PM and his executive Flashcards
What is the origins of the PM role?
-never formally set up unlike US where it’s stated in the constitution
-First recognised holder was Robert Walpole until 1742(term PM wasn’t created yet)
-Walpole lost a vote of no confidence in parliament(convention that they must hold a majority in the Commons)
-Ministerial Code 1992 codified the duties + expectations of PM and govt ministers
How did PM Herbert Asquith describe the PM role?
one of those constitutional practices that rested ‘on usage, custom, convention..in the course of time received universal observance and respect’
How is the PM chosen?
-not chosen directly by the people–} under parliamentary system, they are the leader of majority party in Commons
(when there is no majority, they follow convention i.e May’s confidence and supply agreement with the DUP)
-conventionally must be an MP + monarch ‘invites’ them to form a govt
-PMs often leave office due to losing an election, health concerns(Harold Wilson in 1976), parliamentary pressure(May)
-sometimes a party chooses a PM i.e Liz Truss in Sep 22 after Johnson resigned due to partygate and the privileges committees’ ‘witch hunt’
What is primus inter pares?
‘first among equals’ = the PM is the head of cabinet but should govern in a collective manner
What is the core executive?
policy making network that incudes the PM, cabinet ministers, senior civil servants, cabinet committees and the cabinet office
Difference between ministers and civil servants
-ministers are largely elected whereas servants are appointed
-ministers are party members whereas servants are non partisan
-ministers are public figures whereas servants work in departments
-ministers run departments and servants have an advisory role
Key roles of the core executive
-policy making= decisions often at cabinet meetings/committees i.e introduce the Universal Credit system 2013(meant that there was only one benefit for working class households instead of 6 seperate ones, simplified welfare system) + civil service has role of implementing policies and running state day-to-day
-Passing legislation= major acts are discussed and approved as bills before parliamentary debates i.e domestic abuse act 2021= widen definition to emotional abuse/controlling, established DA commissioner etc
-Financing= making decisions on tax and govt spending(CHANCELLOR AND TREASURY) before announcing annual budget i.e autumn statement 2023 introducing more tax cuts and less public spending
-being first national responder= executive must quickly and efficiently put together emergency measures i.e COVID 19 required input from many departments(health, police and armed forces, education, Treasurer)
Nuance: Core executive blunder; The Post Office scandal
-have been almost 1,000 convictions in connection with the faulty Horizon IT programme and accusations of theft and false accounting
exposes the failings of the wider government:
-civil servants should look for patterns of complaints + keep an open mind when considering the credibility of accusations of malpractice
-ineffective communication between branches of core executive i.e department for business and trade
What is the royal prerogative?
powers that the monarch held that were conventionally transferred to the executive i.e calling an election, suspending parliament(codified in dissolution and calling of parliament act) and nominating Lords, deployment of armed forces(temporary convention under Blair to consult parliament first; Cameron’s Syria airstrikes defeat 285/272)
Key powers of the royal prerogative
-patronage powers
-deployment of UK armed forces overseas
-relations with international powers and international diplomacy
-making + ratifying treaties
-organisation + structure of the civil service(in charge of paying benefits/pensions, running prisons etc)
-issuing directives and statements during national crises and emergencies(Johnson issuing a lockdown in March 2020)
Executive power controlling the legislative agenda
-all policy statements have to be lawful to avoid ‘arbitrary govt’ i.e lockdown guidelines in Coronavirus act 2020
-can propose a referendum
-party whips make sure MPs vote along party lines
-have a mandate to carry out manifesto
Prerogative powers of the executive ARE significant
-PMs have unlimited choice over who joins and leaves govt and can select ministers without a democratic mandate for the Lords i.e Sunak appointing Cameron as a lord
-PM delivers broadcasts, speeches and messages to inform/reassure public in national crisis i.e estimated 27 mil people watched Johnson’s broadcast message about national lockdown
-UK govts are not formally required to seek parliamentary approval for deployment of armed forces in.e Jan 2024, military action against Houthi’s in Yemen
Prerogative powers ARE LESS significant
-PMs are constrained in choice of ministers, diversity + broad political spectrum i.e half leave half remain cabinet
-executive rely on parliament to pass relevant legislation anti-terror laws and opposition is quick to scrutinise
-powers can fluctuate i.e supreme court forced PM to submit any brexit deal before parliament, public + media opinion also restricvts PM
What are patronage powers + how effective are they?
(INSTITUTIONAL)
-Pms can fire and hire ministers at will without approval of anyone else(usually cabinet reshuffles)
-i.e May removed 15 ministers, Boris dismissed 11 senior ministers and declined 6, appointing ministers like Priti Patel + Sajid Javid; dubbed by the Sun as ‘the Night of Blond Knives’
:) powerful and largely unchecked
:( must be careful to maintain diversity i.e May’s half leave-half remain
may lead to backbench tensions
coalition govt brings constraints on power i.e Cameron effectively ceded power over 5 cabinet ranking posts to the Lib Dems
Authority over the cabinet + effectiveness
INSTITUTIONAL
-dictate when and where it meets i.e Sunderland in Jan 2020 in recognition of it being the first ‘Leave’ result
-chairs weekly meetings
-ministers are bound by collective responsibility= required to support cabinet decisions
-can structure cabinet committees at a whim to reduce burden of full cabinet i.e Climate Change
:) allow monitoring and control of details within govt
:( cabinet agreement is subjective i.e Blair could never persuade Brown (as chancellor) to support adopting euro currency/ Johnson issued a new addition of the ministerial code ‘there must be no… leaking’
Agenda and policy setting powers + effectiveness
INSTITUTIONAL
-allows PMs to exert influence and principles i.e Get Brexit Done/New Labour
:) has power to prioritise pressing matters swiftly
:( constrained by manifesto pledges + party responsibility
Party leadership + effectiveness
INSTITUTIONAL
-Command a majority in the commons which usually guarantees legislation and policies to get through parliament–}legitimacy of authority
:) strong policy making power, electoral success
:( party loyalty is conditional i.e Thatcher forced out by own MPs, Major’s ‘back me or sack me’ contest led to a quarter of his MPs backing his opponent, John Redwood
Dispensing honours + effectiveness
PREROGATIVE
-PMs can award life peerages to former MPs or party supporters
-often used to alter HOL balance to gain a party advantage
-i.e under Cameron and May, there was 136 conservative peerages and only 56 labour–} Cameron’s resignation honours in 2016 ‘would embarrass a medieval court’(Independent news)
:) kept in check by an Independent Appointments Commission that assesses nominated individuals for ‘propriety’ and makes non-political recommendations
:( ‘cash for honours scandal 2006’= at the suggestion of fundraiser Lord Levy, men nominated loaned large amounts of money to the labour party(Levy was arrested and released on bail)
Personal and political powers
i.e management of colleagues, leadership + communication qualities, ability to unite party, managing economy
-involves political capital(readiness to follow a a leader due to previous achievements, tendency to ‘get it right’) i.e Thatcher’s Falklands war victory= re-elected, Cameron agreeing to Scottish independence vote= remain result like he wanted
:) enables PMs to shift power positions in cabinet to promote loyalists and marginalise critical voices
:( must be careful to avert ‘echo chamber’ in cabinet(environment where everyone always agrees with them) and to stay in touch with wider party
Nuance: Boris Johnson + the Lebedevs
-During time as foreign secretary, he had a ‘secret’ meeting with ex Russian spy with alleged ties to the KGB in Italy despite the fact that cabinet members shouldn’t have off the record political meetings = scrutinised by opposition
-continued to make at least 4 trips to them as London Mayor and then controversially appointed Yevgeny Lebedev as a peer in HOL(came under scrutiny again during Russia v Ukraine war)
-investigated by Liaison committee
-links with honours, scrutiny, committee work
How does a government create policy?
-manifesto pledges
-personal conviction of the PM
-outcome of a referendum
-deals with other parties
-responses to national crises
-pressure from the public and the media
-changing attitudes
Manifesto pledges: extending free childcare
-in 2017 manifesto, Conservatives pledges to offer working parents of 3-4 year olds 30 hours of free childcare instead of 15, if they earned less than 100 grand
-meant more tax contributing to economy + socialisation of children
-scheme was in operation by Sep 2017
Personal conviction of PM: privatisation and the sale of council houses
-Thatcher was often described as a ‘conviction politician’ and one of her clear beliefs was in a property owning democracy
-‘right to buy scheme’, beginning in 1979, meant tenants could buy homes and lower rate from the council–} 1981-1991, figure of social/council houses in England and Wales dropped from 5.4 mil to 4.5 mil
-inspired further reforms i.e Major privatised railways and electricity generating companies
Outcome of a referendum: Brexit
-Cameron resigned after 52-48% result and May pledged to uphold referendum outcome
-her approach was largely about democratic duty but her Brexit deal attempts failed and led to her resignation in 2019, succeeded by Johnson
Deals with other parties: the 2011 AV referendum
-2010 coalition agreement between Conservatives and Lib Dems to create common plan for policy and stability after ‘08-09 global economic crisis despite hung parliament
-agreement adopted Lib Dem pledge for electoral reform despite Conservative’s general disagreement –} defeated by 67-32%
Responses to national crisis: COVID-19
-unprecedented affects require the PM to appear calm, reassuring and decisive
-early stages of COVID triggered a limited response(schools, shops, hospitals etc remained open)
-full scale pandemic= mobilisation of health resources i.e temporary field hospitals(Nightingale Hospital in east London)
-need emergency legislation to be passed–} Coronavirus Act 2020(allowing penalties for those who broke restrictions and attended social gatherings/non-essential travel)
Pressure from public/media: climate change policy
-pressure groups i.e Extinction Rebellion
-high profile individuals i.e Greta Thunberg( approach was embraced by many UK schoolchildren and supported by teachers and parents)
-In 2019, UK govt pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions to almost 0 by 2050, ‘moral duty’(Theresa May)
-this was a further change from the 80% reduction pledged in the Climate Change Act 2008, highlighting influence of public opinion
Changing attitudes: 1960s and liberalisation of public attitudes
-changing attitudes towards sex, marriage + women’s rights
-led to many new legislation under Harold Wilson:
legalised abortion up to 24 weeks, no death penalty, decriminalising male homosexuality, Divorce Reform act 1969
Examples of how a PM/cabinet can dictate events and policy decisions
-the introduction of the poll tax by Margaret Thatcher in 1990
-the invasion of Iraq in 2003 by Tony Blair
-Theresa May’s decision to call an early election in 2017
The introduction of the poll tax 1990
-aimed to replace the property based tax(funding of the local council payed by homeowners/landlords) with a flat-rate tax payable by nearly all adults
-Thatcher brought it in as the conservatives long wanted to reform domestic rates–} the amount paid didn’t reflect someone’s income/ability to pay AND it was not paid by many residents
-name was originally community charge but got called ‘poll tax’ as that was a tax that lead to the Peasants revolt in 1300s
