Evaluate The View That Prime Ministers Are Able To Dominate The Cabinet.

Question 1

P1: Power of Patronage

Answer 1

1. That enhances their power and enables them to promote their policy priorities and agenda, removing poor performers, bringing in fresh talent and promoting ideological allies.
2. When Liz Truss, she removed important members of Johnson’s
   cabinet including Priti Patel, Nadine Dorries and Dominic Raab.
3. Loyalty played a big role in Starmer’s selection none are household names, helped him dominate the cabinet with very little leaking and no challenge to his leader despite a net favourability rating 40% in Feb 2025.
4. Sack ministers that undermine authority by breaking CMR. November 2023, Sunak sacked Suella Braverman as Home Secretary following a
   controversial opinion piece in the Times about the Metropolitan Police’s handling of pro Palestinian protests, accusing the police of “playing favourites” and describing protesters as “hate marchers. Her piece was published without being approved and reviewed by Downing Street

Question 2

P1: Patronage Against

Answer 2

1. Patronage shouldn’t be overstated, to maintain their authority they have to represent different factions.
2. Theresa May, for example, appointed a cabinet with a balance between Brexiteers
   (Boris Johnson and David Davis) and Remainers (Phillip Hammond and
   Jeremy Hunt).
3. Have to select key figures. TB power
   was significantly limited by his GB Blair had to concede a a lot of control.
   BG effectively denied TB his wish to join the European Single Currency, by devising 5 economic tests that would first have to be passed and insisting that the treasury would determine when they had been met.
4. When they are unpopular, CMR breaks down and cannot control key figures.
   5.BJ consistently leaked his dissatisfaction with government policy and briefed against the Prime
   Minister, including writing critical weekly articles in the Daily Telegraph. TM could not sack him because he was too popular.

Question 3

P2: They can bypass the cabinet

Answer 3

1. TB, GB negotiated with each other to determine economic policy, whilst B often used bi-lateral meetings with important ministers to
   determine policy on a particular area. ‘sofa government.’
2. TM used the committee on exiting the European Union to make important decisions on Brexit, whilst Boris Johnson used the COVID-19 Strategy committee to
   make key decisions on COVID restrictions, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove having particular power within it.

Question 4

P2: Bypass cabinet SPADs

Answer 4

1. Special Advisors. JM had just 8 special advisors, but by 2005 TB had thirty.
2. Despite being unelected, special advisor Dominic Cummings held a very significant amount of power in Boris Johnson’s government, arguably far more than any cabinet minister or
   other member of government.
3. BJ even took a significant hit to his government’s popularity to defend
   Cummings after he broke COVID rules by driving from London to Barnard Castle.
4. By the end of the summer of 2024, Starmer had already appointed over 20 special advisers
   working for number 10 and over 80 working across government.
   A key advisor of Starmer is his Chief of Staff and long-term ally Morgan McSweeney, who reportedly has a great deal of power in government and its policy programme,
   despite being unelected.

Question 5

P2: Cannot bypass the government

Answer 5

1. The UK Government operates under a core-executive model where power is very fragmented
   and the Prime Minister can’t control all of government policy.
2. When Theresa May was seeking to introduce a Brexit deal, the hardline Brexiteers in her
   cabinet (as well as the DUP and the fact she lacked a majority), including Boris Johnson,
   had a lot of influence due to their support among the party and forced Theresa May to a harder Brexit deal.
3. Sunak gave significant control to both Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Foreign Secretary David
   Cameron. Cameron led the UK in peace negotiations on the Israel-Palestine conflict and the
   coordinated UK-US response to Houthi attacks in Yemen.
   Hunt announced key economic policies himself, rather than the PM doing so beforehand
   in the media. For example, he announced the National Insurance tax cut in the 2023
   Autumn Statement.
4. Especially important with coalitions. David Cameron had to consult key members of his cabinet,
   particularly Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg.

Question 6

P3: PM can develop personal popularity to drive through policy.

Answer 6

1. This is linked to Michael Foley’s concept of ‘Spatial Leadership’ that suggests that Prime
   Ministers are becoming more like US presidents by distancing themselves from the party
   and government for which they are responsible.
2. In the 2019 election, for example, Boris Johnson distanced himself from the Conservative
   Party that had been in power for 9 years and sought to present himself as offering the
   electorate a change, including a move away from austerity. This allowed him to win the Red Wall.
3. Tony Blair was very successful in courting support from the right-wing press and
   developing his personal image. Due to his very high popularity at the start of his
   premiership, he was able to determine a lot of government policy himself, for example in
   health and education, where there was a lot of centralised control.

Question 7

P3: Still ultimately rely on the party.

Answer 7

1. The 3 Conservative Party Prime Ministers - May, Johnson and Truss - were ultimately
   removed by their cabinets and the wider Conservative Party after becoming unpopular.
2. For example, Margaret Thatcher was ultimately removed by her cabinet despite her big
   majority. This was in part due to her pursuing the Poll Tax in 1989/90 despite opposition
   from all sides, including within her own party, and without consulting local authorities fully.