Evaluate the extent to which prime ministers are able to dominate their Cabinets. Flashcards
Introduction - Themes
- Advisors
- Public Support
- Collective Cabinet Responsibility
Introduction - Argument
Professor George Jones theorised the ‘Elastic Band Theory’ - the Prime Mnister’s power can only go so far before it springs back and is once again held in the Cabinet. Therefore, the ability of the PM to dominate their Cabinet fluctuates depending on the PM’s overall popularity
Dominate - Advisors - Point
The Prime Minister has unelected SPADs which are special advisors, completely separate to the Cabinet. These people often have massive influence on the Prime Minister and are often close personal friends
Dominate - Advisors - Examples
- Johnson brought many SPADs in from his Vote Leave campaign. Most noteable was Dominic Cummings as his Special Advisor, his control over SPADs in other departments led to the resignation of Sajid Javid as Chancellor
- Theresa May was heavily criticised for her reliance on Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy. It was reported that they acted ‘more like DPMs than unelected advisors’
Subordinate - Advisors - Point
The use of SPADs is highly controversial and as a PM loses popularity their influence decreases. Moreover, Ministers have the civil service at their disposal something which the PM does not have
Subordinate - Advisors - Examples
- After May lost her majority in 2017 her party demaded she relinquished Hill and Timothy, which due to her precarious position, she did. After forcing the resignation of Javid, Dominic Cummings was forced to resign
- Suella Braverman as Home Secretary has 30,000 civil servants, while Rishi Sunak at Number 10 has under 100
Dominate - Public Support - Point
If a Prime Minister has media and public support, it is often difficult for the Cabinet to object to the dominance of the Prime Minister
Domainate - Public Support - Examples
- When Boris Johnson won an 80 seat majority, he was incredibly powerful in the Cabinet. In his first speech, he made references to North Korea illustrating he was planning to dominate
- Johnson was able to fill his Cabinet with strong Brexiteers and political allies. Initially, Dominic Raab was Foreign Secretary and Priti Patel, Home Secretary
Subordinate - Public Support - Point
As public support for Johnson plummeted his Cabinet was a key part of his removal from power. As a result, a PM can only dominate their Cabinet if they are popular with the public and the party
Subordinate - Public Support - Examples
- On 3 July 2022, just days before Johnson resigned, the YouGov opinion polls spiked. 71% of adults felt he was performing badly compared to just 23% thinking he was performing well
- As his approval ratings plummeted Johnson’s cabinet began to turn, on 5 July, Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak resigned, over the next few days 57 Tory ministers followed
Domainte - CCR - Point
Due to the doctrine of Collective Cabinet Responsibility, the Cabinet have to present a united front around policy, even if it is incredibly unpopular
Domainte - CCR - Examples
- Rishi Sunak’s new Illegal Immigration Bill has been incredibly controversial, but due to the doctrine of CCR, Cabient ministers have been unable to vote against it. It passed the second reading 312-250
- The Windsor Framework is causing serious uproar in Northern Ireland, Rishi Sunak has been able to push it through Parliament, winning the recent vote 515 to 29
Subordinate - CCR - Point
It is incorrect to assume that the Cabinet because of CCR will always support the Prime Minister’s direction. There have been suspensions, and Ministers have spoken out regardless of the doctrine
Subordinate - CCR - Examples
- During the 2016 Brexit referendum, CCR was suspended. This meant that evident divisions within the Cabinet were shown. David Cameron was an avid ‘remainer,’ while his Minister of Justice, Michael Gove campaigned against him as a Brexiteer
- Suella Braverman was forced to resign from Cabinet under Liz Truss, she wrote and published a damaging letter criticising Truss and her policies, breaking CCR
