Prime Minister's Questions

Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs, officially known as Questions to the Prime Minister, while colloquially known as Prime Minister's Question Time) is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom, currently held as a single session every Wednesday at noon when the House of Commons is sitting, during which the Prime Minister answers questions from Members of Parliament (MPs).[1]

This article is about Questions in Parliament to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. For regular ministerial questioning, see Question time. For the TV programme, see Question Time (TV programme).

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History

Although prime ministers have answered questions in parliament for centuries, until the 1880s, questions to the prime minister were treated the same as questions to other Ministers of the Crown: asked without notice, on days when ministers were available in whatever order MPs rose to ask them.[2] In 1881 fixed time-limits for questions were introduced and questions to the prime minister were moved to the last slot of the day as a courtesy to the 72-year-old prime minister at the time, William Gladstone, so he could come to the Commons later in the day. In 1953, when Winston Churchill (in his late 70s at the time) was prime minister, it was agreed that questions would be submitted on fixed days (Tuesdays and Thursdays).[2]

A Procedure Committee report in 1959 recommended that questions to the prime minister be taken in two fixed-period, 15-minute slots on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. The recommendations were put into practice under Harold Macmillan during a successful experiment from 18 July 1961 to the end of the session on 4 August.[3] The very first question was delivered by Labour MP Fenner Brockway, asking to which Minister the UK Ambassador to South Africa would be responsible.[4] In response to the Prime Minister's answer, Brockway said "May I express our appreciation of this new arrangement for answering Questions and the hope that it will be convenient for the Prime Minister as well as useful to the House?"[4] PMQs were made permanent in the following parliamentary session, with the first of these on 24 October 1961.[2][5][6]

The style and culture of PMQs has changed gradually over time. According to Speaker Selwyn Lloyd, the now famous disorderly behaviour of MPs during PMQs first arose as a result of the personal animosity between Harold Wilson and Edward Heath; before this PMQs had been lively but comparatively civilised.[2][7] In the past, prime ministers often opted to transfer questions to the relevant minister, and Leaders of the Opposition did not always take their allocated number of questions in some sessions, sometimes opting not to ask any questions at all. This changed during the premiership of Margaret Thatcher, when the prime minister chose not to transfer any questions to other members of her Cabinet, and Labour leader Neil Kinnock began asking more questions than his predecessors. His successor, John Smith, established the precedent of always taking his full allocation of questions.[2]

The chamber is much busier than at most other times.

One of Tony Blair's first acts as prime minister was to replace the two 15-minute sessions with a single 30-minute session on Wednesdays, initially at 3 p.m. but since 2003 at noon.[2] The allocated number of questions in each session for the Leader of the Opposition was doubled from three to six, and the leader of the third-largest party in the Commons was given two questions as opposed to one question beforehand. The first PMQs to use this new format took place on 21 May 1997.[8]

During the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government from 2010–2015, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, as a member of the government, did not ask questions during PMQs.[9] Instead, the leader of the second largest parliamentary opposition party at the time, Nigel Dodds of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), usually asked a single question later in the session, followed by at least one MP from another smaller party such as the Scottish National Party or Plaid Cymru.

Practice
The Order Paper for Wednesday, 24 June 2009.

Backbench MPs wishing to ask a question must enter their names on the Order Paper. The names of entrants are then shuffled in a ballot to produce a random order in which they will be called by the Speaker. The Speaker will then call on MPs to put their questions, usually in an alternating fashion: one MP from the government benches is followed by one from the opposition benches. MPs who are not selected may be chosen to ask a supplementary question if they "catch the eye" of the Speaker, which is done by standing and sitting immediately before the prime minister gives an answer.

The Leader of the Opposition usually asks six questions at PMQs, either as a whole block or in two separate groups of three. If the first question is asked by a government backbencher, the Leader of the Opposition is the second MP to ask questions. If the first question is asked by an opposition MP, this will be followed by a question from a government MP and then by the questions from the Leader of the Opposition. The leader of the third largest parliamentary party (the Liberal Democrats from 1988–2010 and the Scottish National Party from 2015) would then ask two questions.

The first formal question on the Order Paper, posed by simply saying "Number one, Mr. Speaker", is usually to ask the Prime Minister "if s/he will list his/her engagements for the day". The Prime Minister usually replies:

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall have further such meetings later today.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

The reason for such a question is that, historically, the Prime Minister may be questioned only as to those matters for which he or she is directly responsible. Such matters are relatively few in number, because many substantive matters are handled by the other Ministers in the Cabinet. By requiring the Prime Minister to list his or her engagements, the members may then inquire whether the Prime Minister ought to be engaged in some other activity or be taking some other action.[17]

Before listing the day's engagements, the Prime Minister sometimes extends condolences or offers congratulations after significant events. During the Iraq War, Tony Blair introduced the practice of naming any British military personnel who had been killed in service since the last time he addressed the House. This practice was continued by Blair's successors as prime minister. After this, the MP may ask a supplementary question about any subject which might occupy the Prime Minister's time. Most MPs table the same engagements question and so after it has been asked for the first time, any other MPs who have tabled the same question are simply called to ask an untabled question, meaning that the Prime Minister will not know what questions will be asked.[18]

Occasionally the first question tabled is on a specific area of policy, not the engagements question. This, though, is quite rare as it would allow the Prime Minister to prepare a response in advance; the non-descript question allows some chance of catching him or her out with an unexpected supplementary question.[18]

At times of national or personal tragedy or crisis, PMQs have been temporarily suspended. The last such suspension occurred on 25 February 2009 when the Speaker, at the request of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, suspended the Commons until 12:30 p.m. as a mark of respect following the unexpected death of Opposition leader David Cameron's son. Prime Minister's Questions was also suspended after the sudden death of the leader of the Labour Party, John Smith, in 1994.[19]

PMQs has been filmed since 1989, and has been broadcast live since 1990.[20]. It is broadcast live in the United Kingdom on the BBC Two and BBC Parliament TV channels. It is also broadcast outside the United Kingdom, most notably on the US cable network C-SPAN[21] and has been spoofed on the American late-night television sketch comedy Saturday Night Live.[22] In a C-SPAN interview in 1991, shortly after the network started to broadcast PMQs, US President, George H. W. Bush said, "I count my blessings for the fact I don't have to go into that pit that John Major stands in, nose-to-nose with the opposition, all yelling at each other."[23]

Absence of the Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition

If the Prime Minister is away on official business when PMQs is scheduled, their role is usually filled by the Deputy Prime Minister.[24] If this office is not occupied or the Deputy Prime Minister is not available, the next most senior member of the Cabinet will receive questions (such as the First Secretary of State or the Deputy Leader of the government party).[25] In the absence of the Leader of the Opposition, the opposition questions will be usually led by the next highest ranking member of the Shadow Cabinet. From 1992 to 2020, a convention was in place so that if either the Prime Minister or the Leader of the Opposition is absent, the other faction would nominate someone to stand, meaning that both sides were stood in for.[24] This precedent was broken at Sir Keir Starmer's first PMQs as Leader of the Opposition, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalised due to illness with COVID-19. First Secretary of State Dominic Raab stood in for the Prime Minister[26]. Before 1992, the replacement would often question the Prime Minister or vice versa. For example, Roy Hattersley, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party between 1983-92, stood in for Neil Kinnock facing Margaret Thatcher on 38 occasions between February 1984 and July 1990. [27]

During the Cameron–Clegg coalition, Nick Clegg answered 15 PMQs and William Hague twice, opposite Harriet Harman.[lower-alpha 1][28] During the Second Cameron ministry, George Osborne answered thrice, opposite Angela Eagle.[lower-alpha 2][29] In the Second May ministry, Damian Green has replied twice[lower-alpha 3], opposite Emily Thornberry, while David Lidington has done so six times, opposite Thornberry and Rebecca Long-Bailey.[lower-alpha 4][29] On 2 October 2019, Diane Abbott became the first black MP to stand for PMQS and ask the six main questions when she challenged the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab in his capacity as First Secretary.

Leaders at the dispatch box since 1961

The most high-profile contributors at Prime Minister's questions are the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, who speak opposite each other at the dispatch box. Regular, fixed sessions have taken place since 1961, and the list below outlines the prime ministers since 1961 and Opposition party leaders they faced across the floor of the House of Commons, as well as the secondary opposition leader since 1997 (usually the leader of third largest party within the House of Commons):

Party key Conservative Liberal Democrats
Labour Scottish National Party
Prime Minister Leader of the Opposition Secondary Opposition Leader Years
Harold Macmillan Hugh Gaitskell None1961–1963
George Brown1963
Harold Wilson1963
Alec Douglas-Home1963–1964
Harold Wilson Alec Douglas-Home1964–1965
Edward Heath1965–1970
Edward Heath Harold Wilson1970–1974
Harold Wilson Edward Heath1974–1975
Margaret Thatcher1975–1976
James Callaghan1976–1979
Margaret Thatcher James Callaghan1979–1980
Michael Foot1980–1983
Neil Kinnock1983–1990
John Major1990–1992
John Smith1992–1994
Margaret Beckett1994
Tony Blair1994–1997
Tony Blair John Major Paddy Ashdown1997
William Hague1997–1999
Charles Kennedy1999–2001
Iain Duncan Smith2001–2003
Michael Howard2003–2005
David Cameron2005–2006
Menzies Campbell2006–07
Gordon Brown2007
Vince Cable2007
Nick Clegg2007–2010
David Cameron Harriet Harman None2010
Ed Miliband2010–2015
Harriet Harman Angus Robertson2015
Jeremy Corbyn2015–2016
Theresa May2016–2017
Ian Blackford2017–2019
Boris Johnson2019–2020
Keir Starmer2020–

Media coverage

In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister's Questions is broadcast live via cameras within the Press Gallery inside the House of Commons on domestic national television channels BBC Two, the BBC News Channel, BBC Parliament and Sky News. It is also broadcast live on the national radio station BBC Radio 5 Live.

In the United States, Prime Minister's Questions is broadcast live on the national C-SPAN television network. C-SPAN also has an archive of Prime Minister’s Questions coverage going back to 1989 when it was first televised. There is no live radio coverage of Prime Minister's Questions in that country.

Worldwide, Prime Minister's Questions is broadcast live via the official British Parliament website parliamentlive.tv, in visual and audio form.

Notes
  1. 20 June 2012 and 10 September 2014
  2. 17 June 2015, 9 December 2015 and 25 May 2016
  3. 12 July 2017 and 29 November 2017
  4. 7 December 2016, 31 January 2018, 11 July 2018, 6 February 2019, 24 April 2019 and 5 June 2019
gollark: They can be used as servers, just not very good ones.
gollark: And there's nothing better at useful pricing.
gollark: The RK3568 ones have one entire SATA port and USB 3, mostly.
gollark: There still don't seem to be any particularly good SBCs for IO around, sadly.
gollark: How extremely.

References
  1. "Prime Minister's Questions". BBC News Online. 24 January 2006.
  2. Bercow, John (6 July 2010). "Speech: New Parliament, New Opportunity". House of Commons Library. parliament.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  3. "Questions to the Prime Minister". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. 18 July 1961. col. 1052–1052.
  4. "Ambassador to South Africa". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. 18 July 1961. col. 1052–1053.
  5. "Questions to the Prime Minister". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. 24 October 1961. col. 740–747.
  6. "What are Prime Minister's Questions?". number10.gov.uk. 21 January 2004. Archived from the original on 9 September 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  7. Lloyd, Selwyn (1976). Mr. Speaker, sir. ISBN 978-0-224-01318-5.
  8. "Questions to the Prime Minister". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. 21 May 1997. col. 702–712.
  9. "What is Prime minister's questions?". BBC News. 2 June 2010.
  10. "Questions to the Prime Minister". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. 14 November 1989. col. 178–179.
  11. "Questions to the Prime Minister". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. 18 December 1990. col. 150–151.
  12. "Questions to the Prime Minister". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. 19 November 1997. col. 318–319.
  13. "Questions to the Prime Minister". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. 10 October 2007. col. 286–287.
  14. "Questions to the Prime Minister". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. 30 June 2010. col. 852–853.
  15. "Questions to the Prime Minister". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. 12 October 2016. col. 293–294.
  16. "Questions to the Prime Minister". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. 15 January 2020. col. 1013–1014.
  17. Biffen, John (1989) Inside the House of Commons: Behind the Scenes at Westminster. London: Grafton. ISBN 0246134798
  18. "Question Time". House of Commons Library. parliament.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  19. Andrew Grice (26 February 2009). "Politics put on hold as House mourns death of leader's son". The Independent. independent.co.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2009.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  20. "Camera crews allowed into Prime Minister's Questions". BBC News Online. 14 May 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  21. "British House of Commons Prime Minister's Questions". C-SPAN. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  22. "Prime Minister's Questions". The SNL Archives. Retrieved 25 July 2010., describing episodes of 22 March 1997 and 2 May 1998.
  23. "George H. W. Bush on PMQs", C-SPAN, YouTube, 20 December 1991
  24. "Prime Minister's Questions: 12 March 2014". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  25. Williamson, David. "In a PMQs without the PM, William Hague and Harriet Harman join forces to love-bomb the Scots". Wales Online. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  26. "Prime Minister's Questions 22nd April 2020". Parliament.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  27. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/mr-roy-hattersley/index.html
  28. "Deputy Prime Minister's Questions". BBC. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  29. UK Parliament. YouTube. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
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