What assumption underlies the british system whereby a lost vote of confidence triggers a general election?

Answer 1

It is something of a misconception that a loss of a vote of confidence triggers a general election in the UK.

In reality, it is more accurate to say that a loss of confidence triggers the premature termination of a government's mandate. In light of this fact, a sitting government - or more specifically, Prime Minister - has two options: either he or she can resign, forcing the Monarch to invite another Member of Parliament (usually the Leader of the Opposition) to form a government, or he or she can ask the Monarch for a dissolution of Parliament resulting in an early general election.

In a hung Parliament, it is thus plausible that the loss of a vote of no confidence can lead to the formation of an opposition-led government without a general election needing to take place. However, this has been a rare occurrence since the 19th century - the arithmetic of seats usually means it is not possible for the largest opposition party to form a stable government. Even if it can feasibly head a minority or coalition government, in modern politics, the largest opposition party would usually prefer to go into a general election in the hope of winning its own parliamentary majority. Similarly, it is unlikely a Prime Minister would resign without calling a general election and attempting to renew their majority.

The basis for this procedure lies in the fact that the UK's executive is not directly elected, but rather appointed on the base of the result of a parliamentary election. Similarly, the executive has only a limited range of powers - especially in domestic affairs - of its own, and relies on controlling the House of Commons to implement most of its political agenda. Most importantly, a loss of confidence implies an inability to obtain supply (public funds); i.e., pass a budget. As such, without the confidence of the House of Commons, it is effectively impossible for a government to manage the public affairs of the United Kingdom in any meaningful way. In order to resolve the deadlock between Parliament and the Government, a general election is almost certainly necessary - either, as described above, because the Government wishes to renew its mandate, or because the opposition seeks to strengthen its position after forming a provisional government.