what is leader of the house of commons
Leader of the House of Commons The Leader of the House of Commons is generally a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons. However, the current incumbent, Andrea Leadsom, is not a member of the cabinet but does attend cabinet meetings.[1] This office does not attract a ministerial salary,[2] and as such it is usually held jointly with another ministerial position (often a sinecure). Historically, the position was usually held by the Prime Minister if they sat in the House of Commons; in more recent years, the post has been held jointly with that of Lord President of the Council, Lord Privy Seal, or First Secretary of State.
House of Commons of the United Kingdom In practice, the House of Commons' scrutiny of the Government is fairly weak. Since the first-past-the-post electoral system is employed, the governing party often enjoys a large majority in the Commons, and there is often little need to compromise with other parties. Modern British political parties are so tightly organised that they leave relatively little room for free action by their MPs. Also, many ruling party MPs are paid members of the Government. Thus, during the 20th century, the Government has lost confidence issues only three timesâ€”twice in 1924, and once in 1979. However, the threat of rebellions by their own party's backbench MPs often forces Governments to make concessions (under the Coalition, over foundation hospitals and under Labour over top-up fees and compensation for failed company pension schemes). Occasionally the Government is defeated by backbench rebellions (Terrorism Act 2006). However, the scrutiny provided by the Select Committees is more serious.