Making Coalition Government Work: the impact on Parliament

For the first time in 65 years, the UK is governed by a coalition government. Ministers from two rival parties now sit together around the Cabinet table, with a shared Programme for Government for a full five-year parliamentary term.

To help make sense of this new political context, we are hosting a series of seminars, entitled Making Coalition Government Work. The series will see international and UK experts explore different aspects of coalition governance. 

About this seminar

On 8 July, as part of our Making Coalition Government Work series, the Institute for Government hosted a discussion on how the formation of a coalition government would affect the way that Parliament operates.

A panel, chaired by Lord Bichard, discussed whether Parliament would be strengthened or weakened in its dealings with government, and whether the era of 'new politics' offered potential for a renaissance, after the severe damage to its reputation.

The panel

  • Professor Philip Norton (Lord Norton of Louth)
  • Ken Hughes — Scottish Parliament, Clerk to the Parliamentary Bureau
  • Liam Laurence Smyth — House of Commons, Clerk of the Journals

 

 

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A return to Government vs. Opposition

According to the panel, the impact of coalition government on Parliament must be understood in the wider context of changes taking place in Westminster – such as the influx of new MPs and peers, and the implementation of the Wright Committee reforms in the House of Commons.

However, some specific effects relating to the formation of the coalition can be identified.

First, it returns Westminster to the way things were before the Liberal Democrats became a serious third party – Govenment vs Oppositon with virtually nothing in between. This will take some adapting to. For example, should parliamentary time be allocated on a Government vs. Opposition or  party-by-party basis?

With only one major opposition party, there is also risk that the quality of opposition – in terms of its ability to hold government to account – may decline.

Pressure on the Lib Dems

There are particular pressures on the Liberal Democrats. It has lost its entitlement to ‘Short Money’ (for opposition parties), and there is a danger it will become less visible in Parliament than before (with Nick Clegg no longer getting to speak during Prime Minister’s Questions, for instance).

The Speaker will play an important role in this. He is already making a point of calling backbench Lib Dems to speak when a Conservative minister has opened the debate (and vice versa).

Whilst the coalition has a sizeable majority, maintaining discipline may be harder than in single party government, as there are two sets of backbenchers to manage. The government already unexpectedly lost the first two votes in the Lords.

The impact on legislation

Because the coalition’s Programme for Government was written after the election (unlike a manifesto), there has been a delay in preparing and introducing legislation. A rush of bills may be expected later in the year.

The experience of parliaments elsewhere is that coalitions can sometimes introduce legislation without having first ironed out all the differences between the coalition partners – Parliament may need to step in to resolve such issues.

For more information