PM and the Executive Flashcards
What are the most important elements of the executive?
The Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
Who is the Cabinet comprised of?
Chief Whips and Heads of State Departments.
Who appoints the Cabinet?
The Prime Minister.
Who comprises the executive?
-The Prime Minister.
-The Cabinet.
-120 Junior Ministers.
-Senior Civil Servants.
-The Government.
What does the core executive contain?
-Ministers.
-Senior Civil Servants.
-Political Advisors.
How does the PM and executive govern?
- Proposes new legislation based on their winning manifesto.
- Introduces legislation in response to political and social circumstances.
- Introduces budgets.
- Can introduce secondary legislation or delay legislation.
Define secondary legislation.
- The process by which primary legislation can be commended by government departments without requiring another act of Parliament.
When was the role of the Cabinet set out?
Ministerial Code (2010) and Cabinet Manual (2010).
What is the role of the Cabinet?
- Ratify decisions made elsewhere.
- Discuss and take decisions on major issues of the day.
- Settle disputes between departments.
-Receive and respond to reports on key developments in politics.
Example of Cabinet stopping disputes.
2024: Sunak mediated disputes between Treasury and Home Office over the Rwanda asylum scheme.
Where does Prime Ministerial power come from?
The monarch asking them to form a government.
Examples of PMs losing government support.
- May: Confidence and supply deal post-2017 election.
- Johnson: Resigned in 2022 due to “Partygate.”
- Truss: Lost confidence after the “mini-budget” disaster in 2022.
- Sunak: Faced rebellions in 2023-24 over Rwanda asylum policies and tax proposals.
What are the powers of the PM?
- Determine government membership.
- Appoint people to the judiciary and civil service.
- Recommend life peers.
- Negotiate foreign treaties.
- Direct combatant military forces.
- Control the UK’s Trident military forces.
Example of a PM casting the narrative of their government.
- Johnson: Centered on “Get Brexit Done.”
- Starmer (2024): Focused on economic stability and green investment.
What is individual ministerial responsibility?
- Ministers are accountable to - Parliament for their department’s actions.
- Must justify actions via written responses and select committees.
- Bear personal responsibility for serious administrative or policy mistakes.
Examples of individual ministerial responsibility.
- Administrative Failure: Post Office Scandal re-exposed in 2024.
- Policy Failure: Gavin Williamson’s resignation over the 2020 exam grading fiasco.
- Personal Misconduct: Matt Hancock resigned after his affair was exposed.
- Political Pressure: Suella Braverman resigned in 2023, citing Sunak’s immigration policies.
- Priti Patel : forced to resign in 2020 after breaching the Ministerial Code by holding unauthorized meetings with Israeli officials.
What is collective ministerial responsibility?
- If the government loses a House of Commons vote of confidence, the whole government must resign.
- Cabinet discussions must remain secret.
- Ministers must publicly support agreed policies.
- A minister must resign if they cannot publicly agree with the government.
Examples of collective ministerial responsibility breaking down.
- May’s government: Cabinet leaks during Brexit negotiations.
- Sunak’s government: Suella Braverman publicly criticized the Rwanda policy in 2023.
What are the functions of the Cabinet?
- Approve executive decisions.
- Determine key policy issues.
- Resolve disputes between departments.
- Develop and implement policies via Cabinet committees.
Limitations of PM appointments.
- Pressure to include influential colleagues and dominant personalities.
EXAMPLE: Boris Johnson (2019): -appointed Sajid Javid as Chancellor despite differences in approach. Javid - significant figure & represented a different faction. - Balancing factions to unite the party.
EXAMPLE: November 2023 reshuffle SUNAk - appointing Gove and keeping Bravermann
Advantages of PM appointments.
- Promoting allies to key positions.
- EXAMPLE: Sunak (2022): Promoted Hunt as Chancellor to stabilize economic policy after Truss mini-budget. - Binding rivals to collective responsibility.
- EXAMPLE: May in 2016 appointed Johnson (pro-brexit) as Foreign Secretary. Tied to her gov Brexit strategy and less free to openly criticize her policies.
Criticisms of the Cabinet.
- Size hinders constructive debate.
EXAMPLE: Johnson’s (2019–2022), Cabinet included many ministers, > felt that diluted the effectiveness of debates on crucial issues like Brexit. Discussions too broad. - The centrality of Cabinet government is questioned.
EXAMPLE: SUNAK, heavily reliant on the PM and his inner circle. economic policy controlled by PM
How does the Prime Minister’s control over government policy impact Cabinet decisions?
- PM often centralises decision-making, limiting the Cabinet’s influence. Key decisions are made within the PM’s office.
Example: - Sunak has managed economic decisions closely with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, reducing broader Cabinet involvement
How does the Prime Minister’s influence impact collective Cabinet responsibility?
CCR > all ministers must support government decisions publicly, but PM often limits Cabinet involvement in significant decisions, reducing the impact of collective decision-making.
Example:
- May’s handling of Brexit negotiations often saw Cabinet ministers sidelined, with key decisions being made by the PM and a small group of senior officials, resulting in frustration and divisions within her Cabinet
