PM & Exec Topic 1 - Power of the Prime Minister

Question 1

What does ‘patronage powers’ mean?

Answer 1

• The power to appoint someone to an important position

Question 2

Who does the Prime Minister have the power to appoint?

Answer 2

• Life Peers

Question 3

How many Labour supporters did Blair make peers? Why did he do this?

Answer 3

• 162

Question 4

How many Conservative supporters did Thatcher make peers?

Answer 4

• 96

Question 5

How many Conservative supporters did Cameron make peers?

Answer 5

• 110

Question 6

Why might a PM want to make someone a life peer? What is an example of this?

Answer 6

• To give them a ministerial position

Question 7

Why was Johnson criticised in 2020 in regards to peerages?

Answer 7

• He awarded 36 peerages to former Conservative MPs and Brexit supporters

Question 8

What is the meaning of ‘cash-for-honours’? What change did this lead to?

Answer 8

• Allegations that donors to the Labour party were being rewarded with peerages.

Question 9

How else has the PM’s role in appointing peerages been curtailed?

Answer 9

• No longer plays a role in judicial appointments

Question 10

What does the PM have the ability to do in regards to cabinet? Why is this beneficial?

Answer 10

• Appoint and dismiss cabinet ministers

Question 11

In 2016, how many ministers who had attended cabinet under Cameron were not appointed to May’s cabinet?

Answer 11

• 15

Question 12

In 2019, how many ministers who had attended cabinet under May were not appointed to Johnson’s cabinet?

Answer 12

• 17

Question 13

In what two ways did Johnson show his control over cabinet?

Answer 13

• Established a cabinet committee on the union

Question 14

In what way did Sunak show his control over cabinet?

Answer 14

• In 2023, he sacked Home Secretary Suella Braverman for writing a controversial article in The Times about an apparent bias the police hold towards protestors.

Question 15

How was Blair constrained in his appointment of cabinet by senior party members?

Answer 15

• Brown agreed not to stand against Blair in the 1995 leadership election in exchange for becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer in a Labour government.

Question 16

Why are ideological considerations important in regards to controlling the cabinet?

Answer 16

• A cabinet that contains politicians from only one wing of a party may not have the full support of everyone in the party.

Question 17

How was Thatcher constrained by ideological considerations in her cabinet?

Answer 17

• Thatcher included both Thatcherites (‘dries’) and one-nation Conservatives (‘wets’) to her first cabinet.

Question 18

How was Blair constrained by ideological considerations in his cabinet?

Answer 18

• His cabinet was dominated by New Labour

Question 19

How was May constrained by ideological considerations in her cabinet?

Answer 19

• Most of her cabinet was pro-remain

Question 20

How is the power to dismiss cabinet sometimes a disadvantage to the PM?

Answer 20

• A bad reshuffle can lead to cabinet divisions, and decrease the reputation of a prime minister.

Question 21

How did Thatcher suffer from a cabinet reshuffle?

Answer 21

• Demoted Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe in 1989

Question 22

How did Brown suffer from a cabinet reshuffle?

Answer 22

• Brown planned to make Ed Balls Chancellor of the Exchequer

Question 23

How was Cameron constrained in his powers to dismiss cabinet ministers?

Answer 23

• Coalition required him to appoint 5 Liberal Democrats to his cabinet, chosen by Clegg

Question 24

How does the PM get involved in policy-making?

Answer 24

• They set objectives and coordinate policy

Question 25

How did policy-making make Thatcher successful?

Answer 25

• The 1982 Falklands war was very popular and strengthened her position.

Question 26

How did policy-making make Johnson successful?

Answer 26

• His clear Brexit strategy made him more popular than his predecessor May

Question 27

In what two places did Cameron take control in policy-making?

Answer 27

• Set the overall agenda

Question 28

When was Cameron limited in policy-making?

Answer 28

• During the 2010 coalition

Question 29

When did policy-making make Thatcher unsuccessful?

Answer 29

• The introduction of the Poll Tax was disastrous and was a contributing factor to her resignation

Question 30

When did policy-making make Blair unsuccessful?

Answer 30

• His 2003 invasion of Iraq was disastrous and was a contributing factor to his resignation

Question 31

When did policy-making make Truss unsuccessful?

Answer 31

• Her 2022 mini-budget was disastrous and was a contributing factor to her resignation

Question 32

When was Thatcher forced by her ministers to change a policy?

Answer 32

• Chancellor Nigel Lawson and Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe

Question 33

What is the effect of an unsuccessful policy on a Prime Minister?

Answer 33

• Undermines their authority and brings their judgement into question

Question 34

Why does a working majority benefit the PM?

Answer 34

• Helps them to enact their programme

Question 35

What are two examples of Prime Ministers utilising their large majority?

Answer 35

• Johnson, for his Brexit deal

Question 36

How many ministers did Johnson sack over Brexit? What does this show?

Answer 36

• 21

Question 37

What system helps the PM retain the support of their party?

Answer 37

• Whips

Question 38

What two MPs survived votes to oust them out of office?

Answer 38

• Blair

Question 39

What MP survived a vote of confidence?

Answer 39

• May

Question 40

When was Cameron's power of party leadership constrained?

Answer 40

• During the coalition - anchored in the centre by Liberal Democrats

Question 41

What MP did not survive oppositon from their party?

Answer 41

• Thatcher - forced to resign

Question 42

What two prime ministers had a large impact internationally?

Answer 42

• Thatcher - significantly, she had a close relationship with the US President Reagan.

Question 43

What PM lost support after a general election?

Answer 43

• May, after the 2017 General election