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UK Politics Examples

Pressure Groups

BMA Strikes - Example Of The Failure Of Outsider Pressure Groups:

• In December 2025, the British Medical Association (BMA) announced a round of strikes in England, starting on the 17th of December. This was the BMA’s 14th strike since March 2023 and caused significant disruption, particularly in hospitals. 

  • The strike followed the rejection of a revised government offer by 83% of BMA members. The proposal included a substantial expansion of specialist training posts, and the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses such as exam fees, but it did not meet the BMA’s core demand for a 26% salary rise on top of the 28% increase the government already awarded. 

  • Ultimately, the strikes failed to secure further pay rises, due to weak public support and opposing government attitudes. 

    • Streeting dismissed the demand as a “fantasy”, and a December 2025 YouGov poll found that 58% of the public strongly opposed the industrial action. 

• This shows how outsider pressure groups struggle to influence government policy, especially when they lack public support. Despite the BMA’s significant resources, representing over 200,000 members in 2025 (more than 80% of UK doctors), giving it considerable economic power and greater strength in negotiations, they failed to achieve their aims. 

  • Governments are less likely to change policy when pressure groups do not reflect broader public opinion, as this offers little electoral advantage and risks alienating voters. 

• This example also highlights how government attitudes are the most important factor in determining pressure group success, as governments will usually listen to groups whose aims align with their political agenda.

UK Politics & Government Examples

Party Policy and Executive Sovereignty

The UK Rejoins Erasmus - Example Of Executive Sovereignty And Party Policy:

• In December 2025, the Government announced that the UK would rejoin the Erasmus study scheme from 2027, six years after ending its participation as part of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020. 

  • The scheme enables UK students to study abroad at European universities as part of their degree programmes, and enables European students to do the same in the UK. 

  • EU Relations Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds described the agreement as evidence of the government's new partnership with the EU, whilst Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel criticised the deal “betrayal” of Brexit and Parliament's will. 

• The government was able to unilaterally join the scheme as the prerogative powers allow the executive to conduct foreign policy, including the power to negotiate, sign and ratify international treaties without prior parliamentary approval. 

  • This is despite Parliament having formally ended UK participation in Erasmus and legislating for EU withdrawal. 

  • This shows how, since leaving the EU, sovereignty has not fully been restored to Parliament but has instead shifted to the executive. 

    • Control over EU competences, particularly in areas of trade and international agreements, has largely been exercised by the government rather than by Parliament. 

• This example also highlights a clear contrast between Labour and Conservative foreign policy positions, particularly in relation to the EU. 

  • Labour’s decision to rejoin the Erasmus scheme reflects a more pro-EU approach to foreign policy, prioritising closer relations, a willingness to rebuild ties and strengthening political and economic links with Europe.

  • However, the Conservative opposition to the move, reflects the party’s Eurosceptic foreign policy stance, which emphasises national sovereignty. 

    • Previous Conservative governments replaced Erasmus in favour of the domestic Turing Scheme, arguing that continued participation undermined Brexit. 

  • This demonstrates how there remains an important foreign policy divide between Labour and the Conservative Party in relation to Europe.

US Politics & Government/Global Examples

The Presidency and Foreign Policy (U.S.) and Hard Power (Global)

Trump Strikes On Venezuela - Example Of Presidential Power In Foreign Policy:

• In January 2026, US President Donald Trump announced that US forces had captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a “large-scale strike” against Venezuela. 

  • Trump had already used military force against Venezuela throughout late 2025, deploying 7 warships and over 15,000 US troops. 

• These actions arguably violate U.S. law, as they were taken without congressional approval, preventing Congress from exercising its constitutional role as a democratic check on presidential power.

  • Under the US Constitution, Congress is responsible for declaring war, and any military action involving land strikes in Venezuela should require congressional authorisation. 

• This suggests that Trump is continuing the decades-long trend of U.S. Presidents acting unilaterally in foreign policy and there being an ‘imperial presidency’ in this sphere of American policy.

  • Presidents have often used military force without formal Congressional declarations of war and justified this through their role as ‘Commander-in-Chief’ under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution.

How Does This Link To Global Politics?

• The strike by the U.S. breached the UN charter. Article 2(4) requires states to refrain from the use of military force against other states and to respect their sovereignty. 

  • This highlights the difficulty of enforcing international law, as there is no overarching global authority that can make states comply, which is even more problematic when the world’s most powerful military breaks international law.

• This case is also an example of hard power - the use of military force and coercive tactics to influence the actions of other states. 

  • The U.S. has failed to get its way in Venezuela - in particular control of the country’s oil reserves through American companies - through persuasion (soft power), so pursued its economic aims through force (hard power).

  • As a global ‘superpower’ state with the world’s biggest military, the US has the ability to project major hard power worldwide and play a decisive role in shaping the global order.