collective ministerial responsibility
- collective ministerial responsibility
The convention by which decisions and policies of the Cabinet are binding on all ministers, who are obliged to give public support to them in order to maintain a united front. Government ministers are deemed to be collectively responsible in two ways. They are expected to be answerable and accountable to Parliament for all decisions and policies emanating from the Cabinet or any of its committees. Moreover, if a Government is defeated in Parliament on a vote of confidence, it is expected to resign, paving the way for a general election. Ministers unable or unwilling to maintain this display of unity are expected to resign, the theory being that they have been given a chance to express their view; if they cannot abide by it, their duty is to surrender office. This avoids the potential damage done to a Government’s reputation when opponents and journalists can point to division and schism.
In practice, the doctrine has been significantly weakened over the last few decades.Ontwo occasions, it has been formally suspended, most recently in 1975 when the Wilson Government allowed ministers to campaign on either side in the referendum campaign over continued British membership of the European Economic Community. Ministers frequently ‘sail close to the wind’ in their public utterances and their differences with colleagues often become apparent, via coded speeches, press leaks and political biographies and diaries.
Glossary of UK Government and Politics .
2013.
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