PM & Exec

Question 1

what is executive made up of waffle

Answer 1

PM who chairs and appoints
cabinet committee
chancellor of the exchequer

Question 2

resignation examples from cabinet

Answer 2

sir geoffrey howe resigned from MT;s cabinet in 89 over her EU policy

Robin Cook and Clare Short in 2003 over Tony Blair’s Iraq policy

11 ministers resigned from Theresa May’s cabinet

Question 3

powers of the UK cabinet

Answer 3

-legitimise government policy
-set up legislative agenda
-support the PM or even drive them out
-decide govt policy if they would like to overrule the PM

Question 4

example where the cabinet has overruled the PM

Answer 4

(David Cameron was forced by his cabinet to suspend collective responsibility in the Eu referendum to allow ministers to express personal views)

Question 5

1 pack cabinet with allies tactic

Answer 5

Liz Truss appointed Kwasi Kwarteng to reinforce her post-Brexit economic vision

Boris Johnson only allowed pro-brexit positions so there was no challenge to a withdrawal agreement and even deselected opposing Conservative MPs

Question 6

2 pick a balanced cabinet tactic

Answer 6

eg Theresa May had a fairly even remainer/brexiteer cabinet as she had to reflect the whole party due to her low majority and to quell lobbying. gave opponents such as European Research Deal influence and Boris Johnson Foreign Secretary to appease.

Question 7

3. picking the best people for cabinet tactic

Answer 7

in coalition years, Lib Dems got 5/22 seats so had the opportunity to appoint the most talented ministers as they would be able to best push agenda such as Nick Clegg.

Question 8

factors influencing the selection of ministers

Answer 8

-ability and experience (Rishi Sunak appointed Chancellor in 2020 after having proven his ability as Secretary to the Treasury)
-establish a PMs authority
-reward loyalty eg David Osborne w David Cameron / Kwasi Kwarteng Truss
-Party Unity and diversity eg Theresa May Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary

Question 9

what is collective responsibility

Answer 9

a convention which means ministers are all responsible for policy so cannot dissent publicly otherwise they will have to resign

Question 10

exceptions to collective responsibility

Answer 10

-coalition years, outside of the coalition agreement policies eg renewal of trident or intervention in the syrian civil war

-Ref. on EU membership, ministers were free to express views to counter official govt positions eg Michael Gove notably campaigned against this

-Brexit under Theresa May, her cabinet became increasingly critical of her brexit deal and cabinet members resigned. suggests the doctrine depends more on the strength and authority of hte PM than rules, as it is only a convention.

Question 11

factors affecting balance between PM and cabinet

Answer 11

-large majority
-cohesion of the party
-electoral mandate
-first-term govt
-having PM’s coattails
-low salience of issues
-fear of the alternative
-external factors

Question 12

PM and cabinet relationship 60s-late 70s

Answer 12

prime ministerial goverment. Harold wilson allowed the cabinet to develop their own policies but would decide the ultimate direction of policy through manipulation of discussion topics. very prime ministerial government

Question 13

PM and Cabinet Thatcher

Answer 13

dominated the cabinet through force and removed or marginalised opponents

known for her strong leadership style and centralized decision-making. She often clashed with her cabinet members and was seen as dominating the decision-making process.

Question 14

Tony Blair Cabinet Relationshup

Answer 14

marginalised the cabinet
‘sofa politics’ - where he would develop ideas with a few advisors informally. went further than wilson on this and was very dominant

introduced a more presidential style of leadership, with a highly centralized decision-making process. He had a tight-knit inner circle and relied heavily on a few key advisors, diminishing the power and influence of the cabinet.

Question 15

Coalition cabinet relationship

Answer 15

appointments split 22:5.
cameron marginalised some of the cabinet as he worked with an ‘inner cabinet’ (george osborne, Nick Clegg)
the cabinet was too big toserve the prime minister constantly so inner groups of senior ministers are common

as the 2015 election approached, the cabinet weakened and began to fragment.

Question 16

Theresa May Cabinet relationship

Answer 16

small majority so forced to govern with full support of cabinet
her failure to do so with 11 ministers resigning resulted in her decision to step down

Question 17

2019 cabinet PM relationship

Answer 17

BJ packed with brexiteers so lots of support.
known for his assertive leadership style, often taking unilateral decisions without full cabinet approval. He has faced criticism for sidelining cabinet members and centralizing power within his office.

Question 18

why could TB be the strongest PM Cabinet relationship

Answer 18

he had the biggest HOC majority so could do what he wanted without worry of dissent among the cabinet
+ he had lots of MPs on the PM coattails factor as due to personality politics of the time - he was fashionably popular meaning that some may have voted for him despite not being a staunch Labour supporter

Question 19

large majority cabinet balance of power benefits

Answer 19

secures a strong foundation of power within parliament. You also have more control over the HOC.

In terms of cabinet, your party is more secure and ministers have a base of support, however the PM does not need the support as much- as they have lots of support already

eg Theresa May 33 defeats

Question 20

party cohesion

Answer 20

if the party is divided over a key issue it becomes harder to manage and control. the PM will also seem weak and ineffective if they lack a portion of their party’s support
also if there is dissent among your party this leaves more scope for rebellions or lobbying which damages your image and control

eg Theresa May, Blairites and Brownites, John Major over EU policy

Question 21

mandate

Answer 21

if you dont have this your manifest policies dont fall under the Salisbury Convention - without a mandate, bills in the manifesto do not automatically pass through the Lords.

Question 22

first term govt

Answer 22

you have more scope to sculpt the party how you would like it to be eg with more support etc as you are not defending seats

eg Brown in 2010 lost as he took responsibility for the financial crash of 2008.

Question 23

low salience of issues example

Answer 23

labour 1997 manifesto - the economy was well as he could therefore appear more together

contrast with Iraq 2003 and Brexit

Question 24

Fear of alternative

Answer 24

John Major threatened to resign in 1995 when trying to control the party

Question 25

external factors

Answer 25

-devolution erodes the power of Westminster and the PM

Question 26

examples of the PM using prerogative powers

Answer 26

thatcher using task force in the Falklands without explicit parliamentary approval

david cameron sent air strikes in the libyan civil war without permission

Question 27

junior ministers definition

Answer 27

assist the senior ministers and are appointed by the PM but arent part of the cabinetw

Question 28

what is a SpAd

Answer 28

special advisor eg Dominic Cummings

Question 29

evidence the cabinet has little influence

Answer 29

1974 Harold Wilson set up the Policy Unit in Downing St to provide him with his own support and advice in developing political strategy.

Tony Blair - John Powell said his appointment demonstrated ‘a change from a feudal system of barons to a more Napoleonic system’ PM having a chief of staff (John)

The establishment of the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit further challenged the autonomy of cabinet by setting their departments targets and monitoring their performance.

Executive have specialist departments (staff, advisors) Cabinet no longer have the only influence
Growing use of advisors SpAds

Influence only really happens when you dont have a massive majority as Blair knew they’d get it done.

Less formal - sofa politics under Tony Blair where he would take informal mini meetings with ministers

Question 30

evidence the cabinet has lots of influence

Answer 30

2018, Jeremy Hunt actually refused Theresa May’s attempt to move him from the then Department of Health and even managed to expand his role to being health and social care secretary.

Cabinets made up of the most powerful ministers - you would like to keep them on side.

Can force the PM out if resigned eg Theresa May 11 resignations

Question 31

Cameron PM and cabinet relationship

Answer 31

emphasized collective decision-making and inclusivity. He aimed to involve more cabinet members in the decision-making process and sought to create a more unified cabinet.

Question 32

how has cabinet PM relationship changed evaluation

Answer 32

Overall, the relations between prime ministers and their cabinets have become more centralized and less consultative since Margaret Thatcher’s era.

There has been a shift towards a more presidential style of leadership, with prime ministers relying heavily on a few key advisors and diminishing the power of the cabinet.

The approach to decision-making has varied, with some prime ministers favouring consensus and collaboration (eg cameron) while others have taken a more authoritarian stance (eg Boris).

The challenges of Brexit have also had a significant impact on the relations between prime ministers and their cabinets, often leading to divisions and tensions within the government. (May)

Question 33

priti patel resignation

Answer 33

2017 - international development secretary.
In 2020, she faced criticism over allegations of bullying and breaches of the ministerial code. If the pressure to resign became too significant, she might have chosen to step down.

Question 34

Amber rudd resignation

Answer 34

2018 Home Secretary
she claimed windrush generation were treated ‘fairly’ when they were being mistreated. amid mounting pressure and criticism for the handling of the situation, she resigned

Question 35

matt hancock resignation

Answer 35

2021 health secretary
Matt Hancock, the former Health Secretary, resigned following the revelation of his breach of COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. The release of images showing him engaged in an affair with a colleague caused public outcry and undermined his credibility.