examples - the executive Flashcards
Johnson chose Richard Sharp, a Tory sympathiser who has organised him a loan, as BBC chair in 2021 - he subequently resigned in 2023
example of PM having power over public appointments, sometimes unconstrained
Johnson wanted an election to get a parliamentary majority to get Brexit done almost as soon as he took over from May in summer 2019 but Labour refused to give support until December
the affect of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011-2021 on the PM’s ability to call an early election
- Thatcher with the Falklands 1992
- Blair with Kosovo 1999, Sierra Leone 2000 and Iraq 2003
examples of the PM exercising their prerogative powers over foreign policy
in 2013, Cameron let parliament vote on a potential air strike against the Syrian government after they had used chemical weapons in the civil war. Labour and some Conservatives and Liberal Democrats voted against so he couldn’t obtain approval. he respected the decision, viewing it as also representing the general consensus of the public
evidence of the PM not exercising their royal prerogative powers and instead listening to the wishes of parliament, who ultimately made the decision
another vote on action in Syria in 2015 was successful
showed the vulnerability of his position, especially in coalirion government - this affected his ability to exercise his prime ministerial powers
Johnson appointed only pro-Brexit MPs to cabinet
not diverse but allowed him to have greater control over cabinet
- Geoffery Howe resigned from Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet in 1989 aver her increasingly eurosceptic views
- Robin Cooke and Claire Short resigned from Blair’s cabinet in 2003 over the Iraq war
it’s rare for the cabinet to seriously question a prime ministerial initiative, if they do they will resign
May lost 11 ministers in 18 months (November 2017 - May 2019), mostly over Brexit
example of cabinet resignations that were disastrous as it weakened her authority and control over cabinet and lead to her eventual resignation
March 2017 - Philip Hammond’s proposal to increase national insurance for the self-employed was resisted by all opposition parties and some Tory rebels so was dropped as a policy
shows a budget which is the formal acceptance of government was not fully accepted and shows the limits to the chancellor’s power of policy and legislation
May’s diverse cabinet on Brexit failed due to her struggling to control it and come up with an accepted deal
shows PM’s weakness in legislating and settling policy and the power of cabinet over the PM
how was Thatcher removed in 1990
by a leadership contest that was encouraged by her cabinet
how were Tony Blair 2007 and Theresa May 2019 removed
by public scrutiny encouraged by cabinet
Cameron in 2015 was forced by his cabinet to suspend collective responsibility in the EU referendum in order to start their individual campaigns
example of a time the cabinet to overided a PM by summoning enough political will and coming up with an alternative policy, shows they can decide on government policy
the the July 2007 London Terrorist attacks Blair called cabinet for an emergency meeting
example of an emergency cabinet meeting, one of their roles is to deal with crises
Thatcher called her cabinet before sending troops to the Falklands and Blair called his before action in Iraq
examples of those with royal prerogative powers still consulting their cabinet before deciding fully on foreign policy decisions
Johnson would make decisions in Covid over WhatsApp chats that could be deleted
growth of more informal meeting style which also excludes much of the cabinet
removal of Thatcher in 1990, May in 2019 and Johnson in 2022 resulted from what
ministerial resignations, exercising their role of supporting and removing the PM
Tony Blair held a vote in parliament over action in Iraq 2003
made it clear he didn’t need to but got their approval to legitimise his decision
in 2020, Johnson signed the EU ‘divorce treaty’
the PM exercising their royal prerogative powers to make foreign treaties, on his own
Tony Blair’s ‘sofa government’ allowed him to convince minister’s of his way of thinking
meant less decisions in his government were made in cabinet and often decided beforehand - furthers the idea that cabinet is just a ‘rubber stamp’
Johnson resigned from May’s cabinet as foreign secretary in 2018 over her ‘soft Brexit’
shows ministers dropping collective responsibility in public, lead to May’s eventual resignation, very damaging to her
Cameron chose Osborne as his chancellor in 2010
example of a PM appointing close allies to cabinet
- Johnson appointed Priti Patel to cabinet to represent the right wing
- Blair chose Prescott to be his deputy PM to appease left wingers in his party
examples of a PM appointing ministers who can represent a particular section of their party
Cameron appointed Oliver Letwin to the cabinet office for this administrative skills
example of a PM appointing based off potential and ability to run a department
