PM and Cabinet

Question 1

What Must a Prime Minister Command to pass Legislation

Answer 1

A Majority in Parlaiment

Question 2

Can PM put Politices into Action?

Give an Example of a Manifesto Promise

Answer 2

2017 Conservatives promise working parents of 3 and 4 year olds 30hours free child care a week intead of 15

• Only those earning less than 100k would be eligible
• Scheme in Operation by September 2017

Question 3

Can PM put policies into Action?

Outcome of Referendums

Answer 3

Brexit: 2016 election - leave wins 52% - 48%

• Cameron Resigns - May takes over
• May believes it is her democratic duty but hard to implement policy she herself doesn’t agree with

Question 4

Can PM put policies into Action?

Personal Convictions of PM:

Answer 4

Margaret Thatcher had strong pre-existing ideas
-Property-owning Democracy

• Council house tenants given ‘Right to Buy’ (Housing Act 1980) which allowed them to buy houses at a lower rate from councils
• 1981 - England and Wales had 5.4m households in social housing - by 1991, only 4.5m

Question 5

Can PM put policies into Action?

Results of Deals with other Parties

Answer 5

Coaltion (2010) produces hung parliament leads to comprimise between manifestos

• Lib Dems want referendum on voting systems - Propsed FPTP - AV
• Comms don’t want this (AV benfits larger parties) so don’t publicise
• Turnout of 41% = 67.9% Against - 32.1% For

Question 6

Can the PM put policies into Action

Response to Emergencies:

Answer 6

Coronovirus means Govt had to act clearly and swiftly

• Temp set up of field hospitals ‘Nightingale Hospital’
• Coronovirus Act (2020) passed issuing penalties to those who broke restricitons

Question 7

Can the PM put policies into Action?

Mounting Pressure from public/Media

Answer 7

Campaign for Climate Change

• Extinction Rebellion use Direct Action
• Greta calls on climate strikes

Effect on Govt - 2019 pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050

Question 8

Can the PM put policies into action?

Changing Social/Cultural Attitudes

Answer 8

Change policies to seem more ‘in touch’

• ‘Swinging Sixties’ perfect example of rapid social change
• Harold Wilson’s Labour Govt made laws reflecting this
• ‘Divorce Reform Act’ (1969)
• Decriminalises Male Homsexuality

Question 9

Give four uses of the Executive Branch of Government

Answer 9

1) To Make Policy Decisions
2) To Pass Legislation
3) To Control the Countries’ Financing
4) To be the First Responder in a crisis

Question 10

Factors that Increase the PM’s Power

Answer 10

• Developed Stronger International Role - PM now represents Britian at G7 and EU meetings
• Increase in Spads loyal to PM who exert authortiy over departments
• PMs from Wilson Onward have gradually increased role of PM’s office and by 2000, staff exceeded 200
• Prerogative Power to Dismiss and Move ministers (Cabinet Reshuffles

Question 11

Factors that decrease the PM’s Power

Answer 11

• vote of no confidence
• Devolution -Key areas of policy such as health and education are now devolved to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments - UK prime minister has no power to intervene in these areas
• No Majoirty/ Coaliton - May loses seats after snap election
• Ministers resigning

Question 12

Poll Tax 1990

• What Happened?
• Role of PM
• Consequences

Answer 12

-Very Unpopular - Riots led to 100 injuries + 400 arrests

• “Thatcher’s biggest political misjudgement”
• Hard to collect as people could eaily move and costed a lot to administed
• Economy was weakining under Poll Tax
• Sparked a leadership challenge against her by former cabinet minister Michael Heseltine
• Persuaded to step down instead of losing again in second Ballot
• John Major replaced it with Council Tax

Question 13

The Decision to Invade Iraq (2003) - 9/11 context

• What Happened
• Role of PM
• Consequences

Answer 13

• Blair said they had to removed WMDs in Iraq
• Military victory was striaghtforward but no creation of stable state - Bloody civil war and future IS.
• Blair wanted to strengthen rleaitonship with Bush
• No pressure in Cabinet - very solo decision
• Blair was left without much, or any, political or diplomatic cover, especially when the non-existence of WMDs emerged
• Highly Critical of ‘Sofa Govt’
• Influential for resignaiton in 2007

Question 14

Decision to Call an Early Election (2017)

• What Happened
• Role of PM
• Consequences

Answer 14

• May calls for Snap Election
• The motives behind this are best understood as a mixture of capitalising on perceived political advantage and enabling her Brexit strategy to be successfully implemented.
• May wanted her own mandate to get Britain out of the EU
• The conservatives lost seats rather than gaining them, forfeiting their overall majority in parliament.
• Creating a very weak government

Question 15

What must you be to become a Cabinet Minister

Answer 15

A Member of Parliament

Question 16

How Many extra Cabinet Ministers did David Cameron Have?

Answer 16

10 in 2012

-May had 5 extra in 2017

Question 17

How Many Women Cabinet Ministers did Theresa May have?

Answer 17

8 - equalling the record set by Tony Blain in 2006

Question 18

What was very important in the Con-Lib coalition and why?

Answer 18

Cabinet Committees as they helped to present an united front

Question 19

Give 3 Informal Powers of the Prime Minister

Answer 19

Personal and Political Power:

• Momentumn that comes from leading their party to power in an election
• Effective mangement of ministers and backbenchers
• Personal qualities like charm and charisma

Question 20

Give 3 formal powers of the Prime Minister

Answer 20

• Appointing and dismmissing ministers (cabinet reshuffles) -Johnson in 2019 removes 11 ministers and a further 6 refuse to serve
• Changing weekly meetings of the Cabinet and setting the agenda
• Issuing honours such as life peerages

Question 21

Give 3 Cabinet Committees

Answer 21

• National Space Council
• Covid-19 Strategy
• EU Exit Strategy

Question 22

Give 3 ways in Which Cabinet Ministers an be seen to have more power than the PM

Answer 22

• They have large degree of control over their own departments - Pretti Patel overseeing immigration policy
• They have their own links to press and can ‘leak’ info - Gavin Williamson sacked for leaking information from a National Security meeting
• If they are powerful enough, they can refuse to move positions in a Cabinet Reshuffle

Question 23

Give three conventions of Collective Ministerial Responsibility

Answer 23

Discussions in government should be kept secret
Decisions made in government are binding on all ministers
PM Authority - Blair selecting 8 women on cab

Question 24

Give three strains on Collective Ministerial Responsibility

Answer 24

Leaks - unhappy ministers sometimes leak information or write about them in their memoirs - Gav Williamson leaking and getting fired

Dissent - Some ministers have openly opposed government policy and survived without resigning/being dismissed

PM Dominance - Cabinet ministers under Thatcher and Blair complained that CMR was undermined due to them ignoring the Cabinet.

Question 25

Give one example of why a Minister resigned

Answer 25

Priti Patel (when Int. Development Secretary): Theresa May forces Priti patel to resign after ‘unauthorised meetings” with Israelis including PM Netanyahu She was accused of breaching ministerial code In her resignation letter she says her actions “fell below the standards of transparency and openness that I have promoted and advocated”.

Question 26

Explain and Analyse three features of cabinet government - Cabinet Committees

Answer 26

1) Most decisions are made within Cabinet Committees 2) They were given great priority by Blair following his criticism of informal meetings 3) They were revived under the coaltion - May makes these simplier - 5 committees and 10 sub-committees

Question 27

Explain and analyse three arguments in support of the view that the cabinet remains an effective decision making body

Answer 27

1) Engage collecitve responsibility of Govt because they rasie Major policy decisions - Gav Williamson sacked for leaking social security secrets to press 2) Little intervention - If PM and Minister are in agreement, noone else can interfere and case unlikley to be re-opened. - sofa govt - 'Quad' - DC, NC 3) When Major issues require rapid decision making - 'Covid-19 Act 2020' 4) Can often work interdepartmentaly to get best results

Question 28

What are Prerogative Powers?

Answer 28

Prerogative Powers are powers once held by the monarch but are now in the hards of th Government

Question 29

Explain and Analyse 3 prerogative powers that the PM has.

Answer 29

1) The deployment of UK armed forces overseas - E.g. Blair deployment in Iraq - Negative Thatcher deployment in Falklands - Positive 2) The appointment and dismissal of ministers by the PM - E.g. PMs enoy unlimited choice over who joins and leaves - May had to balance between Remainers and Brexiteers 3) Issuing statements during national crisis and emergencies - 27m watched BJ's Covid - 19 breif

Question 30

Where are PMs permitted to chose ministers from?

Answer 30

From the House of Commons or Lords - Unlike in the US where the President can choose anyone

Question 31

Explain 3 reasons that explain how Prime Ministers select their cabinets

Answer 31

1) There must be a balance of ideas, so as to not alienate sections of the party 2) Particular gorups must be represented like females 3) It may be better to have opponents in the Cabinet, so they are bound by collective ministerial responsibility 4) PMs can only pick from the HOL or the HOC so options are limited