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Constitutional Question

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I never studied politics (I had a life back then) so I don't know the answer to this question.

If a party "wins" the election but their leader (and deputy) lose their seat - who does the Queen ask to form a Government?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's not something I have studied so far but I persume the leader anyway.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If a party "wins" the election but their leader (and deputy) lose their seat - who does the Queen ask to form a Government?

    I think...If say, Blair had lost his seat at the last election but Lab had a majority, the Queen would ask another Labour MP to form a government. I would presume Labour Party rules would somehow be flexible enough to make this person a caretaker leader.

    If say someone in the Cabinet lost their seat but the PM wanted them to keep their post they could be nominated to Lords; the Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, etc does not need to be an MP. I'm not sure if the PM could technically be in the Lords with a spokesperson in the Commons. If a PM can be simply in the Lords then I would guess that a caretaker leader could do that to enable a PM who has lost their seat to carry on - then no doubt they'd be parachuted into a seat for a by-election to get back into the Commons. Would be all very embarrassing though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    To: Man of Kent
    From: Dan McPedant

    Message:

    We don't have a Constitution, ours is 'unwritten'.

    That is all.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    .
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ah bugger
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whoever the party in government elects as its next leader. i think even if the deputy does not lose their seat a new leader is voted on and that person is PM.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    minimi38 wrote:
    Whoever the party in government elects as its next leader. i think even if the deputy does not lose their seat a new leader is voted on and that person is PM.

    I know that the party which wins the election can elect a new leader, but the term of office starts the day after the election. What I want to know is what happens in the meantime.

    In the US there is a clear line of accession and so it would take a huge disaster before they didn't know who their leader was, it's the same with our Royals. I don't think that it is so clear with Parliament.

    NB It's also worth noting that the Queen doesn't have to ask the actual "winner" of the election to form a Govt...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    sophia wrote:
    To: Dan McPedant
    From: Sophia

    Message:

    Actually, we do have a constitution. Just because it's not formally written down anywhere, doesn't mean we don't have one.

    Sorry.

    Actually, writing with a clearer head, I was halfway there.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_constitution

    Must brush up on my pedant.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    PM can be in the Lords - it hasn't happened since Lord Salisbury and to be honest I can't see it happening again.

    And strictly speaking the PM doesn't have to be leader of the Party. Chamberlain retained leadership of the Conservative Party and Churchill was PM in 1940.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    PM can be in the Lords - it hasn't happened since Lord Salisbury and to be honest I can't see it happening again.

    And strictly speaking the PM doesn't have to be leader of the Party. Chamberlain retained leadership of the Conservative Party and Churchill was PM in 1940.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    A point so good you posted twice?

    Come on, I though that there were supposed to be well informed, intelligent, people using this forum - doesn't anybody know the answer?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It would be up to the Queen, as it always is. Convention is that she asks the leader of the largest party to be her Prime Minister - but she doesn't have to (eg Churchill in 1940).

    In the event that the leader of a party isn't elected I would expect the Queen to hold emergency talks with the largest party and ask them to nominate the person who should be PM from amongst their MPs (and theoretically at least their Lords). It would then be up to that political party whether that person also became leader.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Perhaps interim leadership would go to the next senior positions - namely the Foreign Minister or the Chancellor of the Exchequer?
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