Leader of the House of Commons
The Leader of the House of Commons is generally a member or attendee of the cabinet of the United Kingdom.
Leader of the House of Commons | |
---|---|
Cabinet Office Office of the Leader of the House of Commons | |
Style | The Right Honourable |
Formation | 4 April 1721 |
First holder | Sir Robert Walpole |
Website | www.gov.uk |
The House of Commons devotes approximately three-quarters of its time to government business, such as bills introduced by the government and ministerial statements. The Leader of the House of Commons, with the parties' chief whips ("the usual channels"), is responsible for organising government business and providing time for non-government (backbench) business to be put before the House of Commons.[1]
Responsibilities
The following are some of the current responsibilities of the Leader of the House of Commons:
- Organising government business in the House of Commons[2]
- Working closely with the Chief Whip[2]
- Telling the House of Commons the business scheduled for the following week, and usually the provisional business for the week after, every sitting Thursday[3]
- Chairing the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee[3]
- Possibly deputising for the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions.[3]
The Osmotherly Rules, which set out guidance on how civil servants should respond to parliamentary select committees, are jointly administered by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons and the Cabinet Office.[4]
History
According to parliament.uk, the title was not established until about the middle of the nineteenth-century, although the institution is much older.[3]
Until 1942, the title was usually held by the Prime Minister if he sat in the House of Commons, however, in more recent years, the title has been held by a separate politician.[3]
The title holder is not formally appointed by the Crown and the title alone does not attract a salary,[3] so is now usually held in addition to a sinecure, currently Lord President of the Council.
Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
From 1922, when the Prime Minister was also Leader of the House of Commons, day-to-day duties were frequently carried out by a Deputy Leader of the House of Commons.[3] At other times, a Deputy Leader of the House of Commons was appointed merely to enhance an individual politician's standing within the government.
The title has been in use since 1942, but not since January 2018.[5]
List of Leaders of the House of Commons (1721–present)
See also
- Leader of the House of Lords
- Speaker of the House of Commons
- Minister for Parliamentary Business, the equivalent cabinet post in the Scottish Government
References
- "Leader of the House of Commons - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- "Leader of the House of Commons - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- "Leader of the House of Commons". www.parliament.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- Gay, Oonagh (4 August 2005). "The Osmotherly Rules (Standard Note: SN/PC/2671)" (PDF). Parliament and Constitution Centre, House of Commons Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- "Parliamentary Secretary of State (Deputy Leader of the House of Commons) - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
- David Butler and Gareth Butler, British Political Facts 1900–1994 (7th edn, Macmillan 1994) 65.
- "Lord Newton of Braintree". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Baroness Taylor of Bolton". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Rt Hon Robin Cook". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Lord Reid of Cardowan". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Lord Hain". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Mr Geoffrey Hoon". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Rt Hon Jack Straw". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Lord Young of Cookham". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Lord Lansley". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Lord Hague of Richmond". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Rt Hon David Lidington MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- "Rt Hon Mel Stride MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- "Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 29 July 2019.