Political and Constitutional Reform Committee calls for more clarity on the Prime Minister’s powers, and says more of them should be put into statute to allow for greater transparency and accountability.
In a report published Tuesday 24 June 2014, the Committee says:
The Chair of the Committee, Graham Allen MP, said:
“The Prime Minister is the chief of the executive in the UK. As well as not being directly elected by the public, most of the powers exercised by the Prime Minister aren’t defined in statute and can’t be found in one place. Without any clear definition, the PM’s role and powers have been able to grow and add to the massive over-centralisation in Britain. “Effective checks and balances on Prime Ministerial powers are good for Parliament, for the Government, for the Prime Minister, and, most importantly, for the public. Our inquiry came up with some practical reforms for improving accountability, but we are also opeining up discussion on some more radical reforms with the hope of provoking debate about how the role and powers of the Prime Minister should change in the years to come.”
“The Prime Minister is the chief of the executive in the UK. As well as not being directly elected by the public, most of the powers exercised by the Prime Minister aren’t defined in statute and can’t be found in one place. Without any clear definition, the PM’s role and powers have been able to grow and add to the massive over-centralisation in Britain.
“Effective checks and balances on Prime Ministerial powers are good for Parliament, for the Government, for the Prime Minister, and, most importantly, for the public. Our inquiry came up with some practical reforms for improving accountability, but we are also opeining up discussion on some more radical reforms with the hope of provoking debate about how the role and powers of the Prime Minister should change in the years to come.”
This report contributes to the Committee’s wider work on codifying or not codifying the UK’s constitution. The Committee is expected to produce a full report on this theme next month.