Motions of no confidence in the United Kingdom Motions of no confidence, also called votes of confidence,[1] votes of no-confidence[2] or censure motions,[1] are a feature of the Westminster system of government used in the United Kingdom that requires an executive to retain the confidence of the House of Commons. It is a fundamental principle of the British constitution that the Government must retain the confidence of the legislature as it is not possible for a Government to operate effectively without the support of the majority of the legislature.[3] In last resort the principle is based upon the governments dependence upon the House of Commons for political capital.[4] It is possible for a vote of no confidence to succeed where there is a minority government, a small majority or where there are internal party splits. Where there is a minority government, the government may seek agreements or pacts with minor parties in order to remain in office. Despite their importance to the British constitution, the rules surrounding motions of no confidence are dictated by convention. A defeat in a vote of no confidence will oblige a government to resign or seek a dissolution of Parliament.[5] A no confidence vote was last successfully used on 28 March 1979, when the minority government of James Callaghan was defeated in a confidence motion which read That this House has no confidence in Her Majestys Government.[6] A no confidence vote can have the effect of uniting the ruling party; for this reason such motions are rarely used and successful motions are even rarer.[7] Before 1979 the last successful motion of no confidence occurred in 1924.[8] Forms Successful no confidence votes Constitutional practice Recent practice See also
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 21:14:33 +0000
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