3 - The Prime Minister and Cabinet Flashcards
What must all members of the government must display
loyalty to the PM and defence of all policy
What are the main functions of the pm
Leading the government
Selecting the cabinet and junior ministers
Being the dominant figure in the core executive
Party leader
Main “Defender and explainer” of policy
charing cabinet meetings
Example of the pm representing the country abroad
The 2021 Glasgow COP26 Conference on climate change
What are the Prime ministers main powers
Prerogative powers
shaping and deciding policy
commander in chief of armed forces
Arangeing the structure cabinet committees
What are the PM’s resources
High media profile
Their party majority’s (Often)
THe civil service
Example of a PM without a mandate
In 2007 Gordon Brown was said to be weaker due to not having a mandate to rule
How big is the cabinet and who’s in it
Team of just over 20, includes ministers and the chief whip and more senior members
Who are part of cabinet committees
Most members are mp’s, can normally a couple of peers including the HOL leader
Why do prime ministers do a cabinet reshuffle
To bring in new talent or freshen up the team, to sack underperforming ministers or gaps from resignations
What is collective cabinet responsibility
The principle that the cabinet ministers always backs it’s decisions in public
Example of a formal vote in cabinet
In may 2018 the brexit “War cabinet” subcommittee rejected the prime ministers plan for a customs partnership with the eu 6-5
Example of an inner cabinet and explanation
When a small group on senior cabinet members
Blairs sofa government
What is a cabinet committee
Groups of ministers that take collective decision many of them routine
What happened to committees in 2017
A reduce to leave only 5 with the pm chairing 4 of them
Are decisions made by cabinet committees as binding as a cabinet meeting
YES
3 Examples of cabinet committees
national security council
European union exit and trade committee
Covid-19 strategy committee
Function of the european union exit and trade committee
Oversees the uk’s exit negotiations with the eu
Function of the national security council committee
the main forum for discussion and consideration of government objectives for national security
Example of a PM’s policy agenda
Johnsons “get brexit done”
Significance of the pm policy agenda
PM’s seek to prioritise their key polices so to leave their mark and leave a tangible legacy
Examples of how the cabinet plays in policy making
Will discuss and debate policy
Where here are disagreements, such as spending priorities they are sorted in cabinet
Significance of the cabinet in policy making
Often considerable, especially if the party is divided eg, much of the finer details for the brexit negotiations from 2017 onwards was in the cabinet
Examples of how senior civil servants have a hand in policy making
Can offer advice and guidance to government ministers, crucial in the delivery of the policy eg the 2012 London olympics
Influence ministers by “Speaking truth into power”,
Significance of senior civil servants in policy making
AS permanent and non-party political views, they have an unbiased view
Provides long experience of government and how to handle issues
Examples of special advisors roles in policy making
Party-political figures hand picked by the pm
temporary civil servants, so not required to be unbiased
Normally replaced by an incoming PM
Significance of special advisors role in policy making
Have assumed increasing prominence and notoriety in recent years eg, Dominic Cummings
Frequently seen to have the ear of the prime minister and have a big part in policy eg, most of Johnsons hard-line approach to brexit was due to the influence of cummings
What the easiest method to get policy decided upon
The manifesto pledges - Get Brexit done 2019
Why is it bad if PM’s are isolated
Policy’s are hard to pass with Backbench rebellions and arguments in cabinet
Example of a policy that would be made from unforeseen circumstances
Policy’s after the 7/7 london bombings and covid-19
In theory how should the pm and cabinets relationship be
Harmonious and fruitful with the cabinet being selected by the pm and them mostly being from the same party
Examples of cabinet factions
Mays - Remainers vs brexiteers
What do most cabinets have and an example
Big Beast politicians eg, Johnson in Mays government until his resignation over her brexit deal in july 2018
Key ideas for individual ministerial responsibility
Ministers are responsible for their actions
Answers questions from the commons and public
In theory mistakes and policy failure should lead to a resignation
Ministers who break the ministerial code should resign
Example of a minister blaming someone else for their policy failure
In 2020 the chief civil servant for the department of education Johnathan slater, was sacked over the a levels and gcse controversy while gavin Williamson stayed until a reshuffle
Key principles of the ministerial code
Avoiding conflicts of interest between public and private life
Not accepting gifts/bribes
Upholding civil servants impartiality
Abiding by collective cabinet responsibility
Example of the pm breaking the ministerial code
Jonson in 2021 accepted a donation of 60k to refurbish his downing street house
Key ideas of collective cabinet responsibility
The convention that all ministers should publicly support policies and promote them
A minister who cannot agree to a policy should resign
Helps them look united in the media
When is collective cabinet responsibility suspended
When clear divisions happen and major votes, eg david Cameron before the Brexit vote
Example of ministers not resigning after breaking collective ministerial responsibility
Ken clarke and Theresa May had conflicting statements about the future of the human rights act in 2010-11
Example of a minister resigning due to individual responsibility
An inquiry found serious flaws in procedures and practises from civil servants regarding a selling of land for an airfield
Sir Thomas dugdale resigned as minister of agriculture in 1954 due to it, while not even having a decision on the final agreement. He resigned due to taking responsibility for his ministers
Example of a minister resigning due to collective responsibility
Iain Duncan Smith’s resigned as work and pensions secretary in 2016
This was due to planned disability costs which he couldn’t support
Examples of resignations over policy difference
Rubin Cook 2003 over iraq war
Caroline Ansell in 2020 over funding of free school meals over half terms ( A conservative that wanted it to happen)
Reasons for ministers to lose office
Cabinet reshuffle
Seen as underperforming
Ill health
Personal scandal
Example of a minister losing office
2021 Matt Hancock broke social distancing rules while going to town in a secret affair
Background and motives of the poll tax 1990
It was a longstanding conservative policy to reform local government taxation and create a domestic tax in the 1987 manifesto
Many conservatives wanted to rein in high-spending labour councils
Made by a desire to spread the costs of local governments
The tax was a flat rate so everyone payed the same
Was supported by thatcher
Outcome of the poll tax 1990
The left got angry and many refused to pay the tax
Mass protests
Many of her mp’s didn’t like it
Was speedily removed after her resignation in 1993
background and motivations for the dealing with Covid-19
The pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to johnsons 2020 government
Government policy was mostly determined by pragmatism and events
A lot of criticism about track and trace and PPE to frontline health workers
The government had to borrow lots to fund the costs of the furlough scheme
Johnson could only create domestic laws eg Could only force a lockdown in england
The opposition couldn’t go against all the policy’s as it was making people safe
Outcome of the dealings of covid-19
Government handling of the pandemic was volatile with early stages such as track and trace made by private company’s being considered shambolic, whereas in the later stages the vaccine roll out proved much more successful
The financial costs will affect fiscal policy for months
The pm was found to attend party’s a No10 which he refused, then got found out, then didn’t resign, then months later did after graysons
Outcome of the dealings of covid-19
Government handling of the pandemic was volatile with early stages such as track and trace made by private company’s being considered shambolic, whereas in the later stages the vaccine roll out proved much more successful
The financial costs will affect fiscal policy for months
The pm was found to attend party’s a No10 which he refused, then got found out, then didn’t resign, then months later did after graysons
Similarities of the dealing of covid and the poll tax
Both very damaging to the pm’s
Strong personal commitments by the pm to promote the policy’s
Aroused criticism in their party
Differences of the dealing of covid and poll tax
During covid johnson managed to peel back support for the vaccine roll-out
One was a manifesto pledge while covid was dealt pragmatically
The global pandemic was more damaging
Johnson didn’t get much criticism from his backbenchers
In theory how should relations between the government and parliament be
The government should be checked and answerable to parliament.
Government should easily get policy through due to a majority and whips
In reality was is the best government scrutiny and an example
Select committees or bodies such as the National audit office NAO , eg The NAO produced a report in 2021 on the crossrail project that identified a shortfall in funding from 30m to 218m.
