Across an extraordinary week of events in the British House of Commons, members of Parliament on both sides sought to seize control of the parliamentary agenda from Prime Minister Theresa May’s government. In three days, there was a veritable bonfire of parliamentary and government conventions played out on the floor of the House and, therefore, on television. And the MPs largely succeeded.

As long as they maintain seizure of the parliamentary agenda, Britain is being governed without proper democratic accountability, since the MPs will be passing measures for which they are not constitutionally accountable, against the advice of ministers who are.