Ministerial responsibility - concept collection

The concepts

• Individual Ministerial Responsibility (IMR) - The convention that a minister is answerable to Parliament for their own personal conduct AND for the work of their department. A breach can trigger resignation or dismissal.
• Collective Ministerial Responsibility (CMR) - The convention that all cabinet ministers must publicly support every government policy or resign. One voice, one team.
• Convention - An unwritten rule that is followed by political practice rather than enforced by statute. Both halves of ministerial responsibility are conventions, not law.
• The Ministerial Code - The written rulebook for ministerial conduct. First published 1992, updated by each new PM. Breaches of the Code are the most common modern IMR trigger.
• Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests - Post created 2006. Investigates alleged Ministerial Code breaches at the PM's request. Two advisers resigned 2021-2022 (Lord Geidt then Sir Laurie Magnus) over PM interference.
• Accountability to Parliament - Ministers must answer Commons questions, appear before select committees, and explain decisions to the chamber. The Speaker can summon ministers to the Despatch Box.
• Cabinet confidentiality - Cabinet discussions remain private under the Privy Council oath. Routine leaking (Johnson + Truss eras) is the practical breach of this principle.
• Suspension of CMR - Formal lifting of the unity rule for a specific issue. Done twice: 1975 EEC referendum (Wilson), 2016 EU referendum (Cameron).
• Government Whip system - The party machinery that enforces CMR in practice. Ministers who break the line lose the whip or are removed.
• Motion of no confidence - A Commons vote stating it has no confidence in the government. Passing it forces resignation or election. Last successful one: 1979 (Callaghan).
• Censure motion - A Commons vote criticising a minister without removing them. Symbolic - applies political pressure short of resignation.
• Royal prerogative (appointments) - The PM appoints and dismisses ministers using prerogative power. Formally exercised by the Monarch on PM advice.
• Cabinet Secretary - The most senior civil servant. Investigates conduct allegations against ministers and advises the PM. Sue Gray (Partygate inquiry 2022) the highest-profile recent example.
• Inner cabinet / kitchen cabinet - An informal group of senior ministers and advisers around the PM that shapes policy outside the full cabinet. Argued to weaken CMR by sidelining the full cabinet.
• Sofa government - Tony Blair-era term for decision-making in informal small groups (the inner cabinet) rather than full cabinet meetings. The Butler Review 2004 criticised it as undermining CMR.
• Constructive resignation - Resigning in disagreement with policy rather than being removed. Robin Cook 2003 (Iraq) is the textbook example.
• Departmental failure - A serious mistake or scandal within a department. The IMR convention says the minister takes the blame. In modern practice rarely does.
• Personal misconduct - Breach of the Ministerial Code by the minister personally - misleading Parliament, bullying, security breach, financial impropriety. The IMR trigger that still bites.

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