PM + Executive Flashcards
What is the structure of the executive?
> PM appointed by the monarch
The cabinets made up of ministers appointed by the PM
Junior ministers, members of the executive who assist senior ministers in the running and policy decision of a government department. For example the education minister has three junior ministers.
The civil service, permanent officials who carry out the day to day running of government departments, making the core ideas of the executive a reality.
What is the main role of the executive?
To govern and ensure the country operates effectively.
What are the three more specific roles of an executive?
> To propose legislation
To propose a budget
To make laws within tue budget.
What are the five sources of prime ministerial power?
> Parliament
The people
Patronage
The party
Traditional authority
What is traditional authority?
When the monarch delegates their prerogative powers to the PM
How does parliament support the PM?
> Each new parliament recognises the authority of the prime minister, parliament can dismiss this through a vote of no confidence.
The PM has control over parliament being the leader of the largest party, clearly the larger the government majority the more power they have, look at Blair in 97 compared to May in 2017.
How is patronage a source of power for the PM?
Patronage refers to the power an individual may enjoy to make important appointments to public office, meaning those in high positions owe loyalty to the PM, the PM enjoys patronage over 100’s of MP’s.
How do the people ratify the PM’s authority?
The PM is not directly elected by the people but the people are still asked to choose between alternative candidates as well as a party which the PM leads, we can therefore say the PM does enjoy a degree of authority directly from the people.
How does the party ratify the PM’s authority?
The PM is always the leader of the largest party in the house of commons following a general election, in this case of the PM’s authority comes from the people as he leads the party which they voted for. If a party changes its leader that new leader becomes PM.
What affects the relationship between the PM and its cabinet?
> the PM’s skills
size of electoral mandate
Unity or division amongst the party
personality of the PM
Use of cabinet committees and informal groups
Political and economic situation
How does the PM’s skills affect its relationship between its cabinet?
> Good management of the cabinet, comes through choosing the correct appointments acting to remove poor performers and bringing in fresh blood. Maintains the authority of the PM.
There are pit bulls like Thatcher who became too domineering and was ousted by her cabinet in 1990 or in contrast May who was too weak and hounded out in 2019.
How does the political and economic situation affect the relationship of PM and cabinet?
> in 1982 the falklands war boosted Thatchers position in the cabinet.
in 1997 Blair won a big majority meaning he had the mandate to command his cabinet.
Brown’s position in the cabinet was weakened by the financial crisis.
Following his 2019 electoral victory Johnson can direct his cabinet effectively and overcame the splits that plagued the conservatives following Brexit.
How does the use of cabinet committees affect the relationship between PM and cabinet?
> Decisions are often made by cabinet committees then ratified by the whole cabinet. The PM can chair the meetings flaunting their power. And can control who chairs other committees ensuring they’re chaired by allies.
Decisions can be made by informal groups, between the PM and one senior figure (Blair + Brown) or as groups such as Cameron and Clegg’s quad.
These formal and informal committees can change the dynamics of power between a cabinet.
What factors help decide the PM’s selection of ministers?
> Ability and experience
Helping to establish a PM’s former rival, removing opposition and replacing them with their own people
Rewarding loyalty
Conciliating former rivals, Gove, Hancock and Raab were all offered a position in Johnson’s cabinet.
What is the PM’s role in initiating legislation?
> The executive dominates parliamentary time
with a majority in government the PM can be confident in passing legislation.
What is a secondary legislative power?
> law made without passing an act of parliament
normally statutory instruments used to modify existing legislation
can be highly controversial
avoids scrutiny according to some
about 2/3 become law without being debated by MP’s.
What are the PM’s royal prerogative powers?
- originally sat with the monarch but have been transferred to the PM and cabinet.
- granting legal pardons
- signing treaties
- declaring war
- appointing ministers
> declaring war has become under the control of parliament.
Why is the period from the 1960’s 2010’s known as the ‘Prime ministerial government’
> Prime ministers were expected to dominate the cabinet completely
Cabinet was not expected to act as a collective body but to individually support the PM
What did former labour cabinet member Mo Mowlam state?
‘Mr Blair makes decisions…with a small coterie of people, advisers just like the President of the United States, he doesn’t go back to the cabinet, he isn’t inclusive in terms of other cabinet ministers’
How did Thatcher dominate the cabinet?
> Ruthlessly dominated the cabinet through force of her will and the marginalisation of her opponents.
How did Blair dominate the cabinet?
> Tony Blair adopted a method called ‘sofa politics’ to marginalise the cabinet.
Whereby he would develop ideas with a few advisers outside the cabinet in informal discussions and then present the cabinet with a fait accompli, imposing policy on ministers departments.
What was the relationship of the cabinet and PM from 2010-2019?
> from 2010-2019 there was numerous coalition governments. Notably conservative and Lib Dem from 2010-2015 where cabinet posts were handed out in a ratio of 22:5 in favour of the conservatives.
Inner groups of seniors ministers arose such as ‘the quad’ (Cameron, Osborne, Clegg and Danny Alexander)
brief golden age for the cabinet as disputes were common in a coalition government and were often settled in the cabinet
Presentation of policy became a big responsibility of the cabinet as it represented two parties
and due to May’s small majority she couldn’t dominate the cabinet.
What is collective ministerial responsibility?
The principle by which minsters must support cabinet decisions or leave the executive.
Examples of collective ministerial responsibility?
> in 2022 the entire conservative cabinet faced controversy over the ‘partygate scandal’ despite not all attending the party during lockdown.
All cabinet members must back and approve the budget.
How has it been undermined?
> coalition minsters from 2010-2015 were allowed to publicly disagree on matters focusing on intervention in Syrian civil war
in 2016 collective ministerial responsibility was suspended as conservative cabinet ministers were able to express their opinions on the EU referendum
What is individual ministerial responsibility?
The principle by which minsters are responsible for their personal conduct and departments.
Examples of cabinet resignations due to individual ministerial responsibility?
> Priti Patel in November 2017 reports emerged that the then international development secretary Priti Patel had arranged meetings with Israeli PM Netanyahu without authorisation of the FCO (foreign and commonwealth office), after an apology she was allowed to continue but when further details arises she offered her resignation.
Amber Rudd the Home Secretary was guilty of treating legal migrants of the windrush generation as illegal immigrants to reach immigration targets on the conservative bid to be tougher on immigration, she offered her resignation as a result.
How has ministerial responsibility eroded?
As all parliament can do is scrutinise a minster for their failings and cannot actually force an individual minster to leave it is completely in the hands of the PM.
Examples of erosion of ministerial responsibility:
> Gavin Williamson refused to resign over the scandal that many students a level and gcse grades were unfairly predicted in 2020 he blamed a faulty algorithm and the PM supported him as a result the head of Ofqual resigned.
In March 2020 the most senior civil servant working in the home office Sir Phillip Rutman accused Priti Patel of bullying civil servants, a report issued in November 2020 found that Patel had consistently been in breach of the ministerial code, yet Patel brushed off the criticism and the PM supported her decision meaning she did not resign.
