prime minister Flashcards
what does the PM traditionally have
Traditionally the Prime Minister used to be ‘just’ one of the ministers, chairing Cabinet meetings – ‘first among equals’
what has happened to the power of the PM recently
But, in recent years the Prime Minister has become much more powerful than that – more and more like the president in the US.
This process of a more and more important PM, like a president, is called ‘presidentialism’
What are the prime minister’s powers?
Appoint government ministers
Appoint members to the house of lords
chair the cabinet
party leader of the largest party
national leadership - represent the UK abroad
special advisers
appoint government ministers
The prime minister has the ability to ‘hire and fire’ ministers. This is a royal prerogative power of the prime minister - Parliament has no say on this – only the prime minister.
This makes the PM powerful, because it ensures … Government ministers stay loyal
In 2022 Liz Truss fired all Johnson loyalists like Nadine Dorries and Priti Patel, and only appointed ministers who had supported her in the leadership contest
In 2023 Sunak fired Nadim Zahawi from the government
However….
More powerful or popular rivals with their own supporters in the party can be difficult to fire - heavyweights
The PM can only appoint …
MPs and Lords
appoint members to the house of lords
Not as important, but also a royal prerogative power. The voters decide on membership of the Commons, but the PM decides who will be in the Lords!
They can appoint members of the House of Lords sympathetic to the PM’s legislative agenda
In 2020 Johnson appointed the Brexit negotiator David Forst (a civil servant) as life peer. The idea of ‘flooding’ the Lords with hundreds of pro-Brexit peers to minimise criticism in the Lords of a hard Brexit was suggested by May
However….
An independent commission recommends 2 crossbencher appointments each year, and advises the PM on appointments (although advice can be ignored). - peter cruddas
party leader of the largest party
The Prime Minister is party leader of the largest party in the House of Commons, and controls that party’s MPs with the whips. How does that make the PM powerful?
They can normally get majority support for their legislative proposals, get bills passed and defeat the opposition.
Tony Blair’s 419 seats in the Commons in 1997 allowed him to make many big changes, losing only 4 votes in the HoC.
Johnson’s EU Withdrawal Deal passed in 2020, and in more than 2 1/2 years Johnson did not lose a single vote in the HoC
However….
Backbench rebellions can undermine this power – 33 government defeats in 2 years under May minority government.
The Lords can be more rebellious
national leadership
The Prime Minister can unite the nation in times of crisis and represent the country abroad.
How does this make the Prime Minister powerful?
It gives them a special position and authority, above any other UK politician.
Johnson’s press-conferences and televised speeches during COVID
The PM meets other national leaders, e.g. in meetings such as the G7 and G20
Blair’s ‘people’s princess’ speech
However….
Crises and unexpected events can also harm the position of the PM…
special advisers
The Prime Minister has a team of ‘special advisers’ as support. Unlike cabinet ministers, those special advisers are purely loyal to the Prime Minister, and not accountable to anyone else. They can help the Prime Minister with political strategy, and to help manage their personal media image
Dominic Cummings was behind Johnson’s hardline Brexit strategy in 2019 (suspend Parliament, aim for ‘No Deal’)
Nick Timothy steered Theresa May towards a hard Brexit
However….
Special advisers can also damage the PM:
Their advice can backfire, like Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill’s support for May’s idea to call a snap election in 2017
They can get negative media attention themselves, like Dominic Cummings who was caught breaking lockdown rules, and Johnson sticking with him undermined his authority
chair the cabinet
The Prime Minister chairs the cabinet, decide when it meets, and decide the agenda of cabinet meetings.
The PM can also create, scrap or rename departments
How does this make the PM powerful?
It gives them considerable influence over policy decisions
Blair reduced the number of full cabinet meetings from 2 to 1 per week (with more 1 on 1 meetings and decisions taken by the PM instead).
In 2016 May created Department for Exiting the EU’ and Johnson abolished it again in 2020
Johnson abolished Department for International Development and created a Department for Brexit Opportunities
However….
Traditionally according to the constitution, the cabinet as a whole decides on government policy, and the Prime Minister is only ‘first among equals’.
limitations of the PM
- Other cabinet heavyweights
- A divided party
- Size of the majority in the Commons
- Popularity
- Unexpected events
Other cabinet heavyweights
There often are other influential members who, because of their experience or influence in their party, can be more independent and critical. The prime minister cannot easily ignore their views, let alone fire them.
Theresa May’s inability to discipline Boris Johnson
Jeremy Hunt as experienced veteran in Sunak’s cabinet. However, The ability to deal with difficult cabinet colleagues depends much on the PM’s authority and popularity – Johnson had no serious rivals until ‘partygate’
divided party
A divided party is harder to control, and gives a larger risk of challenges to the PM’s leadership, and in the Commons more …
backbench rebellions
2016-2019 Conservative divisions on Brexit significantly weakened May’s ability to take decisions 🡪 33 government defeats in 2 years
It was defeated by 432 to 202 votes – a majority of 230. 118 Conservative MPs voted against the Government. - brexit withdrawal agreement
It is more easier to deal with BB rebellions if it has a large majority
size of the majority in commons
A larger majority makes it much easier to deal with party divisions and pass bills.
With a small majority a small rebellion may be fatal. Tony Blair’s 419 seats in the Commons in 1997 allowed him to make many big constitutional changes. Johnson’s 365 seats in 2019, able to pass EU Withdrawal Agreement
Theresa May’s position was weakened considerably after losing her Commons majority in 2017
Even with a big majority, a PM can lose authority, as happened with Blair in 2007, Johnson after ‘partygate’corruption scandals, and Truss after the ‘mini-budget’
popularity
The electorate decides on the fate of the PM and party next election. A decline in popularity undermines the authority of the PM. In the end the party may decide it is better to have another leader. Thatcher and Blair both lost their popularity and were forced to resign by their parties.
A decline in popularity was a cause of loss of authority for May
Johnson has been under threat since news about a range of illegal parties in Downing Street, and Johnson misleading Parliament about it
Johnson has been powerful (e.g. Brexit in January 2020) without ever being particularly popular.
Popularity is influenced by events out of control from the PM
unexpected events
Events outside their control can make or break a prime minister. The COVID-19 pandemic hugely influenced Johnson’s popularity, success and authority
The global financial crisis harmed Brown and Labour’s trust to manage the economy
Reacting effectively to unexpected events can also boost or even save a prime minister
