Paper 2 · 2026 · 30 marks
Using the source, evaluate the view that the Executive now dominates Parliament.
Parliament
Source
Source 1(a) explores the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature.
The case that the Executive dominates Parliament
Parliament's legislative programme is largely determined by the government, whose bills virtually always pass in the Commons thanks to the first-past-the-post electoral system and the impact of party discipline from the whips on the governing party's majority. There is a strong tendency towards executive dominance, and this is intensified by the constitutional weakness of the House of Lords.
Prime ministers have acted in an increasingly presidential style; there has been an increasing number of special advisers, and prime ministers have made use of the royal prerogative.
Until recently, the powers of government within Parliament used to be limited by the opposition and by its own backbenchers. But now the debate and argument which dominate the parliamentary scene is controlled by the whips.
The limits on executive dominance
Three major political limits - the threat of electoral defeat, a vote of no confidence in the government, or the removal of the prime minister by the party's MPs - are real threats to any government. Parties are increasingly rebellious and divided while the royal prerogative has arguably been restricted by both emerging convention and the courts. The Lords also play a crucial role in scrutinising new laws, and in overseeing the broader activities of the executive.
Governments rely on the confidence of MPs to govern. In turn, MPs rely on voters to stay in office. Should voters make it clear to their MPs that they are not pleased with the direction of the government or a particular policy, then MPs will either remove their support for that government or force it to change direction in advance of the next election.
One cannot understand the nature of executive power in Britain without taking deadly seriously the threat of removal by the electorate or the premature end of a government or premiership at the hand of MPs.