21.) Powers and Resources of the Cabinet

Question 1

Name some powers that cabinet ministers possess which may check the PM?

Answer 1

-Most ministers run their departments so have autonomy, PMs can set outlines but won’t micromanage E.G London 2012
-Have links to the media and can leak info that can affect the PM I.E Gavin Williamson being sacked for allegedly leaking details of a meeting involving discussions about Huawei
-Sometimes ministers can refuse to be shuffled, E.G Jeremy Hunt, health sec refused to be moved in Jan 2018 and ended up in an enhanced role
-Cabinet meetings can be used by PM to gauge opinion
-They can resign
-

Question 2

What was the main reason that Jeremy Hunt was able to get a better position under PM May?

Answer 2

It was due to her weakened position

Question 3

Give reasons why the cabinet government still exists?

Answer 3

-Cabinet remains key forum for decisions
-Cabinet still a good sounding board for a PM’s decisions
-Influential ministers can be difficult to remove E.G Chancellor Gordon Brown or Jeremy Hunt, health sec under May
-Too many resignations can make the government look weak
-Ministers have their own civil servants who provide support, ministers also have political advisors

Question 4

Give reasons why the cabinet government does not exist?

Answer 4

-Many decisions made by cabinet committees or in meetings, not the main cabinet
-Many cabinet meetings are brief, cabinet is instead often used to arbitrate issues between departments
-Cabinet ministers are hired and fired by the PM, those disliked by the PM for their performance can be demoted or reshuffled
-PM’s can appear strong by building a ‘cabinet of compliance’ over time, removing opponents and moulding it to how they like
-Cabinet Office and special advisors often provide policy, so they can bypass Cabinet entirely

Question 5

Why is collective responsibility important?

Answer 5

It allows a government to present a unified front to the world

Question 6

Can collective responsibility be ignored?

Answer 6

Yes - it has been ignored several times throughout history

Question 7

Name some examples of when collective responsibility has been set aside?

Answer 7

-1975 and 2016 European referendums
-2016 Heathrow third runway plans
-2011 AV referendum

Question 8

Why were these events permissible to abandon collective responsibility for?

Answer 8

Because there was such a wide range of viewpoints in the Cabinet

Question 9

When can collective responsibility be undermined?

Answer 9

Leaks and open dissent

Question 10

Name two examples of dissent?

Answer 10

-Boris Johnson’s articles and interviews undermining the government, “mumbo jumbo” dinner economy comment
-Liz Truss criticising “male macho” colleagues and Department for the Environment

Question 11

Under what circumstances do ministers resign?

Answer 11

-Accepting blame for any departmental errors
-Not accepting collective responsibility
-Unable to deliver promises
-Misconduct
-Political pressure

Question 12

Why do ministers rarely resign due to policies failing?

Answer 12

Because policies aren’t theirs to implement and to resign over policy failure would signal that the government failed as a whole, not the individual minister

Question 13

Name an example of a policy failure resignation?

Answer 13

Chancellor James Callaghan - sterling devaluation (1967) - reshuffled to Home Secretary

Question 14

Name a time where a minister has resigned to take the blame for a mistake in their department?

Answer 14

Sir Thomas Dugdale and Crichel Down

Question 15

What happened with the Crichel Down affair?

Answer 15

-725 acres of farmland forcibly bought to use an RAF field under the promise it would be given back when not needed, not given back, instead rented out at a high price, Dugdale resigned despite apparently not knowing this error

Question 16

What have official documents recently revealed about Dugdale’s involve?

Answer 16

He knew what his officials were doing but failed to stop them

Question 17

What has civil servants started to do instead recently?

Answer 17

Take blame for the mistakes of departments

Question 18

Give an example of an organisational head resigning due to a mistake?

Answer 18

Brodie Clark, Border Force chief resigning due to relaxation of passport controls without ministerial agreement

Question 19

Give another example of a resignation by a civil servant due to departmental mistakes?

Answer 19

Sally Collier, Ofqual resigned due to exam issues in 2020, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson stayed in post

Question 20

Give some examples of refusing o accept collective responsibility and following resignation?

Answer 20

-Robin Cook and Clare Short, Labour over Iraq War
-Mike Crockart and Jenny Willott, Lib Dem’s, resigned in 2010 over uni fees
-Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation as work and pensions sec over cuts to disability benefits (£5 billion)

Question 21

Why did IDS suggest instead of benefit cuts?

Answer 21

Cutting benefits for older, well off people

Question 22

Why was IDS’ resignation unusual?

Answer 22

As the disability benefit cuts had been shelved a few days earlier

Question 23

Why could other factors have affected IDS’ choice?

Answer 23

-Brexit tensions, he was a leaver in a government of remainers
-Felt undermined over universal credit roll out

Question 24

Why did Robin Cook resign over Iraq?

Answer 24

He argued the UK should work with the EU and UN, only to be ignored when the UK invaded with the US

Question 25

Name an example of a minister resigning because they couldn’t deliver on a promise?

Answer 25

Tracey Crouch, sports minister - resigned in 2018 over delays in gambling stakes crackdown implementation

Question 26

What did Tracey Crouch imply in her resignation letter?

Answer 26

That she felt that policies had been made against her wishes for her department without her agreement

Question 27

Resigning due to misconduct is related to the Ministerial Code, what are the seven qualities expected of a minister as set out in the Code?

Answer 27

-Selflessness: acting in public interest only
-Integrity: not getting involved with groups that could influence them, do things that benefit themselves
-Objectivity: Doing things on merit E.G contracts/visas
-Accountability: Ministers must be held responsible for their decisions, and must always be honest
-Openness: Only withholding info when it could be harmful, otherwise must be transparent with their actions
-Honesty: Truthful with Parliament and public
Leadership: Principles must be embodied in Minister’s actions, they must challenge poor behaviour

Question 28

Name a time a minister has broke the selflessness principle?

Answer 28

-Brooks Newmark, Tory MP sent explicit texts to undercover reporter, failure to uphold good behaviour

Question 29

Name a time a minister has broke the objectivity principle of the ministerial code?

Answer 29

David Blunkett, Labour - 2004 (Home Sec) fast track a visa for his ex lover’s nanny

2005 - Work and pensions sec - got a job at DNA Bioscience without telling advisory committee on business appointments, due to conflicts of interest with his new department being in position to award contract to them

Question 30

Name a time a minister has broke the honesty principle of the ministerial code?

Answer 30

Chris Huhne, driving - getting wife to take points, Lib Dem

Question 31

Name an example of someone who didn’t resign when breaking the ministerial code?

Answer 31

Priti Patel - bullying civil servants, it was found by Cabinet Office that she hadn’t met the Ministerial Code’s standards, yet because the PM still had confidence in her, she didn’t have to resign and only issued an apology

Question 32

What other scandal was Priti Patel involved in?

Answer 32

Not declaring meetings with Israeli officials during a holiday and then lying about then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson knowing about it, for which she was dismissed

Question 33

Name an example of someone reasoning due to political pressure?

Answer 33

Plebgate and Andrew Mitchell

Question 34

Explain Plebgate?

Answer 34

Chief whip for the Tories, Andrew Mitchell was trying to leave Downing Street and allegedly swore at a police officer and called him a “pleb” a class based slur

Question 35

Why was this bad for the Cameron government?

Answer 35

As they had a reputation for being snobs and it overshadowed the rest of their work, so Mitchell was forced to resign

Question 36

Give reasons why the executive is unaccountable to Parliament?

Answer 36

-PMQs are style over substance, ministers can avoid answering tough questions
-Ministerial Code principles can be interpreted, and often don’t resign claiming breaches of code accidental or refuse due to PM’s backing
-Select committees have little power and a bad performance during them won’t mean an MP is dismissed
-Party loyalty usually guaranteed, due to discipline and wanting to stop opposition gaining ground, few MPs attack their own party

Question 37

Give reasons why the executive is NOT unaccountable to Parliament?

Answer 37

-PM and wider cabinet grilled by PMQs routinely, television makes a poor performance even tougher to defend
-All members must follow Ministerial Code, they have restrictions placed on them and must always be honest
-Due to this honesty, it makes select committees more difficult as they’re often inquisitorial and probing
-PM must maintain support their party (typically largest) a weak PM without this support will quickly leave office, ministers can undermine PM (Heseltine, Cook etc)