3.1.1.3 The Prime Minister and cabinet Flashcards
1
Q
the prime minister
A
- the PM is the head of the executive and lead cabinet meetings
- appoint all cabinet members and junior ministers and decides who sits on cabinet committees
- the PM can change the structure of government by creating abolishing or merging gov departments
2
Q
role of the prime minister
A
- political leadership –> decides government political direction and setting out priorities, determining policy on key issues
- national leadership –> communicator in chief of the gov and a leader in times of crisis
- managing the executive –> restructures gov departments and the civil service
- chairing cabinet –> prime ministers chairs cab and steers its direction
- creates cab committees and has bilateral meetings with ministers
- steers discussion towards PM policies and manifestos so they are in agreement with their decisions - gov appointments –> appoints and dismisses ministers
- appoints ministers who support their policy
3
Q
how does the PM gain power in politics
A
presidentialism??
- policy success
- popularity with the public
- parl majority
- a strong maj is the most important for the PM power to create policies as they have more seats filled with people who support their decisions/manifesto as part of their party
- impacts success of the PM and ability to efficiently do their job –> Theresa may and DUP coaltion 2017 bringing in brexit leg
4
Q
the cabinet
A
- a group of about 22 members –> includes the head of gov departments known as secretaries of state; other important figures also attend cabinet members
- the cabinet office helps deliver policy –> headed by the cabinet secretary who is the most senior civil servant in the UK
- many decisions are made in cabinet committees –> these groups of ministers make decisions on particular areas of policy
5
Q
government departments
A
- each department is responsible for a policy area (transport, education)
- a cabinet minister is in charge of these and is supported by junior ministers responsible for their own specific areas within parliament
6
Q
executive agencies
A
- semi-independent organisations carry out some of the functions of government department
- the DVLA works under the department for transport
7
Q
what is the role of the executive
A
- policy decisions
- set political priorities and determine the country’s overall Policy direction
- day to day decisions on policy
- administrative executive: implements policy and oversees the day to day administration of the state - proposing leg
- devises and initiates leg –> most prim leg (bills) proposed by exec
- executive have the secondary legislative powers - key decision on economic policy + budget
- chancellor proposed taxation levels + public spending in the budget following negotiations
8
Q
what is a bill
A
government bills put into effect the manifesto of the governing party
9
Q
prerogative powers of the executive
A
- powers that do not require parliamentary approval (royal prerog)
- monarch still retains some but acts under minister direction to avoid controversy
- making and ratifying treaties
- international diplomacy
- armed force deployment overseas
- pardons
- civil service
10
Q
limiting the executives prerogative powers
A
- constitutional convention to vote on deployment of armed forces abroad –> voted against syrian air strikes in 2013 but approved in 2015
- fixed term parliament act 2011: PM needed 2/3 of MP support for early election, and cannot just dissolve –> april 2017 approved an early election 522 to 13 votes
- PM power to award honours and make public appointments is limited
11
Q
control of the legislative agenda
A
- most bills gov proposed and controls the leg timetable
- most gov bills are approved but unpopular private members bills are unlikely to not succeed
- control of the leg process: gov disciplines on important votes –> all mins must support gov in parl (whips: pressure gov to act collectively)
12
Q
powers of secondary legislature
A
- delegated leg: the provisions of an act of parliament can be brought intop force or amended by ministers without a further act
- confer on mins the power to make more detailed rules and regulations through statutory instruments
- can be technical or just provide greater detail on the broad provisions of an act (3500 a year)
- scrutinised by gov committees but most are not debated and it is unusual for one to be rejected
13
Q
powers of the executive over the legislature
A
- control over the leg agenda: most bills proposed by government and controls the leg timetable –> most gov bills become law
- secondary leg: gives mins the power to amend some existing leg without requiring an additional act of parliament
- prerogative powers: powers exercised by ministers on behalf of the crown that do not require parl approval (making/ratifying treaties and deploying armed forces overseas)
14
Q
powers of the legislature over the executive
A
- select committees: scrutinse the policy and administration of gov deps; many recommendations they make are taken up by government
- backbench business: BBBC allows non gov mps to select issues for debate and the increased use of ‘urgent questions’ to mins = weakened executive control of the parl
- backbench rebellion: backbench mps from the governing party are more likely to rebel than was the case in the early post war period. rebellions have forced gov to withdraw/amend policy proposals on tax issues, counter terrorism and air strikes in syria
- weakening of prerogative powers: parl decides whether there should be an early gen election and there is an emerging convention that the UK does not engage in overseas conflict without commons consent
- house of lords: no party has a majority in the lords and the lords has become more assertive since the removal of most hereditary peers in 99 –> gov defeats in the lords have become more frequent and have forced the gov to rethink its leg
15
Q
why do the legislature and the executive have power over eachother
A
- system of checks and balances
- limits eachother’s power
16
Q
secretaries of state
A
- role held by senior ministers
- sit in cabinet and head gov departments
17
Q
junior ministers
A
- minster of state and parliamentary undersecretary
- given specific policy roles in parl (eg security, immigration, policy in the home office)
18
Q
parliamentary private secretaries
A
- unpaid assistants to ministers, w/ ministerial status
19
Q
roles of ministers
A
- policy leaders: plays a role in policy initiation and selection
- representing departmental interests: rep dep interest sin cab and gov in the eu council
- departmental management: strategic, setting objectives and shaping internal distribution of resources
- relations with parl: steers bill through parl, accountable to parl for dep decisions, answer to commons Q and appear before select com
20
Q
gov departments
A
- main administrative units of central gov –> whitehall
- provide policy advice to mins, managing public spending, fostering relationships with interested parties (pressure groups), policy implementation
- organised according to policy area or sections of society they serve
- some have whole UK jurisdiction (defence) but on devolved matters they only have jurisdiction on england
- whitehall: public services but day to day policy delivery is completed by semi autonomous exec agencies (HM prison services)
21
Q
treasury
A
- most powerful department
- controls public spending and other deps require its approval to undertake major new financial committments
- spending reviews set out spending limits for each gov dep and chancellors have used those to shape policy in high spending deps such has health ad social security
- budget contents are not revealed to the cabinet until hours before the chancellors announcement
22
Q
attorney general office
A
- dep responsible for providing legal advice to the gov
- attorney general and solicitor general are known as law officers
- attorney is the principle legal adviser on EU and international law, human rights and devolved powers
- draft leg must be approved by the law officers
- advice from the law officers is occasionally controversial (2016 chilcot report stated that circumstances that decisions were taken about the legality of the 2003 iraq invasion were ‘far from satisfactory’)
23
Q
civil servants
A
- gov departments are staffed by civil servants -> officials appointed by the crown
- some provide policy advice to ministers, and may have advantages over them such as experience, expertise and access to information
- required to provide impartial advice but can define which policy options are practical and affordable
24
Q
4 principles of the civil servant bureaucracy
A
hierarchal structure
- impartiality: serve the crown rather than the gov of the day –> expected to be politically neutral and not become involved in overtly party political tasks
- anonymity: individual civil servants should not be identified as the author of advice to minsters, Some may be called infront of parl committees but they give evidence under the direction of ministers
- permanence: stay in their posts when there is a change of gov
- meritocracy: not political appointments; staffed by generalists, recruited through
competitive exams and interviews
25
Q
civil servants implementing and making policy
A
- two roles were separated in the 1980s
- civil servants working in whitehall continue to advice ministers but policy implementation functions and the delivery of public services were transferred to executive agencies
- they operate at separate from gov deps
- number cut from 732,000 in 1979 to 392,000 in 2016
26
Q
trends in majorities for leaders over time
A
- when a leader/party is in power for too long they naturally lose support overtime –> political cycles
- blair: 179 in 1997. 167 in 2001 and 66 in 2005
27
Q
role of the prime minister
A
- political leadership: PM decides the political direction taken by government, settings its priorities and strategies –> shapes policy on high profile issues
- national leadership: predominant political figure in the UK, responsible for national security, communicator in chief for gov
- appointing gov: determines membership of gov by appointing and dissmissing members
- chairing cabinet: PM chairs meetings of cabinet, sets its agenda and steers its decisions
- managing the exec: responsible for gov organisation and is the head of civil service
- prerogative powers: exercises prerogative like deploying armed forces overseas
- managing parl relations: makes statements to and answers questions in the house of commons , and shapes the govs leg programme
- representing the UK in international affairs: PM represents the UK in high level international diplomacy
28
Q
requirements to becoming PM
A
- must be a member of parl: became a const convention that the PM should be an MP in the commons
- must be a leader of a political party: if they step down as leader they must also resign as PM
- the political party they lead must have a majority in the HoC: if defeated in a GE the PM must resign
29
Q
majority gov and what happens if there is not a maj
A
- maj govs are the norm
- hung parl: no party has an absolute maj of seats
- PM given chance to negotiate with other parties to form a minority gov or coalition (2010 con and LD)
30
Q
prime ministers office functions
A
- policy advice: gives P advice which might differ from mins, helps set future direction of gov policy
- Blair: PMO has had an importnat role in coordinating policy making and implementation across gov
- Cameron reduced their role but created a policy implementation unit to increase no 10 oversight of whitehall
- communications: PMO is responsible for the presentation of gov policy, important due to intensification of the media focus on PM
- criticism of the politicisation of communications by Blairs communications director Al campbell: responsibility for gov communications was transferred to a senior civil servant
31
Q
labour prime ministers since the end of the war
A
- clement Attlee 1945-51
- Harold wilson 1964-70 and 1974-76
- James Callaghan 1976-79
- tony blair 1997-2007
- gordon brown 2007-2010
32
Q
conservative prime ministers since the end of the war
A
- winston churchill 1951-55
- anthony eden 1955-57
- harold macmillan 1957-63
- alec douglas home - 1963-64
- edward heath - 1970-74
- margaret thatcher - 1979-90
- john major - 1990-97
- david cameron - 2010-2016, coalition then C 2015-16
- theresa may 2016-2019
- Boris Johnson 2019-2022
- liz truss sep 2022 - oct 2022
- rishi sunak 2022- prez
33
Q
key prime ministers
A
- james Callaghan
- tony blair
- gordon brown
- margaret thatcher
- david cameron
- liz truss
34
Q
james callaghan strengths and weaknesses
A
- improved housing for homeless people
- introduced child benefits for all children + free school meals
- faced econ crisis and rising unemployment of 1.5 mil
- was insensitive towards the crisis - did not think there was one
- 2 votes of no conf, needed an deal with liberals exp in 1978, and one in 1979
- winter of discontent
35
Q
tony blair strengths and weaknesses
A
- GFA 1998
- HRA 1998
- S and W devolved parl
- same sex protected from discrim, civil partn, adoption, trans can change gender on birth cert
- national minimum wage 1998
- IRAQ WAR 2003, AFGHANISTAN 2001 –> illegal war, no basis as no chemical weapons found
36
Q
gordon brown strengths and weaknesses
A
- made going to war with a parl vote a convention
- raised school leaving age to 18
- improved pensions
- £500 bn to rescue banks from collapse in financ crisis –> praised internationally by USA and eur and copied
- criticised for no EU ref
37
Q
margaret thatcher strengths and weaknesses
A
- ‘right to buy’ council houses
- cut wages tax
- reduced trade union power to stop winter of discontent
- high unemployment (3m)
- sold many british people owned businesses (BT, BA, B gas)
- poll tax: everyone pays the same amount irrespective of their earnings
38
Q
david cameron strengths and weaknesses
A
- unemployment fell and economy recovered after financial crisis
- legalised same sex marriage in 2013
- successful after scottish ind ref 2014
- increased min wage
- welfare cuts and prison cuts (100bn)
- debts increased and living standards fell
- number of children in poverty increased + use of food banks
- libya 2011 bombing and 2015 syria
39
Q
liz truss strengths and weaknesses
A
- diverse cab
- controversial mini budget –> declined in public support
- weakness perceived and had many policy reversals
- most unpopular pm in history with 9% lowest
- resignation of home sec suella
- served only 50 days in office
40
Q
what is collective ministerial responsibility
A
- a principle that ministers must support cabinet decisions or resign from gov
