4. Executive

Question 1

Role of the PM

Answer 1

Proposing legilsation
Prosposing the budget - suspended the sailsbury convention under the coalition government
Making policy decisions

Question 2

Powers of the PM - royal perogative - defence

Answer 2

Royal perogative - Syria 2013 and 2015
Initating legilsation
Secondary legilsation

Question 3

Individual ministerial responsibility - administrative failure

Answer 3

Dominic Rabb bullied staff resulting in him resigning in 2023

Question 4

Individual ministerial responsibility - policy failure

Answer 4

Lord Carrington resigns as Foreign Secretary (under Thatcher’s government) in 1982 due to his failure to foresee the Falklands War

Question 5

Individual ministerial responsibility - scandal

Answer 5

Liam Fox resigns as Defence Secretary (under Cameron’s government) in 2011 due to corruption allegations of him giving access to Defence Ministry meetings

2004 David Blunkett Home secretary resigned after allegations of abuse of office when he intervened in the visa application process fast-tracking the visa application for his child’s nanny. Again in 2005 after he broke Ministerial Code on private sector job. He Wrongly used official House of Commons notepaper to make a personal objection to a planning development near one of his London homes.

Question 6

Individual ministerial responsibility - heavily criticised for policy but don’t resign

Answer 6

Ester McVay did not resign as Work and Pensions Secretary in 2018 after misleading Parliament over the new Universal Credit scheme by claiming in Parliament a National Audit Office report said it should be rolled out quicker when in fact it said the report rollout should be paused

Question 7

Individual ministerial responsibility - not resigning after a scandal

Answer 7

Ester McVay did not resign as Work and Pensions Secretary in 2018 after misleading Parliament over the new Universal Credit scheme by claiming in Parliament a National Audit Office report said it should be rolled out quicker when in fact it said the report rollout should be paused

Question 8

Individual ministerial responsibility - not resigining after administrative failure

Answer 8

In 2021 Cabinet Office Gove was found to have broken the law by awarding a £560,000 contract to a communications company called Public First, which is run by associates of himself and Dominic Cummings. His department was also condemned by the Information Rights Tribunal for a “profound lack of transparency” in a ruling over Freedom of Information “blacklisting” claims, by running a secretive “clearing house” unit circulating FoI requests from journalists

Question 9

Collective ministerial responsibility examples

Answer 9

If they want to disagree with the PM - Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resigned in July 2018, accusing PM May of delivering Brexit ‘in name only’

Dismissed by the PM is they don’t resign themselves - Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was sacked in May 2019 for leaking information from a national security council, Dominc Rabb after allegations of bullying was dismissed by Suank in 2023 after reading the report

Question 10

Suspension of Collective ministerial responsibility

Answer 10

During the 2010–15 Conservative-Liberal Dem coalition, collective responsibility was set aside for certain party political issues, (e.g. the 2011 referendum on electoral reform)

It was formally set aside during the 2016 EU referendum campaign so that ministers could campaign for either side of the vote - resulted in party disunty which had long-term implications

Question 11

Collective ministerial responsibility strengths

Answer 11

Creates a government which is united, strong and decisive.

The public, Parliament and the media are presented with a clear, single vision of government policy.

Though ministers cannot dissent publicly, the confidentiality of the Cabinet means that ministers can engage in frank discussions in private.

Question 12

Collective ministerial responsibility weaknesses

Answer 12

Some argue it puts too much power into the hands of the PM.

Ministers cannot be openly honest about their view on policies- may stifle debate within government

Resignations are dramatic events which may seriously undermine the government.

Question 13

Cabinet selection - balance social makeup

Answer 13

Success - PM Johnson selected the most ethnically diverse Cabinet the UK has ever had. E.g. Sajid Javid Chancellor of the Exchequer; Priti Patel as Home Secretary; Rishi Sunak as Chief Secretary to Treasury. These BAME Ministers represent 18% of cabinet. Some 14% of the population in England and Wales come from ethnic minority backgrounds, according to the 2011 census.

Failure - 8/33 positions (24%) in Johnson’s cabinet (including those who are not full members) have gone to women. This is slightly lower than May’s Cabinet of 2016 and Brown’s Cabinet of 2007, which both achieved 30% but it is still far less than expected given as women and girls make up 51% of the population (England and Wales), according to the 2011 census.

Failure - Critics have argued that Johnson’s Cabinet is elitist with 64% attending fee-paying schools and 48% having attended either Oxford or Cambridge

Question 14

Cabinet selection - ability, expereince and expertise

Answer 14

Ben Wallace the Defence Secretary had a career in the military from 1991-1998 acting as a lietutenant in 1993. He served in Germany, Cyprus, Belize, and Northern Ireland.

He took the position of Defence Secretary in 2019 and has taken a key role in the Ukranian role. He has been kept by Johnson, Truss and Sunak highlighting how his expertise is valued.

Question 15

Cabinet selection - big beasts rather than expertise

Answer 15

Michael Gove since 2010-present Gove has had 8 different cabinet positions being secretary of state for leveling up since 2021. He was only briefly dismissed by May before being reintroduced in 2017 as environment secretary.

George Osborne was David Cameron’s chancellor but when Theresa May came into power in 2016 she left him out of the cabinet completely

Question 16

Cabinet selection - in debt

Answer 16

May’s 2016 cabinet reshuffle authority especially the sacking of George Osborne as chancellor the exchequer and his replacement with her long-time ally. Philip Hammond. Another of May’s key supporters, Amber Rudd, took over as home secretary

Question 17

Cabinet selection - same views vs different views

Answer 17

Thersea May in 2016 was determined to remove the ‘Notting Hill’ public school ‘chumocracy’ that Cameron cultivated. Therefore, sacking George Osborne as chancellor of the exchequer in order to make her adminsitration appear less elitist.

Instead to watch over members of the party who may be rebellious. Thatcher’s 1981 reshuffle the ‘purging of the wets’, saw her choose to appoint Michael Heseltine making him the secretary of state for the Environment. This caused issues with him repaetdly challenging Thatcher on issues like unemployment but her presidential style alientated Heseltine which evntually led to his resignation in 1986

Question 18

Factors affecting the PM’s relationship with the cabinet

Answer 18

1. PM style
2. public and media opinion
3. political disputes
4. majority
5. special circumstances (crisis/coalition)

Question 19

The cabinet plays a significant role

Question 20

The cabinet does not play a significant role

Question 21

How far has the PM’s relationship with the cabinet changed?

Answer 21

Coalition
Small/no majority
Cabinet Office
Presidential Role

Question 22

The cabinet is submissive - power of the PM to hire and fire ministers

Answer 22

Theresea May in her 2018 cabinet reshuffle removed Justine Greening from secreatry of education as it was thought she was cosying up to teaching unions and refused to be moved to work and pensions department. Replaced by Damian Hinds who was a member of the education select committee and former work and pension minsiter

Question 23

The cabinet is submissive - role of the PM as Chair of Cabinet

Answer 23

They also control the agenda and as meetings are kept secret for 30 years they can discuss freely on issues

Question 24

The cabinet is submissive - growth in size of PM’s offce

Answer 24

Has a wide range of individuals or bodies to call on personally for advice.
Therefore, they can take the advice of the civil service or pressure groups over the cabinet

Question 25

The cabinet is submissive - public percpetion of presidential rolle and position as gov figurehead and spokesperson

Answer 25

The PM is perceived by the public to be the government leader and representative of the nation. This gives them great authority but it also means if things go wrong people look to them first

Question 26

The cabinet is not submissive - limits to the PM hiring and fireing

Answer 26

Cameron-Clegg coalition gov

Question 27

The cabinet is not submissive - PM does not directly control a major department

Answer 27

The Cabinet may control powerful ministers with a large following who can disrupt the will of the PM. Tony Blair was rivalled by Gordon Brown in 2005-2007, and David Cameron was by several influential Eurosceptic (like Boris Johnson) in 2010-2015.

Question 28

The cabinet is not submissive - role as figurehead and spokeserson can be a negative in times of crisis or gov unpopulaity

Answer 28

If the PM leads a divided party, it is more difficult to control the Cabinet. This happened to John Major in 1992-1997.

Question 29

The cabinet is not submissive - PM is powerful only as long as the Cabinet supports them

Answer 29

Ultimately the Cabinet can remove the PM from office, as happened to Margaret Thatcher (1990) and Tony Blair (2007)

Question 30

The PM is held accountable

Answer 30

PMQ’s
Opposition
Cabinet resignations

Question 31

The PM is not held accountable

Answer 31

PMQ’s
Opposition
Collective responsiblity

Question 32

Case study on Thatcher

Answer 32

Falklands - seen as a personal victory for Thatcher’s hard-line policy and directly contributed to the 1983 re-election

Poll Tax - Thacther personally supported but led to her downfall and policy reversal due to public and cabinet opposition. Tory MPs, seeing the electoral damage, voted against her in the Conservative leadership election in 1990

Privisation of utlities - successful widepsread implementtion of policy which was electorally popular

By 1990, Thatcher had few allies left in cabinet and Chancellor John Major used this weakness to persuade her to agree to entering the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, despite her long opposition to it

Monetarism - reversal of previous consensus economics based on Keynesianism. Her refusal to bow to pressure to tone down the monetarist budget of 1981, at a time of recession, proved decisive in her cementing her authority

Question 33

Case study on Blair

Answer 33

1997
Northern Ireland Peace Process - seen as a personal victory for P although built on efforts of previous gov’s

Iraq War - heavily driven by PM and now seen as a serious failure, dominating his ‘legacy’

Third Way - significant shift in previous Labour economic policy, combining continued privitsation with greater public sector investment

During Blair’s government, policy areas were largely split between him and Chancellor Gordon Brown e.g. It was Blair and Brown who decided to allow the Bank of England set interest rates in the Bank of England Act 1998, not the cabinet

Bank of England Independence - early economic policy drived by Blair and Brown widely seen as successful

Question 34

Case study on Cameron

Answer 34

Cameron appeared suited to coalition and allowed ministers more freedom to do their job but this backfired as he was criticised for making policy U-turns, and the radical plans for reorganising the NHS ran into problems

Same-sex marriage - driven through partly by Cameron’s personal support despite some party opposition

2016 EU referendum - renegotiation by Cameron led to his recommending an ‘in vote’ but faced significant internal opposition and had to suspend collective responsiblity

Austerty - controversial and polarising economic policy

Increase in income tax allowances - policy of Lib Dem coalition partners but aopted by Ccameron and successfully implemented

Question 35

Case study on Theresa May

Answer 35

He ruthless cabinet reshuffle in 2016 quickly stamped May’s authority especially the sacking of George Osborne as chancellor the exchequer and his replacement with her long-time ally. Philip Hammond Another of May’s key supporters, Amber Rudd, took over as home secretary

Put her personal prestige behind controversial commitment such as the reintroduction of grammar schools, allowing a free vote on fox hunting and repealing the HRA in favour of a British Bill of Rights

The decision to call a snap general election was not discussed in cabinet. Instead was taken by May with her trusted joint chiefs of staff. The Conservative manifesto was then drawn up by Downing Street with no input from the cabinet.

Significant constraints on her authority - had to balance her gov so that both Remain and Leave Conservatives were given important ministerial roles.

Poor campaigning in the 2017 election dramatically diminished her authority as she was personally associated with the gov low majority. This impacted her ability to command the loyalty in her cabinet, especially since Jeremy Corbyn had achieved a 9.6% swing to Labour

Lacking a parliamentary majority, and with a disunited party, May’s ambitions plate for more grammar schools, a free vote on fox hunting and the repeal of the Human Rights Act then had to be scrapped as the government instead had focus all of in energy on achieving Brexit.

As prime minister of a minority government. Theresa May aho had to rely o the support of the Democratic Unionist Party, which added new constraints her freedom of action.

Leaving the EU - difficulty of reconciling differing interpretations of Brexit became increasingly apparent. The resignations of David Davis as Brexit secretary and Boris Johnson as foreign secretary after the cabinet decision to pursue a softer Brexit, further exposed the divisions. Massive parliamentary defeats of her Brexit deal proposals in January and March 2019 further undermined her grip on power.

Under increasing pressure May announced in May 2019