Prime Minister

Question 1

What is the difference in terms of the role of the monarch and the PM?

Answer 1

UK is a constitutional monarchy with the Queen being the head of state (ceremonial), leader of the winning party in a general election is invited by the Queen to form a government and become the Prime Minister.

Question 2

What have developed to protect the democracy of governance in the UK (part of uncodified constitution)?

Answer 2

Conventions which protect a democratic government, e.g. royal assent to legislation guaranteed and the PM writes the monarch’s speech on the declaration of policy objectives.

Question 3

What key powers do the PM have?

Answer 3

• PM can choose and dismiss cabinet and other ministers at will
• PM chairs cabinet, heads security service, co-ordinates role of government from a department based at No.10
• PM approves appointments of senior officials (more controversial)

Question 4

What does the executive consist of in the UK?

Answer 4

• PM
• Cabinet
• Government departments
• Executive agencies

Question 5

What are the main roles of the executive?

Answer 5

• Proposing legislation (it announces a new programme at the start of each parliamentary session in the Queen’s speech written by PM read to both Houses of Parliament, e.g. Cameron in 2015 laid out plans for EU referendum, English votes for English laws and legislation to protect key public services from strikes. Legislation not just limited to manifesto, government allows interested parties and pressure groups a say in legislation)
• Proposing the budget (chancellor in consultation with PM stating changes to taxation and public spending)
• Making policy decisions (has to decide how to give effect to its aims for the future direction of the country, e.g. coalition gov’ts policy of introducing more competition into the NHS in England and putting GPs in control of commissioning care for patients)

Question 6

What are the main powers of the executive?

Answer 6

• Royal prerogative powers (powers previously in hands of the crown but now in the PM and executive, see other flash card)
• Initiation of legislation (controls most of the parliamentary time available for legislation and if the gov’t has a majority then the parliamentary whipping system means that legislation is usually passed. Executive can also ‘guillotine’ and curtail debate on individual clauses of bills)
• Secondary/delegated legislation (law made without passing a new act of parliament usually statutory instruments where government modifies or repeals existing legislation without introducing a new bill. Increased use has been criticised as it allows government to evade parliamentary scrutiny, e.g. allowing fracking in national parks in 2016)

Question 7

What are the main prerogative powers of the executive?

Answer 7

• Award honours (handful still given personally by monarch)
• Declare war and authorise the use of the armed forces (Blair and Iraq)
• Sign treaties
• Take action to maintain order in case of emergency
• Grant and withdraw passports (Shemima Begum?)
• Grant legal pardons
• Appoint ministers and other senior office holders

Question 8

How was PMs office grown since WWII?

Answer 8

• Important role of specialist expanding team of personal advisers responsible for shaping policy across gov’t, PM can appoint and dismiss advisors at will
• Increasingly centralised control over policy by forcing all policy announcements to be cleared with No.10 first
• Press Secretary exercising power in their right (Alistair Campbell under Tony Blair)

Question 9

What does ‘primus inter pares’ mean? Who does it refer to?

Answer 9

First amongst equals. The prime minister.

Question 10

What is the Prime Minister’s relation to other ministers constitutionally?

Answer 10

Constitutionally the PM is just another member of the gov’t no higher or lower than any other minister

Question 11

What key power distinguishes the PM from other minister?

Answer 11

The PM’s power of patronage. The ability to promote or demote anybody that they want to.

Question 12

What convention relating to the PM emerged in the early 1900s?

Answer 12

Convention that PM must be a member of the House of Commons

Question 13

Who actually is government?

Answer 13

The ministers appointed by the PM, not all MPs that belong to the ruling party

Question 14

What principle are all of government bound by?

Answer 14

Collective cabinet responsibility, all of cabinet must defend gov’t policy (even if they privately disagree), if they cannot they are expected to resign (e.g. Clare Short Iraq War)

Question 15

When was the Fixed Term Parliament Act?

Answer 15

2011

Question 16

What did the Fixed Term Parliament Act do?

Answer 16

• Fixed the date of general elections every 5 years max
• Limited power of PM by removing the prerogative power to dissolve parliament exercised by the PM (revived in 2022 as PM can ask monarch to prematurely dissolve parliament)
• PM has relinquished a significant power as is no longer able to time election to suit their party without a vote from parliament (May in 2017 could through a simple vote in parliament which won 522 to 13)

Question 17

What are the PM’s functions in the modern day?

Answer 17

• Chief voice on policy (Blair in Iraq)
• Head of government (power of patronage)
• Chief gov’t spokesperson
• Commander in chief of armed forces (pre-2003 PM did not have to seek approval to take military action)
• Chief foreign policy maker
• Parliamentary leader

Question 18

What is the main limitation on the PM’s power?

Answer 18

Need for governmental and parliamentary support for policies and ideas

Question 19

Does the PM still dominate in a coalition cabinet?

Answer 19

Yes. Chairs meetings and controls the agenda. However, Cameron in 2010-15 coalition had to agree any cabinet reshuffles with Nick Clegg and PM has to ensure a balanced cabinet.

Question 20

What is individual ministerial responsibility?

Answer 20

The idea that, when appointed, a minister is expected to take the fall for any department failings in living serious mistakes by civil servants (who are protected due to anonymity) and are also expected to resign in the case of personal failings or personal disagreements with government (personal misconduct is most common)

Question 21

What are some examples of individual ministerial responsibility resulting in resignations?

Answer 21

• Matt Hancock as Health secretary (affair during lockdown)
• Amber Rudd as Home Secretary due to wind rush
• Charles Clarke in 2006 as Home Secretary due to 1000 foreign criminals being freed from prison without being considered for deportation under his watch

Question 22

What is the concept of collective cabinet responsibility?

Answer 22

It is the convention that ministers must support all decisions of the government in public. It means that they are responsible as a group to parliament and thus to the people, and that discussions in Cabinet should be confidential. It is designed to maintain a unified government. Minsters can have their own personal disagreements but when it comes to in public, ministers must agree with gov’t. Clear cut resignations due to disagreement with gov’t are rare as it may end a political career.

Question 23

What gov’t often saw the breaking of collective cabinet responsibility (due to nature of gov’t)?

Answer 23

2010-2015 coalition gov’t saw many ministers come out in public during disagreements. Lib Dems were actually allowed to disagree on four topics publicly so the coalition was an exception tbf.

Question 24

What are examples of resignations due to collective cabinet responsibility?

Answer 24

• In 2016 Iain Duncan Smith (pro-leave) resigned because ‘he couldn’t support cuts to disability benefits’ when in reality is was because he thought cabinet wouldn’t be allowed to support leave in the upcoming referendum, they were…
• In 2003 Robin Cook resigned due to opposition to the Iraq War

Question 25

What are the “O’Donnell Rules”?

Answer 25

Document which sets out the main laws, rules and conventions affecting the conduct and operation of government

Question 26

What are the factors affecting the PM’s selection of ministers?

Answer 26

• Individuals with ability and experience (Gove as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as he had been in gov’t since 2010)
• Establishing a PM’s authority (Nadine Dorries as culture Secretary as she always supported Johnson no matter what)
• Rewarding loyalty and including key allies as well as keeping potentially troubling MPs bound by collective cabinet responsibility (Johnson made Steve Barclay Chief of Staff because he always backed Bojo from the start, May made Johnson foreign Secretary to stop him from running loose)
• Maintaining a balance between different factions within the governing party (Foreign Secretary Liz Truss moderate, Home Secretary Priti Patel further right)
• Meeting diversity expectations (most diverse cabinet ever under Johnson with lots of women and people from other ethnic backgrounds like Rishi Sunak)

Question 27

How has the executive changed in recent times in regard to the balance of power between cabinet and the PM?

Answer 27

Cabinet has traditionally been in charge of policy making, however, in recent times it has been more usual for decisions to be taken elsewhere, it is often claimed that the executive is now dominated by the Prime Minister - the presidentialisation of British politics as leadership has become much more personalised and PM relies less on cabinet.

Question 28

What are the 5 factors that affect the relationship between the cabinet wind PM?

Answer 28

• Management skills of the PM
• PM’s ability to set agenda
• Use of cabinet committees to make decisions
• The development of the PM’s office and the Cabinet Office
• Impact of the wider political and economic situation

Question 29

How do the management skills of the prime minister affect the relationship between the PM and cabinet?

Answer 29

Determined and astute prime ministers will exploit the elastic nature of the office to assert control over the cabinet by appointing allies and removing under performers at will, e.g. Thatcher did this but it eventually led to the alienation of senior colleagues who began to undermine her position like Sir Howe.

Question 30

How does the PM’s ability to set the agenda affect the relationship between the PM and cabinet?

Answer 30

Decisions are rarely ever made via taking a cabinet vote, instead the views of most senior figures commands more weight. Most ministers are too concerned with their own departments to provide input into a topic they probably have limited knowledge on.

Question 31

How does the use of cabinet committees affect the relationship between the PM and cabinet?

Answer 31

Cabinet committees are selected by the PM to help make decisions. QUAD committee was established during the coalition to resolve differences between Lib Dem’s and Tories and formulate economic policy in the aftermath of the recession. They make decisions away from full cabinet to enable better governance. Another example is COBRA for national security.

Question 32

How does the development of the PM’s office and the cabinet office affect the relationship between the PM and cabinet?

Answer 32

The PM has access to more resources than any other ministers (PM’s office at no.10 has a range of staff from specialist civil servants to special advisers)

Question 33

How does the impact of the wider political and economic situation affect the relationship between the PM and cabinet?

Answer 33

A PM with a large parliamentary majority and a United party (e.g. Blair after landslide 1997 victory) will find it much easier to gain ascendancy over cabinet than one like Major whose control over the commons was precarious from 1992 onwards. Popularity with the public, a booming economy, lack of crises and an ability to master events rather than appear as their victim, all strengthen the hand of the PM when dealing with cabinet.