3.3 PM and Cabinet Flashcards
5
Describe cabinet processes
- meets weekly, though can be summoned in crisis i.e. COBRA (e.g. military action against Houthis rebels)
- PM chairs cabinet, sets agenda and summarises
- PM approves cabinet secretary’s minutes
- Votes rarely taken - though can be intensive disagreement
- Support of decisions made in cabinet ensured by CMR
5
Describe the functions of the cabinet
- Provides key forum in which government policies are legitimised
- Determine key aspects of important policy
- Discuss how legislation should be introduced to Parliament
- Can resolve dispute between two departments of cabinet
- PMs appoint cabinet committees to develop and implement specific policies
3
How does the cabinet provide a forum for legitimisation
- Several decisions have to be taken elsewhere in the executive
- Cabinet can approve decisions and legitimise them as government policy
- Maintains unity of government
1
Describe Chequers (2018)
2018, May summoned cabinet to Chequers to determine government’s the bargaining poisition in the final stage of EU withdrawal negotiations
3
Describe the function of cabinet deciding on parliamentary business
- Decide how controversial legislation should be best introduced and presented to Parliament
- Cheif Whip makes assessment on likelihood of government majority
- Cabinet may debate concessions that may be needed to achieve parliamentary support
2
Describe how the cabinet resolves disputes between departments
- Acts as final court of appeal
- Particularly significant during coalition years
5
List factors that govern the selection of cabinet members
- Appealing to party factions
- Experience
- include ‘Big Beasts’
- appointment of loyalists
- electoral strategy of PM
4
Describe how the PM aims to appeal to different party factions when selecting cabinet members
- Prevents alienation of certain groups whose support is necessary to maintain legislative support for govenrment policy
- Party unity important when specific issue has divided incumbent party - May evenly balanced cabinet members between Leave and Remain
- Sunak placed Coffey at DEFRA to appeal to Trussites
- Truss’ exclusion of several Sunak supporters alienated moderate factions of Conservative Party (e.g. led to criticism by Gove)
4
Describe how the PM includes experience when appointing cabinet ministers
- Establishes professionalism of capable government
- Acute skills in policy development/implementation and contributions to cabinet
- ensure robustness of cabinet and wider government
- Sunak appointed David Cameron to FS in time of rising conflict
5
Describe how the PM includes ‘big beasts’ in cabinet
- PM under significant pressure to include influential and dominant personalities in cabinet
- Binds potential rivals to CMR so they cannot publically criticise government - though limited
- Cultivate loyalty to their premiership
- May appointed Boris at prestigious role of FS to bind him to CMR on Brexit to mitigate opposition against her leadership
- Places them in difficult briefs e.g. Braverman placed at Home by Truss/Sunak
3
Describe how the PM appoints loyalists to cabinet
- Advances key allies to senior positions so they have unwavering support from dominant figures during crisis e.g. Dowden
- Can reward past loyalty to leadership campaigns
- Ben Wallace led Boris’ campaign in 2019 and was subsequently granted the defence brief
2
Describe how electoral strategy affects the selection of cabinet members
- Significant media interest in cabinet reshuffles
- Government can use this to shape political message
3
Give examples of electoral strategy governing cabinet selections
- Claire Countinho (Energy Sec) - youthfulness and ‘change candidate’
- David Cameron (FS) - continuity and technocracy
- Esther McVey (Minister for Common Sense) - anti-woke
6
List the factors that affect the relationship between the PM and cabinet
- Extent of cabinet unity (largely dependent on confidence in PM)
- PM’s individual style of governance
- Experience of cabinet members
- National circumstances
- Parliamentary majority
- Coalition
3
Describe how the presence of big beasts affects the relationship between the PM and cabinet
- Prescence of number of big beasts in cabinet may weaken authority
- PM subsequently less willing to rely on cabinet
- May Government included Boris, David Davis, Liam Fox, Andrea Leadsom
2
Describe how the experience of ministers affects the relationship between the PM and cabinet
- Cabinet of trusted and experienced ministers may enjoy more individual freedom than inexperienced ones
- Rishi Sunak, whose stature was developed by furlough rollout, masterminded Eat Out to Help Out scheme
2
Describe how national circumstances can grant power to PM power over cabinet
- showing unity in cabinet ensures strong government needed to respond to crises
- Cabinet provided support to Gordon Brown/Alistair Darling GFC response
2
Describe how national circumstances can grant power to the cabinet over PM
- lack of urgency may drive division
- documented disagreements between Hancock and Boris over timing of lockdown measures
2
Describe how a small parliamentary majority affect the relationship between the PM and cabinet
- PMs need to consult widely to maintain party unity if parliamentary majority low
- cannot afford resignations and opposition of ‘big beasts’
2
Describe how a large parliamentary majority affect the relationship between the PM and cabinet
- Large parliamentary majority leads to more fervent loyalty to PM (e.g. Blair)
- Yet PMs often allow contentious issues to be debated in cabinet to maintain survival of government
2
List examples where a large parliamentary majority has affected the relationship between the PM and cabinet
- Blair’s landslide victories led to use of ‘spatial leadership’ rather than consultation of cabinet, who became yes men - role of cabinet ministers reduced to reporting decisions made elsewhere
- Yet in 2021, Boris allowed free cabinet discussion over case for new restrictions on Omicron variant with opposing views proposed by Javid (Health) and Sunak (CX)
2
List examples where a weak parliamentary majority has affected the relationship between the PM and cabinet
- Coalition meant that 5/22 Cabinet posts were LD and Cameron has less control over these ministers
- Yet May overided majority cabinet preference for no-deal brexit in favour of talks with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn
4
Describe the expansion of spatial leadership under Blair
- Increasing reliance on SPADs to design policy
- Blair created chief of staff role to coordinate government policy
- Blair established PM’s Strategy Unit and Delivery Unit to set department targets and monitor performance - challenges authority of cabinet ministers
- these units were abolished by Cameron (though he strengthened Implementation Unit to ensure more coordinated response)
2
Describe the expansion of spatial leadership under Boris
- Demanded that cabinet members’ political advisors were approved by No 10, prompting Javid resignation
- Cabinet office given enhanced powers to supervise departmental work
3
Describe the argument that the Cabinet is important
- Prevents PM dominance of executive vs PM uses RP to dictate membership (appoints yes-men loyalists)
- Influential in the formulation of policy vs PMs use SPADS to make key decisions
- Resolves internal government disputes through CMR vs big beasts disregard CMR
RP = royal prerogative
4
Describe how the Cabinet prevents the dominance of the PM in the executive
- PM requires ongoing support of cabinet in policy decisions to maintain survival of government
- Cabinet munity can force resignation of PM e.g. Boris Johnson (clearest example of cabinet government)
- Can force change in government direction without mandate granted at GE (e.g. Boris to Truss)
- limit - May/Corbyn brexit talks
3 (2 pro, 1 con)
Describe the influence of the cabinet in affecting policy
- Reflects views of whole party rather than singular PM
- Maintains unity in HoC as cheif whip informs cabinet of likelihood of legislative success
- Limited by use of smaller teams, notably the ‘quad’
4
Describe the impact of the cabinet resolving policy disputes
- Provides avenue for debates to be settled amongst experienced politicians who have knowledge of policy implications, legislative success, etc
- Binded by CMR, allowing government to act as united front (important for national crises)
- On particular issue, PM may lack expertise to make informed decisions themselves
- Contentious issue requires consultation of whole cabinet to maintain loyalty e.g. Omicron restrictions debate
3
Describe the impact of SPADs on the Cabinet’s importance
- have constant access to PM as opposed to weekly cabinet
- therefore PM’s chief of staff and head of policy more important in deciding policy than cabinet members
- loyalty of SPADs negates destructive impact of CMR being broken (though SPADs are mostly background figures)
3
Describe 3 examples of the influence of SPADs
- Boris allowed Cummings to dictate key strategy on brexit e.g. proroguing Parliament
- May called snap election without consultation of cabinet (had not been informed) - decision made by Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill
- same for Sunak, but with James Forsyth
4
Describe the argument that the UK has seen a return to cabinet government since 2010
- Cameron led coalition government vs Cameron able to implement austerity against weak LDs
- ‘big beasts’ in cabinet (Hunt-Truss) vs use of quad/Truss-Kwarteng-Clarke designed mini-budget
- May loss of majority granted influence to cabinet vs May personally dictated brexit strategy
- Divisions in conservative party have granted influence to cabinet to settle disputes (Rwanda strategy) vs use of SPADs
6
Describe Thatcher’s ability to determine policy
In exam, use history knowkedge
- Reliance on SPADs post-Falklands and miner’s strike - Alan Walters (Cheif Economic Advisor) leading to poll tax, etc
- Radical monetarism reforms in face of 3/4 cabinet being ‘wet’ e.g. 1981 budget
- Abolition of metropolitan councils
- Privatisation despite external opposition (e.g. from Macmillan)
- Trade Union, education, council house reform
- Government legislation failed only once
5
Describe Thatcher’s inability to determine policy
- Limited until psot-1983 election e.g. Trade Union Act 1984
- 1981, Thatcher allowed extensive cabinet debate on Howe’s controversial VAT-raising budget - forced to make certain concessions
- Lawson resigned in 1989 due to reliance on Alan Walters
- Eurosceptic policies and rhetoric failed - led to leadership challenge and acceptance of pro-market policies (e.g. social charter)
- Failure of Shops Act 1986
3
Describe Thatcher’s ability to dictate events
- Victory in Falklands without formal parliamentary vote (used RP)
- Quickly recovered post-Westland Affair
- Patronage used in 1983 cabinet resuffle to accomodate more dries and demote wets - support of miners’ strike response
3
Describe Thatcher’s inability to dictate events
- 1982, called extensive emergency cabinet meeting to debate Falklands response (compared to Blair who sidelined cabinet in Iraq discussions)
- Forced to include more ON members in first cabinet - Heseltine led opposition within cabinet
- Cabinet rebellion and Howe resignation led to end of premiership
5
Describe Blair’s ability to determine policy
- Successive parliamentary majorities (179 and 167 respectively) led to no defeats on government legislation, even on contentious legislation (Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 allowed indefinite detention)
- Blair and Brown jointly decided to grant BoE independence on monetary policy to allow for economic stability withut cabinet consultation (‘they’ll agree’)
- Ignored significant cabinet opposition to construction of Millennium Dome
- Constitutional reform - devolution, HRA, HoL reform
- Reliance on SPADs (Jonathan Powell Cheif of Staff; Campbell press secretary)
4
Describe Blair’s inability to determine policy
- Brown given control of economic policy - roadblocked Blair’s wishes to join European Single Currency as had failed ‘five tests’ for British membership
- 2005, defeated on amendment to Terrorism Act 2005 to extend detention to 90 days
- Brown increasingly looked to as alternative leader post-2005
- Forced to announce freeze in fuel duties following protests in 2000
3
Describe Blair’s ability to dictate events
- Did not consult cabinet on advisability of Iraq War in 2003
- Succeeded in acheving GFA where predecessors failed
- Used RP to commence military action in Iraq (1998), Kosovo, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan
2
Describe Blair’s inability to dictate events
- Held parliamentary vote to legitimise Iraq War decision - though won by 412:149 margin due to huge majority
- Blair forced to announce resignation in 2006, earlier than he had hoped, due to internal opposition following the 2005 election where Labour only won 35% of the popular vote and the rising support of the youthful David Cameron
2
How did Blair manage the cabinet
- Blair kept whole cabinet meetings short - legitimise decisions made elsewhere
- used bilateral meetings and ‘sofa govenrment’ (key advisers) to make key decisions
2
Describe internal party opposition to Blair and Thatcher
- Thatcher - Heseltine and ‘wets’
- Blair - Brownites (e.g. Ed Balls)
3
What budget did the ‘quad’ almost entirely determine the contents of?
- 2012 Spring Budget
- Included controversial measure to cut additional rate of income tax from 50% to 45%
- Vince Cable claimed this would have not been his priority - break with CMR
3
What are Oliver Dowden’s roles?
- DPM
- Sec of State for Cabinet Office
- Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster
