they must promote and publicly support government policy from the front benches.
Party whips
Partly leadership needs to tightly control its MPs or the party would break down.
Whips encourage and force MPs to support the party line. They also support any large scale rebellions that might encourage the leadership to adjust their position to avoid defeat.
Three line whips are used which makes MPs attend a vote and vote for/against something. In 2019, 21 conservative MPs had the party whip withdrawn for supporting the commons taking control of EU negotiations.
Whips are important because:
They support a minority government or a government with a small majority.
The speaker
Impartial and their job is to ensure parliamentary business runs smoothly
Does not engage in political debate
Current speaker: Lindsay Hoyle
Arranges parliamentary business with the leaders of the main parties
Enforces discipline: can suspend an MP that is abusive, accusing another MP of lying, or disobedient.
Elected by a secret ballot of all MPs
The leader of the opposition
Role is to ensure the government is thoroughly scrutinised, while convincing the public that the opposition is a 'government in waiting'.
Ability to claim short money funding for their scrutiny
Leader can ask 6 questions in PMQs, performing high profile scrutiny about government policy failiures and demonstrating their solution to the issue.
Consists of the shadow cabinet