Cabinet Manual: Guidelines for Government Formation

Lord Rennard Excerpts

Wednesday 3rd June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

My Lords, is it this First Minister or previous First Ministers? The Cabinet Manual is a UK-owned document, and it is about the British Government. Obviously, we have ongoing relationships and discussions with the Governments in the devolved assemblies, but that is a matter for them.

[Lord Rennard (LD)]

My Lords, over the past 27 years, the Parliaments of Scotland and Wales have functioned well after elections in which no party has had a single majority, but in similar circumstances at Westminster, there could be absolute chaos in terms of deciding who is invited to Buckingham Palace and when. Should we not move to the system that they have in Scotland and Wales where their Parliaments elect the First Minister? Doing so for the House of Commons is perhaps the only way for a new Prime Minister to know that they have the confidence of the House.

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

My Lords, we have, especially in the other place, a series of conventions that determine who commands the confidence of the House, and they include the King’s Speech and Budget votes. There is no need for any additional convention.