PM & Executive Flashcards
What is the role of the Prime minister?
- head of the executive + chairs + the cabinet meetings
- appoints members of the cabinet + junior ministers
- decides who sits on cabinet committees
- organises the structure of the government- can abolish/ merge departments
Who does the most speaking in the cabinet and why?
PM as they chair the meeting and focus the disscusion
Who sits near the Chancellor and why?
- Chancellor- Rishi Sunak as this is the most important cabinet position
What is the cabinet?
20-25 senior ministers+ other important party figures like chief whip
When is it harder for a PM to exercise their hiring/firing power?
if they are seen a s a weak PM, e.g May
What are cabinet committees?
Small groups of ministers that make decisions on specific policy areas
What is a cabinet secretary?
-Most senior civil servant
- serves the the PM + cabinet
- organise work of cabinet + government
How is the cabinet secretary held to account?
No formal way- held to question on committees
Who appoints the cabinet secretary?
PM in conjunction with civil service
What does the power of ‘ Guardian of property and Ethics’ allow the cabinet secretary to do?
- Ministerial code- seeing if the government is abiding by it
Give an example of when the cabinet secretary has used the power of ‘Guardian of property and Ethics’
2019 Sedwill leak NSC, Williamson resigning
What is a Governmental department?
Part of the executive, usually with specific responsibility over an area such as education, health, or defence
Explain what the happens in a Government department?
-Each department responsible for an area of policy
- Each headed by a cabinet minister, supported by several junior ministers responsible for specific aspects of the work departments
What is a secretary of state?
Senior minister who runs a department
What is a minister of state?
A junior minister who runs sub-division of the department and not a cabinet member
What is a parliamentary under- secretary?
A very junior minister who runs a specialised section of the department
Give an example of a secretary of state
Gillian Keegan MP Secretary of state for eductation
Give an example of a junior minister
Nick Gibb MP- Minister for state schools
What is the Government department structure?
1) Secretary of state
2) Junior ministers
3) Parliamentary under secretary of state
Give an example of a parliamentary under secretary of state
Baroness Barran MBE- Minister for the school system and student finance
What are the 3 main roles of the executive?
- Proposing legislation
- Proposing the budget
- Making policy decisions (conducting foreign policy/ responsive to crisis
What is the legislative process?
First reading, Second reading, Committee stage, Report stage,Third reading, Passage HOL, Royal assent
Give an example of when an executive made a policy decision responding to crisis
COBRA- Johnson held many press conferences/ meeting during COVID-19
Give an example of when an executive made a policy decision including foreign policy
Rishi Sunak met world leaders and represented UK on international stage/ created foreign policy at COP27 in 2022
What does holding the government to account include?
-Forcing them and their ministers to explain policies and decisions
- criticising government when parliamentarians feel errors or misjudgements have been made
-seeking to reverse unpopular policies and decisions
How is parliament effective in calling government to account?
- parliamentary questions can help ensure accountability
- A united opposition can provide effective at scrutinising the government and force changes in government policy,
- HOL become more effective at scrutinising the government, due to absence of a conservative majority
How do select committees call the government to account?
- Their work is increasingly publicised + major reports receive significant media coverage - their reports are taken seriously by the government
- The chairs of the committees have become senior figures in parliament, more influential than some opposition leaders
- members of these committees build up considerable expertise
How is parliament ineffective in calling government to account ?
- Some forms of parliamentary questions are less useful, ministers using special advisers, avoid difficult questions
- a government with a large majority tends to limit the effectiveness of parliamentary scrutiny
- the government dominates it’s own members in the HOC- whips can head off serious criticism by their own MPs
What are the powers of the executive?
Patronage
Royal prerogative
party support
personal mandate
parliamentary majority
Who is the head of state?
The monarch ( King Charles lll)
What is a Royal Prerogative?
Powers given to the PM from the monarch
Give examples of Royal prerogative
Appoint ministers, chair cabinet meetings
What does it mean that the ‘PM is first among equals’?
PM leads the government but does not command
What does Patronage mean?
The power to appointment and dismissal
Give an example of a PM rewarding those loyal to them- PM patronage
Rsishi Sunak appointed Suella Braverman as Home Secretary
Give an example of a PM increasing diversity within appointments - PM patronage
May promoted younger women to senior positions, like Amber Rudd to home secretary
Give an example of a PM shaping the ideological direction of the cabinet- PM patronage
Thatcher appointed New right Tories who agreed with her policies
Give an example of a minister refusing their job
May’s reshuffle in 2018 backfired, as Hunt refused to move from his post as health secretary
