3.1 Structure, role and power of the executive Flashcards
4
List the components of the executive
- Prime Minister
- Cabinet
- Junior Ministers
- Government departments
3
Describe the PM
- Head of executive (primus inter pares - first among equals)
- Able to command majority of MPs in HoC
- Conventially member of HoC (Hume renounced peerage to win by-election) - fusion of powers
5
Describe the powers of the PM
- exercise royal prerogative powers
- ‘exercise patronage’ - appoint and sack members of cabinet
- abolish or create new government departments (e.g. Department for STI)
- Chair cabinet meetings and set up Cabinet Committees to set government strategy and vision
- provide vision for direction of government - increasingly drawn on personal ideology rather than democratic mandate e.g. British Baccalaureate
4
Describe the Core Executive
- Comprises ministers, civil servants and SPADs who PM can freely confide with when developing policy
- Includes institutions such as Cabinet Office and Policy Unit
- May involve powerful interest group leaders or local/regional leaders
- PMs increasingly reliant on this from Blair
4
Describe junior ministers
- Oversee specific areas within department (e.g. schools, skills)
- Report to head of department (cabinet minister)
- Do not generally attend cabinet (exceptions such as Andrew Mitchell or Chief Sec to Treasury)
- Two tiers: Minister of state (e.g. Damian Hinds - Schools) and Parliamentary under-secretary of state (Andrea Leadsom - Public Health, Start for Life and Primary Care)
3
Describe Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPS)
- Backbench MP who acts as unpaid assistant to minister or shadow minister
- ‘eyes and ears’ of minister in HoC
- Johh Lamont served as PPS to FO during Liz Truss foriegn sec tenure (2021-22) - now a parliamentary under sec for Scotland
4
Describe the Civil Service
- Politically neutral unlike political advisors
- Defined by principles of neutrality, anonymity and permanence
- Provide impartial advice on policy development and implementation to any government department
- Therefore not expected to be held accountable for actions of department - overall focus of policy and adminsitration determined by elected politicians
3
Describe limits to civil service neutrality
- Tom Scholar sacked as Perm Sec to Treasury by Truss
- Simon McDonald (Perm Under-Sec at FO)
- accusations of ‘blob’
5
Describe the role and composition of government departments
- A branch of the executive
- Comprises cabinet ministers (generally heads of department) and junior ministers
- Manages particular area of government and develops policy
- Each ministerial team makes proposals for legislation concerning their department (includes both primary and secondary)
- Treausry holds special importance as control government finances
3
Describe responsibility within government departments
- Secretary of State takes ultimate responsibility for department
- Junior ministers bound by collective responsibility
- Relies on support of civil service, headed by permanent secretary for that department
4
List the main roles of the executive
- Proposing legislation
- Proposing a budget
- Making policy decisions (run domestic and foreign policy)
- Day-to-day governance (most government action does not require legislation)
4
Describe the executive’s ability to introduce legislation
- Introduce legislation proposals to Parliament via King’s Speech (state opening of Parliament)
- Based on manfiesto which GE granted mandate for
- ‘doctor’s mandate’ - can introduce legislation into Parliament in response to changing circumstances
- Can also introduce secondary legislation
4
Describe the executive’s ability to propose a budget
- Can introduce budget to parliament
- Outlines how government intends to raise revenue
- Drawn up by CX in negotiation with PM
- May be other budgetary statements throughout year (autumn statement, mini-budget)
4
Describe the executive’s ability to make policy decisions
- Decisions on how legislation will be implemented
- Mostly done through secondary legislation
- Run domestic policy - determine services provided for population
- Conduct FP - done through attendance at summits, development of treaties/agreements and military action
3
Describe the royal prerogative
- Powers held by constitutional monarch (rather than Parliament) delegated to executive, especially the Prime Minister
- Include powers to declare war, patronage, set date of election (temporarily removed by FTA), grant pardon
- Royal Prerogative of Mercy (grant pardon) used for Steven Gallant in 2020 who recieved reduced sentence for murder for heroic actions in London Bridge Attack 2019
4
Describe the composition of the cabinet
- 20-25 senior ministers (cabinet ministers + others attending)
- All appointed by PM
- meet at least once a week
- much of detailed work conducted in cabinet committees
2
What are cabinet committees?
- small groups of ministers chaired by PM or other senior cabinet member
- may be tasked with developing and implementing specific policies or serving important governance role
2
Describe the membership of cabinet committees
- membership and remit decided by PM (enhance PM authority over cabinet)
- reduces burden on whole cabinet e.g. National Security Council excludes Culture Sec
2
Describe the decisions taken in cabinet committees
- decisions of cabinet committees are binding
- hold same legitimacy as those of full cabinet
2
When might the PM chair cabinet committees themselves?
- Chairs committees that are of particular important to government strategy and policy
- e.g. Boris Johnson chaired Climate Action Strategy Committee
All ministers are (…) to Select Committees and MPs at Ministerial Question TIme
accountable
8
List factors that limit Prime Ministerial power
- Existence and size of electoral mandate
- Parliamentary majority
- Cabinet unity
- Party unity
- National circumstances
- PM style
- Personal popularity
- Media presentation
4
List some current SPADs
- Isaac Levido - election guru (though not official position)
- Eleanor Shawcross - Head of policy
- James Forsyth - political secretary
- Nerissa Chesterfield - director of comms
Who has the powers of patronage to appoint chairs of public inquiries?
The PM
4 for and against points
Describe the argument that the Prime Minister is powerful
- Determines policy objectives of Government through core executive vs influenced by internal party factions
- Dominate cabinet vs Prescence of big beasts
- Powerful with large parliamentary majority vs limited when parliamentary majority is weak
- Royal Prerogative grants significant powers vs Supreme Court reinforces parliamentary sovereignty
3
Describe the PM’s ability to determine the policy objectives of the Government
- Media spotlight grants strong communicators ability to set political agenda e.g. Get Brexit Done
- Based on own ideology e.g. Boris Johnson and Levelling Up
- Use of Core Executive to create policy (policy unit) and ensure its implentation in government departments (cabinet office) - PM chooses membership of such bodies, inc Cabinet Secretary (civil service)
3
Describe how the PM’s power is influenced by internal party factions
- prescence of big beasts outside cabinet e.g. Boris under May
- factions shape policy agenda - CGG influence criticial in decision to cut NI
- Can remove sitting PM
3
Describe how the PM dominates cabinet
- uses powers of patronage to decide membership of cabinet and cabinet committees
- chairs cabinet and key cabinet committees, allowing them to steer the development of government policy
- ultimately decides government decisions and can override cabinet will - May decision to hold talks with Labour over brexit deal
4
Describe how the prescence of big beasts in government limits the PM’s power
- Exert significant factional influence e.g. Penny Mordaunt
- Contravene collective responsibility - Suella Braverman
- Present direct threat by posing as alternative PM
- Affected by prescence of electoral mandate
5
Describe how the large parliamentary majority can increase the PM’s power
- Large parliamentary majorities grant them significant power as they are unlikely to be challenged - personal status tied to electoral success
- do not require the support of all party factions to pass legislation
- Can therefore pursue their political agenda
- e.g. 59 Con MPs voted against smoking ban
- Blair suffered no defeats from 1997-2005
4
Describe how the small parliamentary majority can limit the PM’s power
- Small parliamentary majority/minority will lead to dealmaking
- more contentious policy as it is less likely to pass the HoC
- Sept 2019, Boris Johnson minority government so weak that the House of Commons voted to take control of the legislative agenda
- limit - much of policy enacted is secondary legislation which bypasses HoC
1
Describe a limitation to a coalition limiting the PM’s power
Cameron passed radical austerity policies despite LD’s previous opposition to such extensive cuts in 2010 election campaign
3 for and against paras
Describe the argument that the PM is presidential
Note: much of this essay may be similar to the ‘PM dominance question’
- Focus of media attention vs Party image more significant (e.g. Sunak intiial popularity vs Tory unpopularity)
- Use of SPADs and core executive to determine policy vs Cabinet remains significant
- Policies can be dependent on personal ideology vs Parliamentary sovereignty remains key
2
How did Rishi Sunak sideline his cabinet in 2024?
- Called election for July 4 without consultation of cabinet prior to makug request to King
- Relied on SPADs + Dowden
