UK Politics Practice Test

Collective responsibility is the rule that once a Cabinet decision is agreed, every minister must publicly back it and defend it, taking responsibility for the policy together. This keeps the government presenting a united front in Parliament and to the public, even if a minister privately disagrees. If a minister truly cannot support the decision, the convention is they should resign or be replaced so they don’t undermine the policy publicly. While the idea behind it is related to cabinet solidarity, the formal term used in UK politics is collective responsibility. The other options describe ideas that don’t capture the binding requirement to publicly support and defend Cabinet decisions.