3.3- prime minister and the cabinet

Question 1

what are the factors that influence the selection of ministers

Answer 1

• competetence and specialist knowledge
• establishing their authority by removing previos cabinet ministers and appointing allies
• loyalty and political reliability: must be sure ministerial responsibility will be upheald
• ideological balance: keeping favour with different party factions
• representation and diversity

Question 2

who is an example of a specialist minister

Answer 2

ben wallace
- served as secretary of state for defence under johnson, truss and now sunak
- experience as a former soldjer

Question 3

give examples of a pm appointing inexperienced ministers

Answer 3

lizz truss appointing Kwazi Kwarteng who had only served in cabinet for 2 years

Question 4

give an example of an ideologically balnced cabinet. And explain how a focus on ideological balance has changed.

Answer 4

• theresa may appointed both remainers and leavers in her cabinet
• recently there has been les of a focus on ideological balance

Question 5

what is the diversity of the current cabinet?

Answer 5

7/23 are women and 4/23 are ethnic minorities

Question 6

what are the factors that affect the relationship between the prime minister and the cabinet?

Answer 6

• ability to manage their cabinet through their power of patronage, prime ministers depend on minister to effectively run their department
• use of cabinet meetings to set the agenda
• size of downing street
• use of bylateral meetings
• use of cabinet commitees
• size of the parliamentary majority
• electoral prospects and popularity of the prime minister
• divisions within the party (brexit under theresa may)
• wider political and economci situation

Question 7

give an example of when cabinet was not effectively managed

Answer 7

• theresa may was costantly undermined by leaking and briefing agaisnt the government (by boris johnson in particular)
• boris johnson voted against the government on many occasions

Question 8

give 2 examples of when the prime minister bypassed cabinet and used informal groups to make desisions.

Answer 8

• tony blairs ‘sofa government’ as he used informal meetings with individual ministers to influence them more significantly
• ‘the quad’ under the coalition goveernment

Question 9

how was margaret thatcher accused of using government?

Answer 9

as a rubber stamp

Question 10

give 2 examples of prime ministers using cabinet committees to influenc policy.

Answer 10

• theresa may used the cabinet committee on exiting the european union to make important desisions on brexit
• johnson used the COVID-19 strategy committee to make desisions on covid restrictions

Question 11

give an example of a special advisor with too much power.

Answer 11

Dominic Cummings under boris johnson.
- Boris Johnson sacrificed popularity when he defended Cummings after he broke covid rules (shows how important cummings was to government desision making)
- sajid javid resigned as he was told by boris that he could only keep his job if cummings was able to pick his advisors

Question 12

what did David Cameron implement (in downing street) to increase control over policy

Answer 12

the implementation unit

Question 13

what was tony blairs majority and how does a large majority influence the prime ministers power?

Answer 13

• 179 seat majority
• much more power as they can risk upsetting factions of the party while still knowing they will be able to pass legislation

Question 14

give an example of when the popularity of the prime minister influenced their abiltity to exert control over cabinet.

Answer 14

• boris johnson was initally very popular with the public (won many red wall seats)
• as he became less popular due to the partygate scandal the cabinet gained power and he was eventually forced out by key cabinet members such as rishi sunak and sajid javid

Question 15

what are the agruments that the prime minister has become more presidential?

Answer 15

• often behave like a head of state in the context of foreign policy and emergencies
• increased media focus on the leadership: creating an image idependent from the party
• prime ministers increasingly rely on unelected advisors
• decline of cabinet meetings
• mp can use perogative powers to hold ministers to account

Question 16

what did boris johnson create that emulated the president approach to media?

Answer 16

2021 created the downing street press briefing room

Question 17

give 2 examples of when the prime minister has behaved as a head of state.

Answer 17

• tony blair drove foreign plicy on the iraq war
• boris johnson rallied the country against the pandemic and help regular press conferences

Question 18

what does the prime ministers use of SPADS resemble in the us

Answer 18

• the west wing

Question 19

What are the arguments that the prime minister isn’t becoming increasingly presidential?

Answer 19

• policy must still be approved by cabinet
• cabinet is crutial in policy coordination- it is important to maintain a unified cabinet image
• cabinet can bring down the PM

Question 20

Give an example of when the cabinet played a significant role in decision-making. why might it be argued that the role of the cabinet is increasing

Answer 20

• under Theresa May, the hard-line brexiteers (e.g Boris) pushed her to a harder Brexit deal

Question 21

which prime ministers have struggled in the past to act as a head of state?

Answer 21

• David Cameron- had to gain the support of the Liberal Democrats- failed to pass the vote on military action in syria
• there’s may due to her weak majority

Question 22

what was Margaret Thatcher’s relationship with her cabinet?

Answer 22

• implementation of the poll tax 1989 (ignored public opposition and warnings from the treasury)
• refused to tone down her 1981 monetarist budget
• was forced by her chancellor, John Major, to join the **exchange rate mechanism **
• forced to resign by her cabinet in 1990 as she alienated her cabinet through her use of SPAD’s

Question 23

What characterised Blair’s relationship with cabinet?

Answer 23

• 2003 Iraq war (based on unsubstantiated claims): cabinet members were denied access to key documents
• promoted party unity
• sofa government
• growth in Downing Street
• brown had significant power- led to conflicts between ‘The Blairites’ and ‘Brownites’

Question 24

how did blair try to expand his influence over policy implementation?

Answer 24

2001 creation of the ‘prime ministers delivery unity’ and stratergy unit

Question 25

give an example of when brown exerted significant influence over the government.

Answer 25

Brown denied Blair’s desire to join the European single currency.
- brown devised ‘tests’ that must be passed before the UK could join the single currency

Question 26

What characterised Cameron’s relationship with the cabinet?

Answer 26

• United Conservatives and Lib dem behind austerity
• “The quad”
• coalition limited his power of patronage and his ability to come up with and pass policies
• had to include ministers in desisions in order to uphold the stability of the coalition

Question 27

how did cameron prevent challenges to his leadership?

Answer 27

• formed strong bonds with osborne, clegg and may
• kept political opponents such as Gove and Johnson near the center of goverment

Question 28

how many of the cabinet committees did theresa may chair?

Answer 28

• 3/5 cabinet committees

Question 29

give an example of blairs attempts to control cabinet.

Answer 29

• all speeches and press releases had to be approved by number 10’s press office and alistar campball

Question 30

how did thatcher try and distance herself from the rest of government.

Answer 30

• presented herself as the sensible grocers daughter who was critical of establishment
• repeatedly criticized the ‘mandarins’ of the civil service

Question 31

how many ministers resigned under johnson?

Answer 31

57 ministers resigned
6 cabinet ministers