Payroll vote
Encyclopedia
Payroll vote is a term in the British Parliamentary System for Members of Parliament
who concurrently hold Government positions. It includes minister
s, junior ministers and Parliamentary Private Secretaries
: even though the last are unpaid, they are "widely regarded as being on the first rung of the ministerial ladder". There is a commonly observed convention in British Constitution that all government ministers, including the Prime Minister
, be members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords
, although this is not always strictly observed.
Under the principle of Cabinet collective responsibility
, all ministers must publicly support the position of the Government. Any minister who wishes to vote against the Government in Parliament is obliged to resign from governmental office first. There is therefore a built-in bloc of guaranteed support for the Government on any given Parliamentary vote. The size of this bloc is substantial, and has been increasing over time. Immediately after the 2005 General Election, there were 89 ministers and 51 parliamentary private secretaries in the Commons, accounting for 40% of Labour members of parliament.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
who concurrently hold Government positions. It includes minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
s, junior ministers and Parliamentary Private Secretaries
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
: even though the last are unpaid, they are "widely regarded as being on the first rung of the ministerial ladder". There is a commonly observed convention in British Constitution that all government ministers, including the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, be members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, although this is not always strictly observed.
Under the principle of Cabinet collective responsibility
Cabinet collective responsibility
Cabinet collective responsibility is constitutional convention in governments using the Westminster System that members of the Cabinet must publicly support all governmental decisions made in Cabinet, even if they do not privately agree with them. This support includes voting for the government in...
, all ministers must publicly support the position of the Government. Any minister who wishes to vote against the Government in Parliament is obliged to resign from governmental office first. There is therefore a built-in bloc of guaranteed support for the Government on any given Parliamentary vote. The size of this bloc is substantial, and has been increasing over time. Immediately after the 2005 General Election, there were 89 ministers and 51 parliamentary private secretaries in the Commons, accounting for 40% of Labour members of parliament.