Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20150316 | With the prospect of a closely fought general election on 7th May, Peter Hennessy, the historian, invites senior figures with experience of, or expertise in, the constitution, parliament and government, to discuss how a government would be formed if no single party wins an overall majority in the House of Commons. The possibility of a hung parliament raises urgent questions about how the country would be governed during a period of political uncertainty. Peter Hennessy's first guest is Lord O'Donnell - Gus O'Donnell - the former Cabinet Secretary. This series examines the ground-rules - conventions, laws, precedents and principles - for deciding whether a prime minister and government can remain in office, or a new prime minister should be appointed and a new government formed. When no party won an overall majority in 2010, it took five days of talks before a coalition was formed between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Their agreement enabled the Queen to appoint David Cameron as prime minister, because he could command the confidence of the House of Commons. In the hung parliament of 1974, the leader of the largest party in the Commons, Harold Wilson, formed a 'minority government'. In effect, the prime minister of a minority government commands the confidence of the House by calling the other parties' bluff, defying them to defeat the government in a confidence vote, thereby triggering an election. However, it has become more difficult for a prime minister to engineer an early election since 2011, when Parliament passed the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. Peter Hennessy and his guests examine how a government would be formed in the event of a hung parliament and weigh the risks of a constitutional and political crisis. Producer: Rob Shepherd. Peter Hennessy talks to Gus O'Donnell about the implications of a hung parliament. Peter Hennessy and guests discuss how a government is formed if there is a hung parliament |
| 02 | 20150317 | With the prospect of a closely fought general election on 7th May, Peter Hennessy, the historian, is joined by Kenneth Clarke, former Chancellor, Lord Chancellor and Home Secretary, and an MP since 1970, to discuss how a government would be formed if no single party wins an overall majority in the House of Commons. The possibility of a hung parliament raises urgent questions about how the country would be governed during a period of political uncertainty. They examine the ground-rules - conventions, laws, precedents and principles - for deciding whether a prime minister and government remain in office, or a new prime minister is appointed and a new government formed. When no single party won an overall majority in 2010, it took five days before talks between the parties produced a coalition between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Their agreement enabled the Queen to appoint David Cameron as prime minister, because he could command the confidence of the House of Commons. In the hung parliament of 1974, the leader of the largest party in the Commons, Harold Wilson, formed a 'minority government'. In effect, the prime minister of a minority government commands the confidence of the House by calling the other parties' bluff, defying them to defeat the government in a confidence vote, thereby triggering an election. However, it has become more difficult for a prime minister to engineer an early election since 2011, when Parliament passed the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. Peter Hennessy and his guests examine how a government would be formed in the event of a hung parliament and weigh the risks of a constitutional and political crisis. Producer: Rob Shepherd. Peter Hennessy and guests discuss how a government is formed if there is a hung parliament |
| 03 | 20150319 | With the prospect of a closely fought general election on 7th May, Peter Hennessy, the historian, is joined by Lord Adonis - Andrew Adonis - the former Cabinet Minister, who was one of Gordon Brown's advisers after the 2010 election, and who is a constitutional and political historian in his own right. They discuss how a government would be formed if no single party wins an overall majority in the House of Commons and look at the ground-rules - conventions, laws, precedents and principles - for deciding whether a prime minister and government remain in office, or a new prime minister is appointed and a new government formed. When no single party won an overall majority in 2010, it took five days before talks between the parties produced a coalition between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Their agreement enabled the Queen to appoint David Cameron as prime minister, because he could command the confidence of the House of Commons. In the hung parliament of 1974, the leader of the largest party in the Commons, Harold Wilson, formed a 'minority government'. In effect, the prime minister of a minority government commands the confidence of the House by calling the other parties' bluff, defying them to defeat the government in a confidence vote, thereby triggering an election. However, it has become more difficult for a prime minister to engineer an early election since 2011, when Parliament passed the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. Peter Hennessy and his guests examine how a government would be formed in the event of a hung parliament and weigh the risks of a constitutional and political crisis. Producer: Rob Shepherd. Peter Hennessy and guests discuss how a government is formed if there is a hung parliament |
| 04 | 20150320 | With the prospect of a closely fought general election on 7th May, Peter Hennessy, the historian, is joined by Peter Riddell, Director of the Institute for Government and former Chief Political Commentator for 'The Times', and Professor Robert Hazell, Founder and Director of the Constitution Unit at University College, London. to discuss how a government might be formed if there's another hung parliament. In the final programme of this series, they examine the ground-rules - conventions, laws, precedents and principles - for deciding whether a prime minister and government can remain in office, or a new prime minister should be appointed and a new government formed. When no single party won an overall majority in 2010, it took five days before talks between the parties produced a coalition between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Their agreement enabled the Queen to appoint David Cameron as prime minister, because he could command the confidence of the House of Commons. In the hung parliament of 1974, the leader of the largest party in the Commons, Harold Wilson, formed a 'minority government'. In effect, the prime minister of a minority government commands the confidence of the House by calling the other parties' bluff, defying them to defeat the government in a confidence vote, thereby triggering an election. However, it has become more difficult for a prime minister to engineer an early election since 2011, when Parliament passed the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. Peter Hennessy and his guests examine how a government would be formed in the event of a hung parliament and weigh the risks of a constitutional and political crisis. Producer: Rob Shepherd. Peter Hennessy and guests discuss how a government is formed if there is a hung parliament |