How is power balanced between the executive and Parliament, and what was the impact of the EU?
Component 4.2 to 4.3: the relationship between the executive and Parliament, the effectiveness of each in holding or dominating the other, and the aims, role and impact of the European Union on UK government.
An Edexcel A-Level Politics Component 2 answer on the relationships between the branches, covering the balance of power between the executive and Parliament, how effectively each holds or dominates the other, the concept of elective dictatorship, and the aims, role and impact of the European Union on UK government before and after Brexit.
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What this dot point is asking
Edexcel wants you to explain the relationship between the executive and Parliament (how effectively Parliament holds the executive to account and how far the executive dominates Parliament), the extent to which the balance of power has changed, and the aims, role and impact of the European Union on UK government, including the impact of leaving the EU on parliamentary sovereignty. This is examined through the 30-mark source and essay questions.
The executive and Parliament
The case that the executive dominates. With a secure majority the government controls the parliamentary timetable, passes its legislation, and uses the royal prerogative and secondary legislation with limited scrutiny. Lord Hailsham famously described this as an "elective dictatorship": a government that wins an election can govern with few effective checks.
The case that Parliament constrains the executive. Select committees, the Lords (which revises and delays and inflicts frequent defeats), backbench rebellions, Urgent Questions, the opposition and the courts all hold government to account. Under a minority or small-majority government (2017 to 2019) Parliament repeatedly defeated the executive, showing the limits of dominance.
How the balance has changed
The balance has shifted in both directions. The executive has been strengthened by tighter party discipline and the growth of secondary legislation, but Parliament has been strengthened by the reformed, more independent select committees (since 2010 chairs are elected), a more assertive Lords, and willing judicial review. The net effect depends on the political moment rather than a one-way trend.
The European Union and UK government
The impact of EU membership on UK government, and of leaving it, is the examined content:
- Parliamentary sovereignty. While a member, the UK accepted the primacy of EU law, so UK courts could disapply UK statute that conflicted with it (the Factortame case, 1990 to 1991). This was the central tension with parliamentary sovereignty.
- The four freedoms. Single-market membership shaped UK trade, regulation and free movement (immigration) policy.
- The courts. UK courts had to apply EU law and refer questions to the European Court of Justice.
- Leaving the EU. Brexit (the 2016 referendum, departure in 2020) restored formal parliamentary sovereignty over these areas, the headline constitutional effect, while raising new questions about regulatory divergence and the Northern Ireland border.
Examples in context
- Lord Hailsham's "elective dictatorship" (1976), the defining phrase for executive dominance.
- The Factortame case (1990 to 1991), where EU law was held to override UK statute, the sharpest pre-Brexit limit on sovereignty.
- Backbench defeats of the May government (2017 to 2019), the clearest modern case of Parliament constraining the executive.
- Brexit (2016 to 2020), which restored formal parliamentary sovereignty over areas formerly governed by EU law.
Try this
Q1. Explain and analyse three ways the executive dominates Parliament. [9 marks]
- Cue. Timetable control, the whips and a majority, and secondary legislation, each developed.
Q2. Evaluate the view that leaving the European Union has restored parliamentary sovereignty. [30 marks]
- What the marker wants. A two-sided AO1 to AO3 essay weighing the end of EU law primacy against retained law, devolution and external constraints, reaching a justified judgement.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Edexcel 202020 marksEvaluate the view that the executive dominates Parliament in the UK. Reworded from a 30-mark essay to fit the schema; argue both sides and reach a judgement.Show worked answer →
A Section A 30-mark essay (shown as 20), marked on AO1, AO2 and AO3. Build two-sided arguments and a judgement.
Dominates: with a secure majority and the whips, the executive controls the timetable and passes its legislation, leading Lord Hailsham to call it an "elective dictatorship"; it uses the prerogative and secondary legislation with limited scrutiny.
Does not dominate: select committees, the Lords, backbench rebellions and the courts constrain government; a minority or small-majority government (2017 to 2019) can be repeatedly defeated; and the executive must still command the Commons.
A Level 5 answer judges that executive dominance depends on the size of the majority, so the "elective dictatorship" thesis holds for a strong government but not a weak one.
Edexcel 202220 marksExplain and analyse three ways in which membership of the European Union affected the UK government. Edexcel 9-mark 'explain and analyse' style; develop each point.Show worked answer →
An "explain and analyse three" question is AO1 and AO2 only. Choose three distinct impacts and develop each.
One: parliamentary sovereignty, where EU law took precedence over UK law in areas of competence (the Factortame case 1990), limiting Parliament's freedom. Two: the four freedoms of the single market (goods, services, capital and people), which shaped UK trade and immigration policy. Three: the role of the courts, where UK courts had to apply EU law and refer questions to the European Court of Justice.
Markers reward three accurate, distinct impacts, each developed with an example and a clear analytical link to UK government, ideally noting how leaving the EU reversed them.
Related dot points
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- Component 3.1: the structure of the executive (PM, Cabinet, junior ministers and departments), its main roles (proposing legislation and a budget, making policy), and its main powers including the royal prerogative and secondary legislation.
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- Component 1.1: the nature of the UK constitution (unentrenched, uncodified, unitary), the twin pillars of parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law, the five main sources, and the debate over codification.
An Edexcel A-Level Politics Component 2 answer on the UK constitution, covering its uncodified, unentrenched and unitary nature, the twin pillars of parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law, the five main sources (statute, common law, conventions, authoritative works and treaties), and the debate over codification.
- Component 3A.6.2 to 6.8: comparing and debating the UK and US constitutions, legislatures, executives and judiciaries, and how rational, cultural and structural approaches account for the similarities and differences.
An Edexcel A-Level Politics Component 3 answer comparing UK and US government, covering the codified and uncodified constitutions, the legislatures, the powers of the president and prime minister, the relative independence of the two supreme courts, and how rational, cultural and structural approaches explain the similarities and differences.
Sources & how we know this
- Pearson Edexcel A-Level Politics (9PL0) specification — Pearson Edexcel (2017)