U.K. Government Trivia

1. When Dominic Raab occupied the post of 'Brexit' Secretary, he once expressed surprise at the importance of which commercial port to the UK's trade with the European Union?

From Quiz The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything

Answer: Dover

Dominic Raab first entered Parliament in 2010. First entering government as a junior minister in 2015, he was first appointed to the cabinet in 2018 when he was appointed as Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, aka "Brexit" Secretary, by Theresa May. In this role, he was the senior member of the government responsible for negotiating the UK's withdrawal agreement with the EU. Part of the agreement was to ensure the maintenance of trade between the UK and the EU, of which a major trade artery was the sea route between Dover and Calais. In November 2018 however, Raab, speaking at a tech conference, stated that he hadn't been aware how reliant the UK was on this corridor for trade in goods. A few days after this appearance, Raab resigned as the "Brexit" Secretary in protest at the government's position over the Withdrawal Agreement. In 2019, following Boris Johnson's ascension to the Premiership, Raab was appointed as Foreign Secretary, a role in which he remained until 2021, before, following his actions during the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, he was moved to the role of Lord Chancellor.

From Quiz Nursery Rhyme UK Government

Answer: Theresa May

Theresa May took over as Prime Minister in July 2016 following David Cameron's resignation, brought about mainly because of Brexit. In many ways, May had inherited a poisoned chalice with Britain divided into two camps - for and against leaving the European Union. Negotiations with Europe were difficult, to say the least, and an attempt to increase her authority by holding an early general election in April 2017 made matters worse, leading to a hung parliament, with the Conservatives having to call on minority parties for support. May resigned in 2019, with Boris Johnson succeeding her as Prime Minister.

From Quiz After the Party

Answer: Circus clown

Once William, stepson of Johnny Campbell, a founder member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, arrived in the USSR he was forced to hand over his passport and was therefore unable to leave. Initially employed in an aircraft factory, his theatrical talents led eventually to his touring the Soviet Union as a circus clown. In 1977 he managed to defect to Britain. His 1981 memoir "Villi the Clown" gives a revealing account of his life in the Soviet Union, where he witnessed among other things Ukrainian famine and rampant official corruption.

From Quiz Traditions of the UK Houses of Parliament

Answer: The House of Lords

MP's use the euphemism "another place" to refer to the House of Lords, and indeed this usage is found in many two-house legislative assemblies such as those of Canada and Australia. Its origins are uncertain, possibly going back to one of the many periods of ill-feeling between the two Houses. However it's notable that pupils at the English public schools Eton and Harrow (where many UK politicians were educated) use this phrase when referring to each other's school, and students at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge (again, where many UK politicians were educated) do the same.

From Quiz The Brexit Battle

Answer: David Cameron

During the first decade of the 21st century, pressure began to mount for the UK to hold a formal referendum on its continued membership of the European Union. Eventually, the Conservative Party led by David Cameron promised to instigate this if it won the 2015 General Election. It did win, and Cameron was obliged to fulfill his promise. The day after the results of the vote were announced, Cameron announced his decision to step down as PM, giving as his reason the fact that having campaigned for a "Remain" vote, he felt unable to continue, and that the country needed a leader with the same convictions as the "Leave" voting majority of the country.

From Quiz 2017 UK General Election

Answer: Theresa May

The leader of the Conservative Party going into the 2015 general election was David Cameron, the MP for Witney in Oxfordshire. The Conservatives won 331 of the 650 constituencies, just over the value of 326 required to carry a majority. A majority is seen as important in the House of Commons as it gives the government the power to vote through new legislation without having to rely on the votes from other parties. In 2016, the UK voted to exit the European Union and David Cameron resigned. After a lengthy leadership battle within the Conservative Party, Theresa May, the MP for Maidenhead in Berkshire, emerged as the new leader of both the party and the country. In 2017 she called for a new general election in an attempt to increase her majority in the House of Commons and gain a mandate for her own premiership.

From Quiz Brexit Britain: The First Cabinet

Answer: David Davis

Following the outcome of the June 2016 referendum that saw Britons vote to leave the EU, the Prime Minister David Cameron tendered his resignation and the Conservative Party began a hunt for a new leader. Theresa May was appointed in July 2016 and quickly appointed David Davis - himself a former candidate for the party leadership - to the important new role of the member of the government responsible for negotiating and managing Britain's withdrawal from the European Union. Davis also gained responsibility for a new government department - commonly referred to by the somewhat unwieldy abbreviation of DExEU.

From Quiz Deep Cuts - the 2010 Coalition Government

Answer: George Osborne

Osborne had been Shadow Chancellor since 2005, while the Labour party had been in power and was given the role in Prime Minister David Cameron's first cabinet. As the man responsible for setting the budget, Osborne was blamed for many of the spending reductions. His situation was not helped as he was born into an aristocratic family and is heir to the Osborne baronetcy. He was originally named Gideon, but changed his name to George in his early teens.

From Quiz UK Parliament

Answer: Speaker of the House

The Prime Minister is the highest-ranking member of the executive, but not the chief authority in the House of Commons.

From Quiz Sheep in Politics

Answer: Liberal Democrat

The General Election held in the UK in 2010 resulted in a 'hung' parliament, with no party having won the 326 seats needed to have an overall majority. The Conservative Party had 306 seats and negotiated with the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition. David Cameron of the Conservative Party became Prime Minister with Nick Clegg as his deputy. Norman Lamb became MP for North Norfolk in 2001. His role is to act as an adviser to Nick Clegg and to liaise between him and the backbenchers in the House of Commons. A lamb is, of course, a young sheep.

From Quiz UK Politicians After 1721

Answer: Winston Churchill

The British Churchill worked as a journalist during the same time period which led to confusion. The British Churchill said he would use his middle initial S for Spencer to differentiate. They met a few times in their careers. The American Churchill quit writing in 1919 and did not publish another novel until 1949, although he did adaptations of his novels for the stage and some non-fiction. The British Churchill published only one novel and 71 journalistic or historical works.

From Quiz The Monster Raving Loony Party

Answer: Wearing a squeaky red clown nose and green wig

Another item on the manifesto that came under the heading of the economy was to buy shares in Blackpool rock and sell any shares in Northern Rock. It was also suggested that socks were sold in packs of three in the event of losing one.

From Quiz Belfast: A 'Who's Who?' of the 'Troubles'

Answer: Bobby Sands

Bobby Sands joined the IRA in 1972 at the age of 18, was imprisoned later that year, and spent only 6 months of freedom before his rearrest for possession of a weapon in 1976. In 1981, he led Republican prisoners in Long Kesh prison on hunger strike for political status. Three weeks before his death on May 5th 1981, after 66 days without food, he won the Fermanagh-South Tyrone by-election and became a Member of Parliament 'in absentia'. He wrote movingly of his experience as a prisoner and on his hunger strike, in 'Prison Poems', his autobigraphical 'One Day in My Life', and in a prison diary. He was the first of ten Republican prisoners to die during the 1981 prison protest. Over 100,000 turned out for his funeral. The other men were also Republicans in a long tradition of Irish hunger strike protests: Terence MacSwiney died on hunger strike in 1920, Michael Gaughan in 1974, and Frank Stagg in 1976.

From Quiz Help! I'm Locked Out of the House!

Answer: Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster is the official name of the building on the north bank of the Thames where both Houses of Parliament (Commons and Lords) meet. It has some 1100 rooms on four floors, linked by approximately three miles of corridors and 100 staircases. The meeting chamber of the House of Commons is on the second floor at the northern end. The Palace has several towers, the most famous of which is the Clock Tower (popularly referred to as Big Ben) in the north east corner. 10 Downing Street is the residence of the Prime Minister; The Mansion House is the base for the Lord Mayor of the City of London, an annually-elected ambassador for the financial institutions of the "City"; City Hall is a striking modern building on the south bank of the Thames and houses the Mayor of (Greater) London, the Greater London Authority and the London Assembly.

From Quiz They Did Nothing Wrong

Answer: A pay-per-view blue movie

It was said that the expenses scandal showed that democracy in the United Kingdom was in a fairly healthy state as something of this nature still had the power to shock the populace, but no-one was more shocked than Richard Timney, husband to Jacqui Smith, who had to go in front of the nation's media and confess that he had watched two pornographic films whilst his wife was away in London on parliamentary business. The charge of ten pounds for the two films was made alongside a legitimate claim for television subscription charges on their constituency home and was revealed in March 2009 by a Sunday newspaper. A further revelation was published involving her sister's London home that Smith claimed as her main home. Smith stood down from her government position in June 2009 in order to spend more time with her family.

From Quiz Women in British Politics

Answer: Countess Constance Markiewicz

Countess Markiewicz was one of 73 Sinn Fein members elected to represent constituencies in Ireland, which was then under British Rule. Since taking up one's seat would mean pledging allegiance to the Crown, none of them did so. Instead, they formed the first Dail Eireann (Irish Parliament), and the Countess was made Minister for Labour(1919-22) becoming the first women cabinet minister anywhere in Europe. Nancy Astor fought and won her husbands seat in a 1919 by-election after he was elevated to the House of Lords following the death of his father.

From Quiz The Government of the UK: House of Lords

Answer: Simon de Montfort

After his accession to the English throne, William the Conqueror instituted the Curia Regis, an advisory council of Earls, Barons, Bishops and Abbots. John I was forced to sign The Magna Carta, among whose provisions required that the King summon the council to approve new taxation. Henry the Third's proclivity to appoint foreigners as ministers and custodians of English castles fueled the ire of the nobles and led directly to the Barons imposing The Provisions of Oxford upon the King. These provisions established a Baronial council with the authority to make the appointments the King previously made. Every three years the larger body, the Parliament, was to scrutinize the actions of the council. Significantly, during the ensuing civil war, Simon de Montfort extended representation in Parliament to groups beyond the nobility.

From Quiz Shaftesbury - The Poor Man's Earl

Answer: The Conservative Party

The Conservative Party is generally considered to be the least open to social reformation (the clue is in the name), yet not only did they maintain Shaftesbury, who was a proto-socialist, they also managed to provide Britain with its first Jewish Prime Minister (Disraeli), and its first female Prime Minister (Thatcher). However, it should be noted that for all his reforming zeal, Shaftesbury did not want to overthrow the class system, and probably would not have approved of anyone who did. At its best, the English class system involves everyone helping everyone else above and below them, but everyone knowing their place. So it was a mixture of this system combined with a Christian brotherhood of all believers that motivated his ideals.

From Quiz The Blair Government

Answer: Jack Straw

Jack Straw was elected to the constituency of Blackburn in 1979. He was Home Secretary from 1997-2001. After the 2001 general election victory he became Foreign Secretary and still held the position in April 2004.

From Quiz General British Politics

Answer: 659

Labour held about 408 seats, Conservatives 163 and the Lib Dems about 54, the other seats were held by nationalist parties such as the SNP, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Fein. (The total number of seats can change when the boundaries of the parliamentary constituencies are changed, something that happens every 10-12 years).

From Quiz Scottish Local Government

Answer: 32

These all vary greatly in terms of size, population and tax base.

From Quiz Defectors

Answer: Owen and Rodgers

David Owen was MP for Plymouth Devonport at the time of his defection to the SDP. Bill Rodgers was MP for Stockton. Shirley Williams had been defeated at Hertford and Stevenage in 1979. Jenkins had resigned his Birmingham Stetchford seat in the 1970s to become President of the European Commission.

From Quiz The 1987 British General Election

Answer: Conservative

The Conservatives won their third general election in a row in 1987, having previously won in 1979 and 1983.

From Quiz Lord Palmerston

Answer: Broadlands near Romsey

Palmerston was born on the 20th October 1784. His father, Henry the 2nd Viscount died in 1802 and his mother, Mary Mee of Bath, died in 1805. He spent five years on a tour of Europe with an Italian tutor called Ravizzotti, before going on to Harrow school. He was also educated in Edinburgh and Cambridge University.

From Quiz Modern British Politics

Answer: International Development Secretary

Clare Short was always seen as a thorn in Blair's flesh.

From Quiz 2003 Scottish Parliament Elections

Answer: May 1

The second SPE took place on Thursday the first of May 2003, this was the second election to the Scottish Parliament, as revived in 1999. (The original Scottish Parliament voted itself out of existence in 1707 when it passed the Act of Union with England to form Great Britain).

From Quiz Northern Ireland Political Quotations

Answer: Ulster stands at the crossroads.

Captain O'Neill made this famous broadcast in December 1968, as the Civil Right Movements was gaining momentum.

From Quiz Northern Ireland Politics

Answer: 10 &10th & tenth

10 April 1998 was Good Friday! The Agreement was ratified by referenda on both sides of the Irish border on 22 May 1998.

From Quiz British MPs (2002)

Answer: Conservative

The MP for Lichfield, in Staffordshire. He wears an amusing blond wig.

From Quiz British Politics for Foreigners

Answer: M.P.

MP stands for Member of Parliament. Tony Blair was the MP for Sedgefield, as well as Prime Minister. The PM is the leader of the party with the largest number of MPs in the House of Commons.

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:44 AM

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