Executive Flashcards

Question

Who makes up the Executive?

Answer 1

1.PM appointed by monarch, head of executive 2.Ministers appointed by PM to a position of responsibility such as to lead a department within the executive. Ministers are split into a) top senior 22 (or so) who are members of the cabinet and b) junior ministers who assist cabinet ministers eg Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan has junior Ministers for Early years, Schools and Universities. 3.Civil servants (see next box) 4.Party advisers (Special party advisers known as SPADs)

Answer 2

Parliament, Commons or Lords

Answer 3

Usually around 120 20 top ministers in cabinet, 100+ junior ministers eg since 2019 116 in total consisting of 92 MPs and 24 peers

Answer 4

Nearly all unless very junior get an additional salary on top of their backbench MP one, or in case of peers, their allowance. They are sometimes known as ‘the payroll vote’ because gov’t could sack them from ministerial post if disloyal.

Answer 5

PEF Proposing legislation including Budget Executing carrying out government as specified by legislation Foreign affairs/national crises

Answer 6

Permenant - ie Permenant Secretary at Department of Education

Answer 7

Reflects that civil servants in the UK should not fear being sacked if they give advice to a Minister they do not like

Answer 8

PAN Permenant Anonymous Neutral

Answer 9

Be in the background whilst the Minister takes the blame and credit

Answer 10

non party political including not joining a political party. Civil servants are supposed to advise the Minister on policy only, not do their party political or campaigning work

Answer 11

The Cabinet Secretary is the top civil servant and some argue Cab Sec during Covid Simon Case should have controlled parties in Number 10 more strictly and that he is less ‘neutral’ than his predecessors.

Answer 12

They are increasingly being giving a temporary civil servant status

Answer 13

if they are seen as too powerful or excluding ministers

Answer 14

May’s top chief of staff SPADs Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, both ‘left’ conservatives on economic matters and starting the ‘levelling up’ agenda, were resented by ERG Ministers and sacked after the 2017 election. Johnsons Svengali Dominic Cummings (Barnard Castle fame) was considered to be his ‘brain’ and was the most controversial SPAD to date, sacked Nov 2020 due to COVID breaches and power struggle with Carrie Johnson, later to claim Johnson ‘unfit for office’. Sunak has deliberately uncontroversial SPAD chief of staff (Liam Booth-Smith).

Answer 15

Until 1649 1721-42 18th Century By 1800 By 1900 1979

Answer 16

Monarch has absolute power as head of executive

Answer 17

Sir Robert Walpole, first ‘PM’: When monarch’s ministers meet without the monarch they need a leader who unofficially becomes known as Prime Minister

Answer 18

when ministers meet they call themselves cabinet (office furniture). The conventions develop that they should be collectively responsible as a cabinet and individually responsible for what happens in their departments as ministers

Answer 19

gradually monarch has handed ‘royal prerogative powers’ to appoint ministers, declare war etc to Prime Minister and cabinet. Due to organic uncodified constitution the powers of PM and cabinet depend on conventions rather than being spelled out in statutes or other written docs.

Answer 20

modern civil service (PAN) in shape it is today

Answer 21

Thatcher has high profile SPAD Bernard Ingham as her Press Officer and number of SPADs increases from now on, leading to enlarged Downing Street and PM take over of what had been a tiny Department called Cabinet Office

Answer 22

a)Head of executive branch of government including Cabinet, de facto Head of State b)More broadly, national leader c)Party leader d)Leader of parliament These roles require different strengths: arguably the UK PM has a more difficult role than the US President

Answer 23

Party unity Experience Coalition Diversity

Answer 24

May tried to create party unity by including hard (Johnson) and soft (Rudd, Lidington) Brexiteers BUT Johnson felt strong enough to purge the soft Brexiteers, Brown relied on close ally Mandelson, Cameron close to Chancellor Osborne

Answer 25

Experienced ministers may improve policy making and also be dangerous to keep on backbenches eg Cameron included TWO former party leaders William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith BUT May removed experienced George Osborne Ability eg Sunak promoted from Chief Secretary to Chancellor of Ex 2020

Answer 26

Cameron made Lib Dem leader Clegg Deputy PM and allowed him say over 4 other Lib Dem appointments to cabinet

Answer 27

include Northerners (Prescott during New Labour years), women (Cameron increased proportion to nearly half), ethnic minority and so on

Answer 28

Until recently assumed that because fast action might be needed/or nat security implications, PM could commit troops without prior parl approval. Thatcher did this 1983 Falklands (after only consulting cabinet). Blair got a vote of parl approval for 2003 invasion Iraq but was clear that he did not need it. However, in part because subsequently found to have ‘misled’ Parl over Iraqi threat, subsequent PMs have modified their stance. 2013 Syrian gov’t used chemical weapons on rebels; Cameron asked Parl if they would approve air strikes, to his surprise he lost the vote and complied with their wishes.

Answer 29

Thatcher’s power increased because she had successfully fought off foreign invasion of Falklands, Brown hurt by 2008 financial crisis, May post 2016 referendum affected by its dominance– the need ‘to get Brexit done’ Johnson not suited to dealing with health emergency

Answer 30

MPPP Monarch, party, parliament, people

Answer 31

4 reasons why the MPs power can fluctuate

Answer 32

Monarch has delegated royal prerogative powers to PM such as to declare war, so PM is de facto Head of State. While Monarch would never interfere in selection of PM the fact has to go to palace after election for monarch to signal approval shows PM benefits from this public transfer of monarch’s trad authority. PM’s royal prerogative power to appoint including Ministers (also called patronage) then consolidates this power - Prerogative powers - PM becomes temporary head of the state when monarch delegates power to them - Monarch appoints PM - Inherits traditional authority

Answer 33

PM usually becomes PM because they are leader of largest party after election (Cameron 2010 and 15) or they become leader after largest party changes leader (Brown 07, May 2016, Johnson 2019, Truss 2022, Sunak 2022). If party united (Thatcher 1979-87) Blair (1997-2005) PM will have more power than when divided (May). - Leader of majority party - Elections only happen after Parliamentary vote of no confidence or resignation, or party votes of no confidence ○ 1990: Conservatives replaced Thatcher with John Major ○ 2019: Theresa May resigned, Boris Johnson took over - Allows PM to take lead in policy making

Answer 34

Parl shows approval not through any formal ceremony but approving PM’s budget or by not passing a vote of confidence. The larger the PM’s parl majority the more clear cut they should be PM: May had less authority in Parl after 2017 because she was seen to depend on DUP confidence and supply, Major re-asserted control over parl 1995 by winning leadership election he called (while staying PM) to silence Eurosceptic critic John Redwood. If PM has a lot of new MPs (Johnson 2019) in theory they should be more impressionable and easier to control than if lots of embittered old hands - Recognises PM authority to lead the government - Pass a budget - Parliament can only dismiss whole government through vote of no confidence - PM is leader of largest party in Parliament-> larger government majority, more power PM has - MPs in the governing party tend to support the PM 1995: John Major PM resigned as party leader but not PM, re-elected in subsequent leadership election, asserting his authority and power in Parliament

Answer 35

People demonstrate their approval by voting for PM’s party in an election, even if they do not vote directly for PM (as in USA). PM who has not ‘fought an election’ usually has less authority eg Brown 2007-10, Sunak now. In between elections PM will have more authority if high opinion poll rating leads MPs to believe ‘coattails effect’ eg most Tories from 2019 believed Johnson should stay as leader to help them win next election, only when partygate turned polls consistently negative they got rid. - People vote for alternative candidates + party-> partially impact who is chosen as PM - Problems only occur for PMs who take the position without a General election (people have no say) Opinion polls show how popular the PM is

Answer 36

Appoint Ministers and others Cabinet Chair Foreign policy leader and commander in chief Election Caller

Answer 37

Appoint Ministers (few constraints), Judges (Judicial Appointments Commission constrains), peers (H of L Appointments Commission constrains) other public posts like Chair BBC (EG controversy Johnson chose Richard Sharp, Tory sympathiser who had allegedly organised him a loan, subsequently resigned 2023)

Answer 38

set agenda, chair meeting, ‘sum up’, write minutes, organise cabinet committees

Answer 39

Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011-2021 (see Parl KO) constrained PM somewhat eg Johnson wanted election to get a majority to get Brexit done almost as soon as took over from May summer 2019 but Lab refused to give support until Dec). PM also has power to prorogue and recall Parl (controversial prorogation 2019).

Answer 40

- Monarch - Party - Parliament - People

Answer 41

Boris Johnson had a failed Parliamentary vote of no confidence, won and stayed PM - But resigned a month later (2019) May had one, resigned 7 months later (2022)

Answer 42

American Congress doesn't have the power to vote of no confidence, can only impeach if the President has done something illegal.

Answer 43

- Power to make important appointments to public offices - Those who aspire to be in high office tend to be loyal to person who has power - Disloyalty can lead to dismissal - PM= government ministers, peers, heads of various state bodies - Majority of MPs and peers in PM party tend to be loyal-> gives PM power and influence over party + PARLIAMENT

Answer 44

American president has less power in Congress + doesn't have power of patronage as if they appoint someone in a position, they no longer have a seat in congress/do not have a seat in congress

Answer 45

- Patronage ○ Appointing ministers ○ Appointing judges and peers ○ Granting other honours - Charing of Cabinet, including setting the agenda - Foreign policy leader - Commander in chief - Signing foreign treaties and international agreements - Ability to call an early general election if Parliament approves with a 2/3 majority or passes a vote of no confidence Power to recall parliament

Answer 46

Informal Powers: - Controlling and setting government policy - Controlling and setting legislative agenda - Economic leadership - Media focus and platform National leadership in times of crisis

Answer 47

Appoint Ministers (few constraints), Judges (Judicial Appointments Commission constrains), peers (H of L Appointments Commission constrains) other public posts like Chair BBC (EG controversy Johnson chose Richard Sharp, Tory sympathiser who had allegedly organised him a loan, subsequently resigned 2023) Cabinet chair – set agenda, chair meeting, ‘sum up’, write minutes, organise cabinet committees Foreign policy leader and commander in chief Election caller – Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011-2021 constrained PM somewhat eg Johnson wanted election to get a majority to get Brexit done almost as soon as took over from May summer 2019 but Lab refused to give support until Dec). PM also has power to prorogue and recall Parl (controversial prorogation 2019).

Answer 48

Parliament

Answer 49

USA: members of government don't have to be members of Parliament

Answer 50

5 junior ministers

Answer 51

£86,000 as MP + £86,000 as PM

Answer 52

a chief SPAD and top civil servant, Cabinet Secretary

Answer 53

Oval table- designed for easy discussion of around 22 people All people in the cabinet are ministers

Answer 54

Chris Wormald

Answer 55

Cabinet Secretary

Answer 56

Take minutes

Answer 57

Even if ministers disagree with bills, they have to publicly agree

Answer 58

- To be a member of cabinet you have to be a member of parliament US- do not have to be a member of congress

Answer 59

Decisions are made by the whole cabinet and all have to be approved to be official policy, not just the PM Power is based in convention, not really written down

Answer 60

US cabinet meet a couple ties a year, President doesn't have to listen to what they say, even if they have ministers and have a cabinet

Answer 61

Role of Cabinet Secretary (top civil servant in gov't) to help PM chair cabinet, prepare its docs and take minutes (official and secret, usually for 30 years)

Answer 62

- PM doesn't ask for votes at the end of an agenda item, but sums up what they think 'consensus' view is Cabinet ministers bound by convention

Answer 63

In emergencies PM may (if time) call the cabinet Ie July 2007 London terrorist attacks

Answer 64

Smaller group= COBRA - Used for emergencies - Senior government officials + other key figures

Answer 65

Cabinet helps PM formulate how to present policy to the party

Answer 66

Often at the end of the government business, PM has section called political cabinet - Then send the Cabinet Secretary out

Answer 67

- Political cabinet - Court of Appeal - Parliamentary timetable - Ratify official policy - Support PM (or remove them)

Answer 68

Final court of appeal in disputes between departmental ministers - Most common disputes are the ones about which minister gets the most money from the treasury

Answer 69

Settle parliamentary timetable issues

Answer 70

PM sets them up on certain subjects ie Education Bill, around 3-4 ministers to discuss in detail

Answer 71

Ratify official policy usually detail is decided in smaller cabinet committees or informally between PM and relevant cabinet minister

Answer 72

- Bad when PM use the formal meetings as no one takes minutes and doesn't follow tradition and policy (ie info is secretive, only released 30 years later, not to be compromised) (ie Blair, didn't like arguing, used to do one-on-one meetings-> lacked record as no one took notes) - Led Blair to misinform and leave out information, ie 2003 Iraq - Boris Johnson used Whatsapp to contact others like Matt Hancock to decide complicated things, sometimes leading to those being deleted, not available to all members of cabinet.

Answer 73

(ie Blair, didn't like arguing, used to do one-on-one meetings-> lacked record as no one took notes) - Led Blair to misinform and leave out information, ie 2003 Iraq - Boris Johnson used Whatsapp to contact others like Matt Hancock to decide complicated things, sometimes leading to those being deleted, not available to all members of cabinet.

Answer 74

Support PM, or remove him/her

Answer 75

Margret Thatcher- Ministers told her one by one they lost support Theresa May- Boris Jonson resigned as Cabinet secretary, but also lost vote of no confidence (just loss of support overall?) Boris Johnson- 6 minister resignations, but 62 MP resignations (loss of support overall)

Answer 76

Party unity Experience/Ability Diversity Coalition- Lib Dem + Conservative

Answer 77

- They may choose close political allies who have been guaranteed a post. For example, David Cameron chose George Osborne. - They may decide on a personal friend that they are close to. For example, Theresa May chose her university friend, Damien Green, to be her First Secretary of State. Truss chose Kwasi Kwarteng - There may be some individuals that are popular figures with the public and media. For example, Theresa May chose Boris Johnson as he was one of the big beasts who if outside the Cabinet might be a significant challenge to her authority.

Answer 78

- They may identify some individuals with potential and have the ability to manage a Department. For example, David Cameron chose Oliver Letwin to work in the Cabinet Office because of his skill as an administrator. - Some people might be bought into the government simply because they were seen as good at managing a department. For example, Theresa May chose Damian Hinds as Secretary of State for Education. - Some people are chosen because of their vast political experience. For example, David Cameron bought Kenneth Clark into the cabinet as Minister without Portfolio.

Answer 79

- They may choose an individual who can represent an important section of their Party. For example, Boris Johnson chose Priti Patel as a representative of the right-wing of the Conservative Party whilst Tony Blair made John Prescott Deputy Prime Minister to appease left-wingers in his party. - In addition to these considerations a Prime Minister might want to consider the descriptive representation of the Cabinet. This means that they appoint a Cabinet who represents the diversity of Britain. This may be in terms of factors such as ethnicity, religion and socio-economic background

Answer 80

Maybe PM have shuffles too often (NEG)

Answer 81

Chief executive Chief legislator Chief diplomat Chief government spokesman Party chief

Answer 82

- Makes decisions on behalf of the government - Takes charge in emergency situations ○ Tony Blair returned to London after 2005 bombings to chair the COBRA meetings - Can order military action Theresa May ordered UK air forced to bomb Syria after chemical attacks on civilians by the Syrian Government

Answer 83

- Legislation is largely based on the PMs decision (Government is dominant party in the Commons, PM is head of that party) 2019 GE-2021 prorogation: 59 bills received Royal Assent, 50 were government bills

Answer 84

- PM represents Britain internationally (ie G7, G20 meetings) 2021, Boris Johnson went to G7 meeting in Cornwall

Answer 85

- PM has role to sell the Government message to the population, especially prior to GE During COVID 19 Pandemic, Boris Johnson gave speeches from Downing street to update the nation on the pandemic + answer questions from the media and public

Answer 86

- PM remains head of the party Each yearly Party Conference, PM gives Keynote speech

Answer 87

- Royal prerogative powers - Powers that emerged through convention - Powers based on being the leader of the largest party - Individual personality and decisions

Answer 88

- Cannot be controlled by parliament or any other body - Mainly to wage war, make foreign treaties, to appoint ministers and other people to public office ○ Deploying Armed Forces: Theresa May used military force in Syria 2018 ○ Appointing Government Ministers: Boris Johnson appointed Liz Truss as Foreign Secretary in 2021 ○ The Power to Reorganise Government Departments: Theresa May created Department for Exiting the European Union, Boris Johnson disbanded it Appointing Peers to the House of Lords: Boris Johnson made Evgeny Lebedev a peer despite advice that he may be a security concern

Answer 89

PM is treated with deference by other Ministers, but traditionally was the 'Primus inter Pares' ('First among equals')

Answer 90

- Prime Minister normally has support of their party within the Houses of Parliament and across the country. Party is the largest in the House of Commons gives them a popular mandate from the people of Britain.

Answer 91

Some Prime Ministers can extend their power through the power their personalities.

Answer 92

Power of Patronage Power over cabinet, government and civil service Party Leadership and Parliament Power over Public policy and spending Power as figure on world stage

Answer 93

- PM appoints and dismisses government ministers - In charge of reshuffling cabinet, can promote and demote ministers (gives PM power as they need to stay loyal and hardworking for PM respect) - Also appoints senior civil servants, senior Bishops in CofE, Peers in the Lords THEREFORE people rely on the PM for career advancement

Answer 94

- They control the number and timing of Cabinet Meetings. - They control Cabinet Agendas and Minutes. - The control who speaks in Cabinet. - They decide on the make-up and structure of Cabinet Committees Decide broader makeup of government- ie how many ministers per government department

Answer 95

- Indisputable leader of a party - Authority over party members due to power of Patronage - Criticism of party leader= criticism of party, hurts the party as a whole 1990, Michael Heseltine ran against Margaret Thatcher for Conservative Party Leadership. He did not win the contest, which was eventually won by John Major after Thatcher resigned. However, in 1995, Michael Heseltine was appointed Deputy Prime Minister by Major, primarily because he was a serious threat to Major’s leadership.

Answer 96

- Head of the party with a majority or plurality in the House of Commons, also has power over the parliamentary agenda Responsible for drafting the Queen’s Speech presented at the State Opening of Parliament (formal announcement of the Government’s legislative agenda for the year.)

Answer 97

position as a leader of a G7 country, the Prime Minister has an authority that other politicians do not have.

Answer 98

Limits of Cabinet Limits of Parliament Motions of no Confidence Limits of Party Limits from their own abilities and performance Limits by events

Answer 99

- Cabinet cannot formally remove the PM, but is a check on the PM - Cabinet includes major figures of the party, usually rivals of the PM - Not including major figures makes them, seem like an outsider and alternative leader, maybe better than the PM ○ 1990, Michael Heseltine ran against Margaret Thatcher for Conservative Party Leadership. He did not win the contest, which was eventually won by John Major after Thatcher resigned. However, in 1995, Michael Heseltine was appointed Deputy Prime Minister by Major, primarily because he was a serious threat to Major’s leadership. Prime Minister is not involved in the policy decisions within all of the Cabinet Committees he has created. This means that Government policy may be increasingly dominated by other members of the Cabinet.

Answer 100

- PM suffers defeats in Parliament Theresa May – Theresa May’s suffered the biggest debate in modern parliamentary history when her first Brexit Deal was defeated by 230 votes. David Cameron – One of David Cameron’s most prominent defeats in the House of Commons occurred in August 2013 when the House of Commons voted 286-272 against authorising the use of military force in Syria. Overall, David Cameron was defeated six times in the Commons between 2010 and 2015. Gordon Brown – Gordon Brown’s most significant defeat in the House of Commons occurred in April 2009 when the House of Commons voted 276-246 with a Liberal Democrat motion to allow more Gurkhas to stay in the UK. Overall, Gordon Brown lost three times in the Commons between 2007 and 2010. Tony Blair – Tony Blair’s most significant Commons defeat came when an attempt to be able to hold Terror Suspects for 90 days without trial was defeated by 322-291 votes. Overall, Tony Blair only lost four times in the Commons between 1997 and 2005.

Answer 101

- Prime Minister may have even be removed from their position by a Vote of No Confidence. It is a key principle of parliamentary democracies that the Government can only hold power if it can exhibit that it has the support of the elected Parliament. ○ 1979 vote of no confidence was entirely by party. This shows the importance to a Prime Minister of having a majority to protect their position: Theresa May – 16th January 2019 Survived by 325 to 206 John Major – 23rd July 1993 Survived by 339 to 229 Major called this Motion of No Confidence in himself. James Callaghan – 28th March 1979 Lost by 311-310 Although he started his term with a majority, this was reduced by several by-election losses. On the 28th March 1979 he lost a Vote of No Confidence by 311 votes to 310 votes.

Answer 102

- Rebellions by Backbench MPs weaken the Prime Minister’s authority and can, sometimes, lead to their removal. Boris Johnson – In December 2021 Boris Johnson suffered a rebellion by 99 Conservative MPs on his plan to introduce ‘Plan B’ COVID measures. Theresa May – In her record-breaking defeat by 230 votes on her first Brexit Deal a total of 118 Conservative MPs voted against it. David Cameron - David Cameron’s biggest Backbench Rebellion came in October 2012. 53 Tory MPs, led by Mark Reckless, joined with Labour to demand a real-terms cut in the EU budget. This was a major embarrassment to David Cameron. Gordon Brown - Towards the end of his premiership Gordon Brown suffered a number of damaging rebellions. Over the course of two and half years as Prime Minister 137 Labour MPs voted against him at least once. The most famous example was a loss on the rights of Gurkhas to settle in the UK. Tony Blair - The biggest rebellion that Tony Blair faced during his ten years in office was over the Iraq War. In February 2003 122 Labour MPs said that the UK did not have a case for war in Iraq. Despite this, the House of Commons overall voted in favour of military action. John Major - John Major faced a number of Backbench Rebellions, most notably over the issue of Britain’s relationship with the EU. In 1995 he even resigned as Leader of the Conservative Party and ran in a leadership contest. He famously said “now put up, or shut up” to his rivals. The biggest rebels came over

Answer 103

Gordon Brown struggled to engage effectively with the media, especially when compared with his predecessor Tony Blair.

Answer 104

- Factors PM cannot control ○ In December 2019 Boris Johnson won an election with an 80-seat majority, the largest majority since 2001. His showpiece Brexit deal soon passed the House of Commons by 358-254 and then passed the Lords without amendment, confounding those who said that his hard-line approach to Brexit would not work. The furore over the prorogation of Parliament felt a long time ago and the political stage was set for him to begin a wide-ranging agenda. However, just three months later, he was beset by the social, political and economical challenges bought by COVID-19. It was amazing that his whole premiership will likely be defined by a global pandemic that started thousands of miles away in China . Perhaps no political event in History better encapsulates Macmillan’s “events dear boy, events”.

Answer 105

- Recent growth in Downing Street a term given for the resources available to the Prime Minister in doing their job, most of which are not available to the Leader of the Opposition.

Answer 106

A huge number of Special Advisors - A 171% growth in the Government since 1997. A Director of Communications – A figure responsible solely for how the Government appears and how it is portrayed in the media. A Policy Unit – This was founded by Harold Wilson in 1974 and has grown in size and scope since. A dedicated team of Civil Servants – These include the Cabinet Secretary and the Permanent Secretary. The Cabinet Office has over 2,000 staff.

Answer 107

23 members Prime Minister – Boris Johnson Deputy Prime Minister/Justice Secretary – Dominic Raab Chancellor of the Exchequer – Rishi Sunak Home Secretary – Priti Patel Foreign Secretary – Elizabeth Truss Defence Secretary – Ben Wallace Secretary of State for Levelling Up, House and Communities – Michael Gove Health Secretary – Sajid Javid Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – Steve Barclay Business Secretary – Kwasi Kwarteng Minister for the Cabinet Office – Alok Sharma Secretary of State for International Trade – Anne-Marie Trevelyan Secretary of State for Work and Pensions – Therese Coffey Education Secretary – Nadhim Zahawi Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – George Eustice Transport Secretary – Grant Shapps Northern Ireland Secretary – Brandon Lewis Scotland Secretary – Alister Jack Welsh Secretary – Simon Hart Leader of the House of Lords – Baroness Evans Secretary of State for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport – Nadine Dorris Chairman of the Conservative Party – Oliver Dowden Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities – Jacob Rees-Mogg

Answer 108

Government Chief Whip – Chris Heaton-Harris Chief Secretary to the Treasury – Simon Clarke Leader of the House of Commons – Mark Spencer Minister for the Cabinet Office – Michael Ellis Attorney-General – Suella Braverman Minister of State for Crime and Policing – Kit Malthouse Minister of State without Portfolio – Nigel Adams Minister of State for Universities – Michelle Donelan

Answer 109

Commons or Lords

Answer 110

- Can be vacant - Not a line of succession unlike the US - Vacancies between: * 1963-1979 * 1990-1195 * 2007-2010 * 2015-2021 Next most senior minister after PM= First secretary of state

Answer 111

- Women were 24% compared to 51% of people nationally. - BAME MPs were 18% compared to 14% nationally. Privately educated MPs made up 64% compared to 7% nationally (including four Old Etonians).

Answer 112

- PM regularly reshuffles cabinet - Appoint and remove members and move ministers to different jobs - Averagely every 2 years

Answer 113

- A vacancy in the Cabinet - Attempt to change the direction of Government Policy. - Make sure that the Prime Minister has the best possible team in place - Remove Ministers who are underperforming - To promote ministers or bring in new ministers to government.

Answer 114

- Cabinet Ministers may be sacked, they may resign or occasionally they might die. ○ Gavin Williamson was sacked as Education Secretary in September 2021. Amber Rudd resigned as Work and Pensions Secretary in September 2019

Answer 115

- moving key figures in Government, different emphasis can be placed on different policies. For example, in July 2014 Michael Gove was removed as Education Secretary after continually upsetting teaching unions.

Answer 116

- A Prime Minister wants to promote allies and also ensure the big characters in their party have important roles in the Cabinet In June 2017 Theresa May surprisingly bought Michael Gove back into the Cabinet as the Environment Secretary. This was because as an outspoken Brexiteer, he was a dangerous character to have outside of the Cabinet.

Answer 117

- A Cabinet Reshuffle is a good way to get rid of failing ministers under the cover of a change they could claim was happening anyway. Gavin Williamson had overseen a number of mishaps in his Department, including the ALevel results catastrophe in August 2020 and perceived failures over COVID-19. Despite widespread criticism he did not resign. Finally, in September 2021, Boris Johnson decided that his position was simply no longer tenable and removed him from the Cabinet.

Answer 118

In 2019 Rory Stewart was appointed to the Cabinet. Previously, he had been an Environment Minister and Prisons Minister and was seen to have done both successfully. He was considered a rising star in the party and this small reshuffle saw his talents rewarded.

Answer 119

- Rare for ministers to stay in post for a long enough to build up significant expertise. ○ Gordon Brown was Chancellor for 10 years before becoming Prime Minister whilst Theresa May was Home Secretary before ascending to the same position. However, these examples are very much the exception rather than the norm. Since 1997 the average tenure of a government minister in a particular post is just 2 years. This often means that just when they are building up confidence and expertise in a certain position, they find themselves being moved to an entirely new department.

Answer 120

- Decision making - Coordinating department - Forward planning

Answer 121

The Cabinet used to be the key decision-making mechanism in the Government. Despite a reduction in its importance, it remains a key decision-making, or at least decision-ratifying, machine.

Answer 122

The Cabinet has an important role in making sure that Government departments are working effectively together and giving out the same public message. As such, it is also important in resolving disputes between Ministers, especially when a dispute has become public knowledge.

Answer 123

The Cabinet provides an arena for discussing the direction of the Government

Answer 124

- National Security Council -> Considers National Security Issues and International Relations (Chaired by the Prime Minister) - Climate Action Implementation Committee -> Considers matters relating to the delivery of the COP26 targets and reaching Net Zero carbon emissions. - Economic Operations -> Considers the delivery of the Government’s economic priorities across the UK. - War cabinet during war

Answer 125

- Cabinet Committees and their membership are decided by the Prime Minister and are headed by either the Prime Minister or another Cabinet Minister. - Most have around five members. - Some Cabinet Committees are Permanent (IE Economy and Defence Cabinet Committees.) Others may be temporary, (ie Cabinet Committee for the 2012 London Olympics) Key decisions are now often made in Cabinet Committees, with the decision then passed up to the full Cabinet for distribution. This has increased the power of the Prime Minister over the Cabinet because the Prime Minister strictly controls both the creation and membership of the Committees.

Answer 126

Most senior member of civil service

Answer 127

- To support the Prime Minister as leader of the Government - To support the Cabinet in its implementation of policy To coordinate intelligence of security matters Sits on Cabinet Meetings and takes the Minutes of those meetings. The Cabinet Secretary will also often be used by the Prime Minister as an impartial arbitrator of political disagreements between Ministers.

Answer 128

This refers to informal meetings by Senior Members of the Cabinet. Such members might include the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary. The existence of an ‘Inner Cabinet’ enhances the control of the Prime Minister as they are able to keep powerful figures in the Cabinet under a close watch

Answer 129

Most Prime Ministers also have what is known as a ‘Kitchen Cabinet’. This group is made up of some Cabinet Members but also Special Advisors (SPADS). It provides an informal decision-making mechanism, the membership of which can be more tightly controlled by the Prime Minister. In this environment unelected officials can become powerful and even dominant.

Answer 130

The use of Cabinet Committees allows the Prime Minister to assert his personal authority over the policies of the Cabinet. Increasingly, in recent years there has also been a growth in Cabinet Sub-Committees.

Answer 131

Bilaterals are meetings between the Prime Minister and individual Secretaries of State. The increasing number of these in recent years has been criticised as being one of the reasons why government has become less transparent

Answer 132

- He operated what has been called a Sofa Government - This was where key decisions would be made by a small group of advisors, away from the rest of the Cabinet - Importantly, many of these figures were not elected, they were not accountable to anyone apart from Blair himself

Answer 133

- The personal authority and power of the Prime Minister alone had grown in contrast to the collective power of the Cabinet in preceding years - The Cabinet itself had become something of a ‘network’, with meetings being ceremonial more so than anything else - The real work tended to occur elsewhere, meaning that the Cabinet’s involvement in actual work tended to be minimal - There has been a shift in policy making functions to 10 Downing Street itself, therein extending Prime ministerial control and subverting any real Cabinet power - The Prime Minister still conducts much government business on a bilateral business, insofar as reaching agreements with ministers on policy, prior to meetings, and then presenting the decision to the full Cabinet

Answer 134

- 1996 to 7 : 38 - 2006 to 7 : 68 - 2020 to 21 : 113 - Some special advisors are nicknamed 'spin doctors - These term become increasingly common after Labours landslide 1997 election - The job of a Spin Doctor is to sell the message of the government and controll the message being given Ministers across the Government - They have become increasingly powerful in recent years - Eg. Allister Campbell seen as the founder of modern day 'Spin Doctoring'

Answer 135

- A Special Advisor (SPAD) is someone who is not elected and is also not a civil servant but who is appointed by a Minister to offer special advice - Special Advisors have two broad roles 1. To make the Government less reliant on the work of the Civil Service 2. To help the Prime Minister keep up-to-date with often far better staffed and resourced Government departments

Answer 136

- Alistair Campbell was accused of ‘sexing up’ the ‘Dodgy Dossier’ that was used to justify military action in Iraq - David Cameron hired former News of the World Editor, Andy Coulson, as his Director of Communication. Coulson was sentenced to 18 Months in Jail in 2014 for Phone Hacking whilst Editor of the News of the World Dominic Cummings was aa Special Advisor to Michael Gove between 2007 and 2014 and was the mastermind of several controversial policies and had a notoriously blunt way of dealing with government ministers

Answer 137

- It allows constant access to a source of advice from people that they know will be loyal and share their political sympathies - Unlike Civil Servants who have been chosen by someone else, Special Advisors are there because the Minister wants them to be - SPADs can offer political advice that Civil Servants are not allowed to do. - Eg. when creating a policy SPADs will be able to look at the electoral impact in a way that Civil Servants cannot - SPADs can offer a different perspective on issues to Civil Servants - In particular, Civil Servants are often more risk adverse than SPADs and SPADs can offer more radical approaches to issues The best SPADs can become subject experts and are retained within departments even when their Minister leaves.

Answer 138

- Hiring Special Advisors confers power to individuals who are not elected and are not appointed due to their experience, but due to the preferences of a particular Minister SPADs can therefore be of variable quality - Some Special Advisors became so powerful that they can even direct Government Ministers, including those in the Cabinet - Civil Servants are expected to uphold the Nolan Principles and the Civil Service code - The expectations on Special Advisors are much more subjective and down to the discretion of the individual minister Special Advisors can ‘go native’ and put the considerations of their own minister above all other considerations, at the wider detriment of the government

Answer 139

- The working habits of the Prime Minister - The personnel chosen to be part of the Cabinet, particularly in reference to their experience - The popularity of the governing party/parties as a whole - The policies put forward by the Government - The issues facing the Government (i.e. when issues of National Security emerge)

Answer 140

IMR is the first of two conventions underpinning the executive. Many say the absence of a codified constitution means the UK relies on the "good chaps" theory of government (and Johnson shows what happens when you have a "bad chap"). IMR can be split into two aspects. a) Ministerial responsibility for POLICY failures. b) Ministerial responsibility for PERSONAL failures.

Answer 141

IMR- (RESIGN) Previously been an unwritten convention, but there is still a lot of argument about whether minister do follow IMR and whether their behaviour is actually deteriorating.

Answer 142

Collective Cabinet responsibility is the second convention. It also splits into two parts. a) Cabinet should be collectively responsible in public, keeping cabinet discussions and divisions secret and resign if they cannot support the line. b) The whole cabinet is collectively responsible to parliament if it passes a vote of no confidence (such as in 1979). - All members of the government are expected to publicly support. If a minister cannot, then they should resign. Also shouldn't disclose contents of private ministerial discussions. If administration is defeated by a vote of no confidence, means all members of the government have to resign.

Answer 143

Ministers take credit and blame for Civil Servants - If their senior CS make a mistake, Ministers take responsibility and resign SCS are supposed to be anonymous, Ministers take the credit an the blame for their actions

Answer 144

Overall, the principles of IMR and CCR are important to the smooth, legitimate running of government, however Individual Ministerial Responsibility is not as respected as Collective Cabinet responsibility. This is became IMR seems to lack meaning to current governments, as Ministers increasingly are tending to wait for others to hold them accountable, like the PM or the media. This is amplified as it is written down in Blair's 1997 Ministerial Code of Conduct, suggesting it holds little meaning as Ministers do not respect a codified convention. Whereas CCR is more respected, even though it is less codified, as secrecy of cabinet meetings is largely respected, espeically when government is united,even if there is times where it can be taken away for certain issues, it is still essential to the smooth operation of government.

Answer 145

1982 Carrington - Resigned as foreign secretary from Thatcher Government after Argentina invasion of the Falklands - Because Foreign Office should have been more aware of Argentina's intentions and should've been clearer what the British government response would be Amber Rudd 2018 - Theresa May's Home Sec resigned when she admitted to misleading the Home Affairs Select Committee and House of Commons by stating there was no Home Office targets for removing illegal immigrants Could be argued her Civil Servants should've given her a better briefing

Answer 146

Gavin Williamson 2020 - Resigned as education secretary - Schools were required to provide GCSE and A Level candidates with centre assessed grades - Led to many a level students not achieving grades they required for uni - Williamson abandoned algorithm + pupils were given grades based on purely centre assessment - Chief regulator at Ofqual at the time resigned due to her responsibility in policy failure, but Williamson stayed in post until 2021 when Johnson dismissed him from government

Answer 147

Patel 2017 - Resigned as international development secretary in May's government - Series of unofficial meetings she had with Israeli ministers, including their PM, Benjamin Netanyahu - Failure to report meeting Hancock 2021 - Resigned as Health Secretary under Johnson's government - After the Sun leaked pictures kissing a colleague, showing disregard for social distancing regulations, despite being health sec Tulip Saddiq (2024) Louise Hague (2024)

Answer 148

And Patel 2020 - Cabinet office report stated she poorly treated Sir Philip Rutnam (permenant secretary at home office), by treating them with lack of respect and consideration Strong case for Patel to resign, but Johnson stated she had his full support and she didn't resign as home sec

Answer 149

Individual ministerial responsibility depends on PM being prepared to hold ministers properly accountable + not breaching the ministerial code of conduct themselves 'Good Chaps' theory: PM relied upon to act in appropriate fashion

Answer 150

○ Boris Johnson accused of misleading parliament in 2022 over attending Downing Street parties in defiance of govt own COVID-19 ○ Senior civil servant Sue Gray accused No10 if 'failures and leadership and judgement' ○ Johnson revised the ministerial code by removing 'integrity, objectivity, accountability' and stated that it would be 'disproportionate to expect that any breach, however minor, should lead automatically to resignation or dismissal' ○ June 2022- 41% called upon Johnson to step down as MP, he stayed until 62/179 ministers resigned, then he stepped down Effective operation of individual ministerial responsibility is therefore dependant on the PMs conduct

Answer 151

March 1979- James Callaghan lost vote of no confidence 311 to 310, meaning whole Labour government resigned + sudden GE occurred

Answer 152

- Requires discussion within cabinet must be kept secret to maintain government's integrity - Members of government must support agreed policies, even if in private they are highly critical of them- maintains unity of the government. (politically, unity= strength-> collective ministerial responsibility is fundamental to government survival) If ministers cannot publicly agree with government policy or the way government is run, they can only resign and return to backbenches. Can impact the authority of the PM

Answer 153

Geoffery Howe, leader of House of Commons and deputy PM, 1990 - Pro Europe, resigned due to increasingly Eurosceptic Margret Thatcher - Prompted leadership challenge of Michael Heseltine - By end of November, Thatcher forced out of office Boris Johnson, foreign secretary, 2018 - Resigned from May due to being unable to support her Chequers Agreement as a basis for an EU withdrawal agreement - Felt he couldn't hold collective ministerial responsibility under her, mentioning it in his resignation letter Rishi Sunak (Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Sajid Javid (health secretary), 2022 - Chris Pincher (deputy chief whip) resigned over allegations he sexually assaulted 2 men - When it became clear Johnson was aware of previous complaints, Sunak and Javid immediately resigned - Sunak's resignation letter focused on economic policy difference with the PM - Javid focused on PMs 'lack of integrity' and failure to instil 'strong values' Johnson announced his resignation 2 days later

Answer 154

Ministers can choose to remain in government whilst making indiscreet criticisms of it PM can acknowledge that it's impossible to achieve collective ministerial responsibility-> convention is suspended, ministers are allowed to publicly disagree with one another

Answer 155

○ John Major: didn't trust several Eurosceptic members of his cabinet, whom he rightly believed were briefing press against him, behind is back ○ 1974: 3 members of the Harold Wilson government: Tony Benn, Judith Hard and Joan Lestor, backed resolution made by Labour's National Executive Council to condemn a government decision to agree to joint UK- South African naval exercises as a 'gross error'. Wilson reminded them of CMR, but they didn't resign. ○ 2010-2015: Vince Cable was Lib Dem business secretary in David Cameron's coalition government. Frequent criticism of Conservative colleagues + 2014 publicly criticised George Osbourne's cuts in public expenditure in autumn budget statement 2016-18: Boris Johnson in May's government, criticised government's developing EU policy.

Answer 156

○ Occurred during UK referendums on continued membership of the EEC (European Economic Committee, 1975) and EU (2016) ○ 1975: Harold Wilson (PM) allowed cabinet members to campaign in favour or against membership. 2 high profile figures said yes (Roy Jenkins) and no (Tony Benn) to membership, even debating the issue on TV ○ 2016: David Cameron made a similar concession, personally campaigning to Remain. He allowed Eurosceptic members of cabinet (ie Michael Gove + Chris Grayling, Iain Duncan Smith) to promote to leave, to avoid series of damaging resignations, even though the government policy was to remain ○ 2019: 13 ministers in Theresa May's government abstained on vote to stop 'no deal Brexit', even though government was committed to keeping 'no deal' as an option ○ 2024: Starmer on Assisted Dying, ie Wes Streeting opposed Lib Dem- Conservative coalition: Lib Dem ministers wanted to argue differently to Conservative ministers on some issues

Answer 157

Cabinet is more powerful than PM - Traditional model for 'correct' functioning of executive - Ensures all major decisions made by ministers are taken collectively by cabinet Primary check on unrestrained PM power

Answer 158

PM more powerful

Answer 159

- Cabinet government - PMs were less dominant within cabinet, ie Number 10 machine not big + hard to control what cabinet ministers were doing in their departments - PM were only 'premus inte pares' (first amongst equals)

Answer 160

- Made PMs more powerful - Peter Hennessy- say PMs became more powerful in a British Way ○ Number 10 machine got bigger, more N10 SPADS, controlling press officers like Alistair Campbell, scarier to ministers ○ PM used media to become more of a 'celebrity'- more PM air time, less air time for other prominent ministers ○ Blair's 'Sofa Government' - Mike Foley- say PM becomes more powerful in US way ie more presidential ○ Makes N10 bigger ○ Distanced themselves from party to appear more statespersonlike (like US president) PM uses media to become like a 'celebrity'

Answer 161

- Nick Clegg- right wing Lib Deb - David Cameron- One nation Conservative Lots of common ground

Answer 162

○ compromise on both parties election manifestos ○ Accepted some policies from both ○ Lib Dem dropped some policies, Conservative dropped some policies (where they disagreed, but Lib Dem dropped more as Conservatives were politically stronger) ○ Suspended Collective Cabinet Responsibility on certain issues ie Lib Dem referendum on proportional representation ○ 4 Lib Dem cabinet ministers, 18 Conservative cabinet ministers, lots more Lib Dem junior ministers (Cameron gave Clegg power to appoint) Nick Clegg took Deputy PM, not much tangible power

Answer 163

Cameron manipulated Lib Dems + their support enabled him to ignore his far right Eurosceptic faction Cameron + George Osbourne met with Clegg and Douglas Alexander (Cameron still kept most of his power through bullying)

Answer 164

Conservative Majority - Should've seen a return to PM govt - Large Eurosceptic wing + EU referendum, which he suspended CCR for (gave power to minister voices, not to PM)- lack of PM government

Answer 165

May PM of divided party (Brexit) - Lost small overall majority in 2017 becoming a minority government - Used support of DUP - Weak MP (Cabinet Government return) - Leaks- forced to take mob phones away from ministers at an awayday at Chequers - Resignations designed to wound/damage (Johnson CCR resignation as Foreign sec 2018)

Answer 166

Johnson premiership Increased majority in 2019 election PM govt back? - Dominic Cummings made N10 more powerful - Johnson purged Tories who didn't agree with him from cabinet BUT Johnson was a shopping trolley in cummings words, Cummings got himself fired - N10 was too chaotic - Carrie Johnson + Cummings had beef- caused tension in N10, caused it to not run smoothly Partygate made Johnson's opinion polls drop so low that cabinet realised they would be better off without him

Answer 167

Truss: shows Cabinet Government power - Told her to go after the MINI BUDGET failure

Answer 168

- Maybe played more safe, by the rules (ie Code of Conduct) - Said he would do lots of things ie bring inflation down, Rwanda bill-> but lacked actually doing anything Suella Braverman (Home Sec) : took ages for Sunak to sack her, even if he wanted to (too weak), didn't do much to implement recommendations of the grooming gang reports. Wanted to increase police powers to stop protests. Accused police of being softer on pro Palestinian protesters ('2 tier policing')

Answer 169

Power exercised without traditional decision making constraints on UK PMs + downplaying cabinet role to 'sofa government' Intense media + public attention to 1 person Increasing use of SPADS over ministers and civil servants, more personal leadership, pronounced during election campaigns Could be described as preference to personal decision making, typified by informal 1-1 discussions rather than properly structured and recorded meetings

Answer 170

David Cameron 2010-16 - Coalition Lib Dem Conservative Nick clegg + 4 Lib Dem ministers Challenge to keep cabinet together during austerity - Meeting were longer, more deliberative, critical decisions from cabinet engagement The Quad - Inner cabinet of Cameron, George Osbourne (cons chancellor), Nick clegg and Danny Alexander - All major decisions pass through sub committee before cabinet Coalition limited Cameron's power first term But it worked to his advantage - Cameron lost 6 votes in commons over 5 years, strength of coalition government

Answer 171

No coalition, tory infighting and defection son Brexit referendum, weakening power

Answer 172

Slim majority - Weakened her - Accused of running presidential style campaign Lost 33 votes in parliament from 2017-19 Couldn't command support of backbenchers, particularly Brexiteers MPs - Attempted to have more Brexiteers in Cabinet like Johnson to control them under CCR Appointed civil servant to lead Brexit negotiations (Olly Robbins) - Left official Brexit Secretary David Davis out - His resignation after seeing final draft of her withdrawal agreement showed her weakenss (especially aftere Khonsons resignation Confidence vote December 2018 - 200 to 117 (survived) - lOst support of most of her backbenchers - Months later announced resignation

Answer 173

Called snap election after inheriting minority government in December 2019 - Won 80 seat majority Get Brexit Done election campaign led to winning 'red wall' working class northern voters, felt Labour party no longer spoke for the working class northern voters Large Majority, unites party , positive media image, established power increases Dominic Cummings - Expanded N10 operations, centralising government, mandating SPADS to report directly to him - Powers grew over COVID, amassed unprecedented powers Early 2020, Chancellor Sajid Javid refused to sack his advisers to be replaced with Cummings' team, Javid resigned in protest - Many Senior civil servants replaced with political appointees, undermining impartiality - COMPARED to white house, with more personal control over government agenda

Answer 174

Partygate - Media revelations exposed partying in N10 with SPADS and civil servants during COVID lockdowns - Police investigation led by Civil servant Sue Gray, contributing to erosion of Johnson's ability to exercise his power Lost 41% in confidence vote, lost trust of parliamentary party + backbenchers