Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Agriculture. – in the House of Commons at on 6 July 1925.
Lieut-Colonel Reginald Applin
, Enfield
asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware of the disappointment throughout the country at the delay in passing the Summer Time Bill; and if he will accede to the expressed wishes of the Majority of the nation by expediting the passage of the Measure?
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
