All Questions
Tagged with united-kingdom prime-minister
56 questions
11
votes
3
answers
5k
views
How does anyone know for sure who the Prime Minister is?
France is famous for tourism, food, and above all, bureaucraty.
When a Prime Minister is heading out, there is a decree saying so. When a new Prime Minister is appointed, a decree is published in the ...
- 958
12
votes
1
answer
2k
views
When was the last/prior time a former PM served in another (non-PM) position in the UK government?
CNN:
Sunak then announced he was bringing Cameron back to frontline politics as foreign secretary, in a stunning move that has few parallels in recent British political history.
Cameron served as ...
11
votes
1
answer
3k
views
When did a Prime Minister last miss two, consecutive Prime Minister's Questions?
Rishi Sunak was criticised at the Liaison Committee for his plans to miss two consecutive Prime Minister's Questions sessions in Parliament:
Sir Chris Bryant: Remind us when a Prime Minister last
...
- 631
38
votes
4
answers
10k
views
Why are UK Prime Ministers educated at Oxford, not Cambridge?
Undoubtedly, the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge have both played a major role in educating Britain's elites in politics, business, entertainment etc.
However, when it comes to Prime Ministers, ...
- 2,294
24
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Does the British PM have the power to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India?
Recently, Rishi Sunak, a person of Indian origin, became British PM. Indians have begun
making online posts about how the return of the Koh-i-Noor diamond will be possible now.
Does the British PM ...
- 291
26
votes
5
answers
8k
views
Why are UK prime ministers resigning, rather than waiting out their term and enjoying the benefits?
The past few PMs of the UK have resigned. Most recently Liz Truss, after 45 days. I assume that the reason was that she felt that she was failing at her job, and the pressure to succeed was causing ...
- 1,281
11
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How uncommon is it for a Prime Minister not to respond to an urgent question themselves?
Quite a lot has been made of Liz Truss not attending the House of Commons to answer an urgent question from the Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer on her decision to replace the Chancellor of the ...
- 1,954
1
vote
1
answer
351
views
When was the last time that the British Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer were both former Foreign Secretaries?
Liz Truss and Jeremy Hunt, respectively the British Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, are both former Foreign Secretaries.
When was the last time that this was true of the holders of ...
user41795
16
votes
3
answers
7k
views
"We're producing more varieties of cheese than the French!" What was (future UK Prime Minister) Liz Truss's point here?
The Juice Media's August 22, 2022 satirical video "Honest Government Ad | UK" (please be aware there's racy language; it's Australian satire) includes a presumably real clip of current UK ...
- 16.9k
19
votes
5
answers
4k
views
Why was Kwasi Kwarteng sacked and Jeremy Hunt appointed as the UK finance minister?
I'm struggling to get from the news headlines why Kwasi Kwarteng was sacked. Wasn't Liz Truss the actual policymaker? Did the fact that they're friends mean that he had more autonomy to make his own ...
- 1,762
3
votes
1
answer
394
views
Has a Prime Minister ever been appointed while in Scotland before?
Liz Truss recently met the Queen in her Scottish residence Balmoral to be invited to form a government as Prime Minister. Usually this meeting would be performed in Buckingham Palace in London, but on ...
- 1,954
7
votes
1
answer
466
views
What were the key factors that led to Truss being a finalist in the MPs vote and then winning the popular party vote, in the UK?
Like the question says. Now that the UK Conservative Party voting is done and a new Prime Minister installed (or imminently so today), what were the factors that led to her being
one of the two ...
- 7,246
3
votes
1
answer
372
views
Do Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss (presently) poll poorly against Keir Starmer?
I recall reading on CNN about a complaint by an MP (who was possibly a Mordaunt supporter) along the lines that the Conservatives have already lost the next general election given the leadership ...
31
votes
4
answers
5k
views
What drives the appeal and nostalgia of Margaret Thatcher within UK Conservative Party?
In light of the ongoing UK Conservative leadership race, a lot has been said about the legacy of Margaret Thatcher.
In particular, one of the candidates Liz Truss often invokes the image of Thatcher ...
- 10.5k
8
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Is there enough support in the UK parliament for a no confidence vote in the PM? [closed]
Now that 148 Conservative MPs have voted against the PM, adding to the 199 Labour MPs gives a majority in the Parliament (347/650, 53%). Is it possible for the opposition to launch a no confidence ...
- 349
6
votes
3
answers
963
views
Could a Conservative leader who loses the party's confidence vote refuse to resign as Prime Minister?
At time of writing, a vote of no-confidence in Boris Johnson is due to happen on the evening of 2022-06-06 between 1800 and 2000, as more than 54 letters (15% of all Conservative MPs) have been ...
- 624
25
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Why is the vote of no confidence on the prime minister for Conservative MPs only?
There will be a vote of no confidence in the prime minister of the UK today, but it is limited to Conservative MPs only and requires a majority of them to pass the motion. None of the media coverage I ...
- 349
12
votes
1
answer
893
views
Is Boris Johnson the first serving British prime minister to be found to have broken the law?
10 Downing Street has recently confirmed that Boris Johnson, the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, will be issued a fixed penalty notice for breaching COVID-19 related laws in June 2020.
...
- 2,571
17
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Has a former Prime Minister ever broken a three-line whip before?
On July 13th, 2021, MPs voted against returning the budget for international aid to 0.7% after it was cut to 0.5% in the November Spending Review. Notably, several Conservative MPs voted against the ...
CDJB♦
- 109k
9
votes
1
answer
924
views
How much interaction does a Prime Minister have with their constituency?
In the UK, a Prime Minister must be both the leader of their party and a Member of Parliament, at least generally speaking (this rule has never been broken to any notable degree). So, I would naively ...
- 193
15
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Are British Prime Ministers forbidden from cycling?
In The Guardian, 'Cycling ambitions for England move up a gear with No 10 plans',:
Johnson is, famously, a keen city cyclist himself, even if high office means he now has to be ferried about by car.
...
- 1,664
4
votes
1
answer
170
views
How long has it taken each Prime Minister to appear in front of the Commons Liaison Committee?
On May 27th, Boris Johnson appeared before the Commons Liaison Committee, a Select Committee made up of the chairs of the other Select Committees. The UK parliament website describes the committee's ...
CDJB♦
- 109k
3
votes
2
answers
398
views
When was the last time the deputising convention in Prime Minister's Questions was broken?
The BBC reports that later today, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will face Sir Keir Starmer in the first Prime Minister's Questions since the latter became the new Labour party leader. The Foreign ...
CDJB♦
- 109k
0
votes
1
answer
176
views
If the UK Prime Minister dies who is "next in line" given there is no current deputy PM [duplicate]
"Because of this there is not always a sitting Deputy Prime Minister. This means that it is up to the Prime Minister to choose whether or not he/she wants to have a deputy. The position was created in ...
- 126
2
votes
1
answer
241
views
How did Boris Johnson chair the cabinet meetings while he has COVID-19?
I didn't follow the UK news closely, so please enlighten me on how cabinet meetings were conducted by Boris Johnson while he has COVID-19. All I've read on this is that:
Prime Minister Boris Johnson ...
25
votes
1
answer
20k
views
If the UK Prime Minister suddenly dies, what happens?
With the news that Boris Johnson has tested positive for COVID-19, and was later hospitalised, a question occurred to me:
What happens if the UK Prime Minister suddenly dies?
I know that the ...
- 2,115
12
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Have the contents of the letters of last resort ever been revealed?
The letters of last resort are the letters written by the UK Prime Minister to the naval officers in command of the four nuclear submarines which provide the UK's nuclear deterrent, containing ...
CDJB♦
- 109k
34
votes
1
answer
6k
views
In the UK parliament, how much of Prime Minister's Questions is pre-planned?
So I was watching PMQs today and realised that almost everyone, certainly the party leaders, refers to notes during their time to talk.
Is the PM given a list of questions beforehand?
However during ...
- 443
0
votes
2
answers
367
views
Why hasn't Minister of the Civil Service been abandoned, when this is always just the PM?
Wasn't this title superfluous back when
The ministership was created for Harold Wilson on 1 November 1968 when responsibilities for the pay and management of the Civil Service was transferred ...
user6241
2
votes
1
answer
770
views
Can a Prime Minister be appointed if they do not have a seat in the Parliament?
On December 12, 2019, UK will hold a general election. As stated in Wikipedia's 2019 United Kingdom general election:
The election is to be contested under the same boundaries for 650 ...
- 1,806
7
votes
1
answer
457
views
What executive powers does the Prime Minister have?
In a presidential republic like, say, America, there are executive powers afforded to the President; for example the power to veto legislation. In the United Kingdom, as I understand it, the powers of ...
CDJB♦
- 109k
19
votes
4
answers
5k
views
What power does the UK parliament hold over a Prime Minister whom they refuse to remove from power?
I've seen several questions deal with the issues surrounding this issue, but none have tried to tackle this head on.
Boris Johnson had a defection within his party over a key Brexit vote. He then ...
- 53.1k
21
votes
4
answers
7k
views
UK PM is taking his proposal to EU but has not proposed to his own parliament - can he legally bypass the UK parliament?
According to latest Brexit news, UK is offering a 'compromise' to EU. An article on Bloomberg quotes the British PM as saying
“I hope very much that our friends understand that and compromise in
...
user6382
9
votes
1
answer
419
views
Is it ever possible to suspend the PM from the House of Commons?
From this Wikipedia page, it states that
Members of Parliament (MPs) can be suspended from sitting in the House of Commons by the Speaker for "disorderly conduct". The Speaker can order that an MP ...
- 1,356
8
votes
1
answer
578
views
Does the UK need a Prime Minister to have a government?
"Who would be prime minister?" seems to be a bone-of-contention at present, were an alternative government to be formed within the present house.
As I understand it, the phrase "prime minister" was ...
- 459
5
votes
1
answer
661
views
Is the PM obligated to answer questions from the House of Commons?
I watched the PM at the dispatch box from start to finish yesterday. He did not answer one question from any opposition MP. Is he, or any other MP (Gove's performance came a close 2nd), required to ...
- 51
4
votes
1
answer
289
views
What is the legal difference between "Prime Minister" and "First Lord of the Treasury"?
I have heard that an alternative title of "First Lord of the Treasury" should be used rather that "Prime Minister". Is there a difference and do they have specific legal meaning?
- 10.4k
1
vote
1
answer
2k
views
What happens if the UK Prime Minister resigns?
If the Prime Minister resigns, who becomes the Prime Minister and how are they selected?
Also can the UK not have a Prime Minister?
- 10.4k
8
votes
1
answer
496
views
Is there any reason why the Speaker could not be appointed as "caretaker" Prime Minister?
There is a clear majority in the House of Commons in favour of extending Article 50.
However were the House to impose a vote of no confidence in the present Prime Minister there is no agreement ...
- 10.7k
7
votes
1
answer
270
views
How likely would it be that the current UK PM could face jail time by refusing to request an extension to article 50 [closed]
Given how adamant the current Prime Minister of the UK is that he will not ask the EU for another extension under any circumstances and that it is now enshrined in law that the PM must seek an ...
- 179
3
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Why can't (doesn't?) Boris Johnson resign?
Why can't or doesn't Boris Johnson resign? In other parliamentary democracies, when the government loses support in the parliament (losing majority/vote of confidence) they typically resign and the ...
- 1,720
3
votes
2
answers
246
views
Can parliament stop the PM setting a GE date after 31 October?
A bill that's passed both houses then needs Royal Assent from the Queen to pass into law & by constitutional convention the Queen always follows advice of ministers (the PM) on these matters.
...
- 1,125
2
votes
2
answers
431
views
What criteria do historians use in ranking best and worst UK prime ministers?
Wikipedia has rankings of UK PMs and US Presidents that give the contenders various kinds of ordinal rankings.
Are there any rigorous theoretical frameworks that might underlie current and potential ...
- 144
4
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Who cannot be the Prime Minister of the UK?
Other than the ability to survive votes of confidence, are there any rules on who may or may not be Prime Minister of the UK? E.g. could the monarch be the PM? Could a non-UK-national? Could a minor?
- 545
3
votes
1
answer
217
views
Prime Minister's Official Spokesperson (PMOS) under Boris Johnson
I know that James Slack was the last PMOS under Theresa May. Who is in this position under Boris Johnson?
1
vote
3
answers
502
views
Does the queen really have to listen to the Prime Minister when appointing a new one?
According to this answer on Theresa May's successor:
The party will now elect a new leader, and May will then resign as PM, and recommend to the Queen that her successor as Conservative leader is ...
- 4,739
5
votes
2
answers
620
views
What is the precedent for replacing the British Prime Minster without a general election and what are the constitutional rules?
Theresa May has resigned as Prime Minister. Some people are calling for a general election.
Clearly this has happened before (her direct predecessor for example, although a general election was ...
- 169
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What is Theresa May waiting for?
Today (5/24/2019), Theresa May announced that she will step down as UK Prime Minister, and that she will quit as Conservative Party leader on 7th June.
Why is she waiting until 7th June? Why waste ...
- 4,950
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Who will lead the country until there is a new Tory leader?
Theresa May has just announced that she will resign as Prime Minister on 7th June. It has also been announced that the new Tory Leader will not be chosen until mid-July. (This is to account for all ...
- 5,846
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is there any mechanism to remove a UK Prime Minister on the grounds of 'insanity'?
Prime Minister Theresa May has been under considerable pressure over her handling of Brexit. It's quite feasible that this type of pressure would have an impact on her mental health.
Moreover within ...
user7809