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UK Politics Examples

Pressure Groups

The Farming Protests As An Example Of Pressure Group Activity:

• On the 19th of November 2024, over 13,000 farmers protested outside of Westminster against the new inheritance tax changes in the 2024 budget. Chancellor Rachael Reeves scrapped Agricultural Property Relief, meaning inheritance tax of 20% will now be applied to farms valued over £1 million. 

• The protests were organised by the National Farmers Union, the largest farming organisation in the UK representing over 46,000 farmers. 

  • Additionally, the NFU organised a “mass lobby” event where thousands of farmers met 150 MPs in London and pushed the same message to Parliamentarians. 

• Despite the large turnout and celebrity endorsement from key figures such as Jeremy Clarkson, the Government has refused to backtrack on these changes and the treasury has refused to engage with the NFU. 

  • This shows how pressure groups can move from insider to outsider when there's a change of government - under Sunak the NFU had consultancy ties with DEFRA, and had key successes such as the suspension of the UK-Canada trade agreement, however they now have less power under a Labour government.

  • Therefore, outsider methods which utilise mass participation can be seen as less effective if the pressure group is outsider and does not align with government policy.

UK Government Examples

Starmer And Farage As An Example Of Partisan Political Point Scoring:

• On the 13th of November during PMQs, Prime Minister Kier Starmer was asked a question by Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage. Farage questioned whether Starmer would prescribe Iran's revolutionary guard as a terrorist organisation, following an assassination plot against president-elect Donald Trump.

  • However, Starmer responded by avoiding the question and joking about Farage's frequent trips to America saying he would be "on the immigration statistics".

• This shows how PMQs are often not a meaningful form of scrutiny, as PMs often simply answer a different question to the one asked and resort to witty, predetermined one-liners. This allows them to get soundbites for social media clips, rather than engaging in meaningful debate and being properly held to account.

• This supports the idea that PMQs should be replaced with a more thorough form of scrutiny such as select committees. 

The Justice Select Committee Membership As An Example Of Effective Parliamentary Scrutiny:

• The Justice Select Committee membership was appointed in November 2024 and is dominated by competent and experienced MPs. Currently, 7 out of the 9 members are lawyers, and the committee is chaired by Labour MP and Barrister Andy Slaughter. 

  • All the members are highly experienced in their field, providing them with the tools to effectively scrutinise the Ministry of Justice's decisions and policy. 

  • For example, Labour MP Linsey Farnsworth worked for 21 years as a Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor.

  • This can be seen in the high level and detailed questioning of Lord Timpson, Prisons Minister over prisons, probation and reoffending regarding the government's early release scheme. 

• More broadly, this shows the efficacy of select committees in challenging the government as members are far more specialised than those of public bill committees/in debates.