weakened in recent years. Agreement Backbenchers have become increasingly rebellious. Backbenchers have become increasingly rebellious with party discipline much harder to enforce (Brexit, Covid, Fire Safety and Police and Crime Bills) making it far harder for governments to pass their legislation without meaningfully listening to MPs from across the parliamentary party (AO2), showing that the government’s control over the Commons has weakened in recent years as they have found controlling their parliamentary party extremely challenging (AO3). The Wright reforms and the Backbench Business Committee and reforms to Select Committees have increased the power of the Commons. The Wright reforms mean that the Backbench Business Committee has allowed MPs for the first time to schedule their own backbench debates and changes to select committees have no doubt increased their authority and public profile (AO2) showing how the government’s power over the Commons has weakened since 2009 due to the changes in how the Commons works (AO3). PMQs moved from 30 minutes a week to 45 post 2009, whilst there has been an increased use of Urgent Questions and Humble Addresses to hold the government to account. PMQs lengthened and the number of Urgent Questions granted grew under Speaker Bercow whilst the Official Opposition has used Humble Addresses in recent times; all have increased the power of the backbenches and Official Opposition to hold the government to account (AO2) showing that the Commons has become an increasingly effective check on the power of the government (AO3). The nature of election results has increased the power of backbenchers. In the last four elections, there has been one Coalition, one small majority government and a minority government; in particular under T May, the Commons showed it would not just accept government control and since then the government has struggled to impose discipline on the House (AO2) showing how the power of the government has increasingly weakened due to the political circumstances that they have faced (AO3).

weakened in recent years. Disagreement The UK has an elective dictatorship, which refers to the fact that Parliament’s legislative programme is determined by the government. Parliament’s legislative programme is determined by the government due to the first-past-the-post electoral system, their control of the timetable in the Commons and the imposition by the whips of party discipline on the governing party’s majority (AO2), showing that the government continues to dominate the Commons as it can limit the impact of rebellious backbenchers. (AO3). Ministers and Prime Ministers have made use of the royal prerogative. Ministers and Prime Ministers have made increasing use of the Royal Prerogative (proroguing parliament, May and intervention in Syria, the growing size of the payroll vote); this executive power is uncheckable by the Commons (AO2) showing that the government remains dominant over the Commons by using its powers in such a way that it can sideline the Commons (AO3). Prime Ministers have acted in an increasingly presidential style. The Prime Minister has become increasingly presidential, with policy and decisions often communicated direct to the people rather than the Commons and the increasing use of SPADs leading to a weakening of the normal channels of accountability to the House (AO2) showing that the government remains dominant in recent times with power increasingly centralised in the hands of the PM (AO3). The 2019 majority has seen the return to a more dominant Executive. The 2019 election saw the return to a larger majority government, and despite changes in PM, the government has been able to push its agenda whilst rebellions from backbenchers are more likely when they know it won’t defeat the government due to the size of the majority (AO2) reflecting that the government is now dominant over the House in the current parliament (AO3).