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