Prime Minister and executive Flashcards
Who controls the appointment of ministers?
The Prime Minister
What is collective ministerial responsibility?
All cabinet ministers stick to an agreed policy and do not question it in public
Why is collective responsibility necessary?
Ensures minister unity and keeps government decisions confidential
What is the expectation of a minister who does not agree to collective responsibility?
They are to resign
Give an example of a minister who resigned due to not accepting collective responsibility
Baroness Warsi reigned from Cameron’s government in 2014 over policy in Israel
Which recent government has been strained by cabinet divisions?
Theresa May in 2018 whose cabinet was split between Remainers and leavers
What is individual ministerial responsibility?
When ministers take responsibility for their own actions
Give an example of individual ministerial responsibility
David Cameron resigned as PM in 2016 after losing the EU referendum
Give an example of when a minister has resigned over breaking the law
Amber Rudd resigned as home secretary in 2018 after she deliberately mislead parliament over immigration targets
What are royal prerogative powers?
exercised on behalf of the monarchy by the PM and executive
Name the five royal prerogative powers
Patronage
Commander in Chief
Call an election
Head of the civil service
Make treaties with other countries
Name an implied power of the prime minister?
appointing ministers
How can the PM use the power of appointing ministers to their advantage?
They can appoint close allies such as Gordon Brown appointing Ed Balls to aid his own rise in office
Name three factors effecting the PM’s power?
Events
Opposition
Cabinet and party
Give an example of events limiting a PM’s power?
Tony Blair faced massive opposition to the Iraq war which saw more than 2 million protestors marching in London
How can cabinet limit a PM’s power?
divisions within the cabinet can prevent decisions being made such as Theresa May failing to deliver Brexit due to divisions in her cabinet
How can a weak opposition party effect a PM’s power?
Weak opposition allows for more domination such as Blair VS Major, Blair won with 418 seats
What did the 2010 coalition agreement do to Cameron’s power of patronage?
Limited them as he could not appoint members without approval from Nick Clegg
How did the coalition government iron out matters before cabinet meetings?
They used the “quad” which were the four most dominant Lib-Dem and Conservative leaders
Name a major matter that the Quad decided in 2013
the 2013 budget
What did David Cameron do when he wanted to initiate airstrikes in Syria?
Held a vote in the commons to which he lost
What did 2015 Shadow foreign secretary Hillary Ben say regarding ISIS airstrikes?
“we must now confront this evil” despite the Labour party being against these strikes
What are the two types of cabinet a PM can be faced with?
Watchdog- criticises the PM
Lapdog- Subservient to the PM
Name a watchdog cabinet
Theresa May who had a split between Brexiters and Remainers
