Prime minister and the Executive

Question 1

What is the executive

Answer 1

Another term for government

Question 2

What are the executive responsible for

Answer 2

they sit within the legislature and is responsible for the government of the country

Question 3

What are the most important elements of the executive

Answer 3

Prime minister and cabinet

Question 4

What comprises the cabinet

Answer 4

heads of the departments of state eg home and foreign secretary, chief whip - junior ministers too but they don’t attend cabinet

Question 5

Who else serves the executive and what is their role

Answer 5

Senior civil servants who run the administration of departments of state and implement governenment policies - most important chief secretary to the cabinet

Question 6

Who are the core executive

Answer 6

ministers and senior civil servants and political advisors whom the prime minister confides in when developing policy

Question 7

How does the executive govern the nation

Answer 7

1 introduces parliament proposals for new legislation based on the manifesto on which it fought the general election - includes monarchs speech delivered at the state opening of parliament
2 introduces legislation into parliament in response to changing circumstances (known as doctors mandate)
3 introduces the budget which outlines how the government proposes to raise revenue
3 can introduce secondary or delegated legislation

Question 8

What is secondary or delegated legislation

Answer 8

process by which primary legislation can be amended by government departments without another Act

Question 9

What is the critism of secondary legislation

Answer 9

statutory clauses known as Henry V111 legislation are used to make amendments - so undemocratic and try to bypass parliamentary scrutiny and debate

Question 10

Where is the authority of the Prime Minister derived from

Answer 10

They have been asked by the monarch to form a government on their behalf

Question 11

How is the Prime Minister appointed

Answer 11

Selected because they can command the - support th majority of the MPs in the Commons they also need the support of their party Thatcher, Truss Johnson May all resigned because they lost the support of their party

Question 12

Can a PM be appointed if he doesn’t lead the party

Answer 12

Yes - Churchill asked to form a government
PM also has to be a member of the Commons

Question 13

Can a PM be asked to form a government without winning an election? When

Answer 13

Yes if the PM has resigned

Question 14

What is the royal prerogative

Answer 14

Executive powers of the monarchy eg command of armed forces, foreign policy

Question 15

Why does the PM exercise royal prerogative

Answer 15

Because we are a constitutional monarchy the powers have been transferred to the PM who uses them in behalf on the monarch but without needing the consent

Question 16

List some of the powers the PM has as a result of royal prerogative

Answer 16

1 determines membership of the government
2 makes senior appointments to civil service and judiciary
3 recomends most appointments of life peers
4 negotiates foreign treaties
5 directs military forces in combat
6 decides if to activate UKs Trident nuclear deterrent

Question 17

What is the role of a cabinet minister

Answer 17

1 senior member of government - most are heads of for their ares
a department of state eg education or transport
2 and so have major admin and policy making roles.
3 They attend cabinet and are bound by collective ministerial responsibility

Question 18

Who is the key figure in a department

Answer 18

Secretary of State

Question 19

What does the term individual ministerial responsibility mean

Answer 19

it is the principle that members of the cabinet take ultimate responsibility for that occurs within their department

Question 20

List principles the ministerial code of conduct 1997 established

Answer 20

1 ministers of the crown are expected to maintain high standards of behaviour
1.2 harassing bullying or another inappropriate or discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated
1.3 ministers have a duty to parliament to be held account for decisions and actions of their departments
1.4 ministers must give accurate and truthful information to parliament
1.5 ministers only remain in office for as long as they retain the confidence of the PM

Question 21

How do ministers avoid the ultimate responsibility when things go wrong n their department

Answer 21

They resign

Question 22

List 3 examples of ministers resigning over administrative or policy failure

Answer 22

1 1954 Thomas Dugdale when his department failed to return land to its rightful owner after it was compulsory purchased to be a bombing range before WW11
2 lord Carrington resigned after the Argentine invasion of the Falkland’s he should have been more aware of the Argentines intentions and have a clearer response
3 2002 Estelle Morris was caught up in inappropriate fixing of A level grades

Question 23

Identify 3 occasions when a minister has been held accountable for their personal conduct

Answer 23

1 `John Profumo Secretary of State for war 1963 press uncovered evidence of his affair with Christine Kelley who was also in a relationship with a soviet spy.
2 Chris Huhne 2012 media claimed he had perverted the course of justice by colluding with his wife to take responsibility for his speeding offenses
3 Matt Hancock 2021 Sun published a photo of him kissing a colleague

Question 24

What is collective ministerial responsibility

Answer 24

1 all members of the government are expected to public ally support agreed policies - if they can not they should resign
2 Convention also state if government loses a vote of no confidence in the commons the whole government must resign
3 ministers should not disclose contents of private ministerial discussions

Question 25

List 3 high profile ministerial resignations over collective responsibility

Answer 25

1 Boris Johnson 2018 resigned as he could not support Mays Brexit negotiations
2 Sunak 2022 resigned from Johnsons government stating differences in economic policy but it came soon after it became known that Johnson was aware of allegations that his chief whip had sexually assaulted men
3 Robin Cook 2003 resigned from Blairs government over its preparations for a war against Iraq

Question 26

List occasions when collective ministerial responsibility has been broken and ministers have chosen to remain in government

Answer 26

1 1974 3 members of Wilson’s government backed Labours condemning of governments decision for Britain to join South Africa in naval exercise as a gross error
2 2010-2015 Vince Cable a Lib Dem in coalition government frequently critical of conservative colleagues
3 2018 Boris Johnson very hostile criticism of Mays developing EU policy

Question 27

List 3 examples where on a rare occasion the PM has acknowledged it is impossible to achieve collective ministerial responsibility and the convention is suspended and ministers can public ally disagree

Answer 27

1 1975 during UKs referendum on continued membership of EEC
2 2016 David Cameron suspending collective ministerial responsibility on the subject of Remain
3 2010 Coalition not all areas were covered by the agreement so on these ministers could public ally disagree eg new nuclear power stations

Question 28

Who make up the cabinet and when and why for they meet

Answer 28

1 20-25 senior government ministers usually meet once a week for no more than 2 hours on a Thursday morning- although in a crisis can be summoned
2 PM sets agenda, chairs and Summerses and approves minutes
3 Votes are rarely taken There is a lot of debate and disagreement but publicly they are expected to support governments decisions and policies
4 if a member can not agree to policy they should resign and join the back benches where they are free to critique government

Question 29

List important cabinet roles

Answer 29

1 approve decisions taken else where and maintain unity
2 determine key issues of policy
3 decide how government will determine business if a controversial legislation is going through Parliament - decide how it is best presented and no when they should be on the front bench supporting it.
4 if a dispute between 2 departments is proving impossible to resolve cabinet has the final say.
5 PMs also appoint cabinet committees to develop and implement specific policy

Question 30

How is cabinet selected- factors that influences PMs decision

Answer 30

1 PM is under pressure to include influential colleagues and dominant personalities
2 PM can advance key allies to senior positions - they can rely on them in a crisis
3 PM would be wise to include potential rivals so they can be bound by ministerial responsibility and thus can not publicly critics e the government

Question 31

When is PMs right to appoint restricted

Answer 31

When there is a coalition

Question 32

What is a cabinet government

Answer 32

type of government where the cabinet plays a key role in development of policy

Question 33

What is prime ministerial government -

Answer 33

Model of government which PM is dominant and cabinet is subordinate

Question 34

What is the arguement in favour of the cabinet

Answer 34

it is the most powerful body PM does not dominate

Question 35

What is the critism of cabinet

Answer 35

the large size of cabinet stops constructive debate and so its function is rubber stamp policies that have already been determined

Question 36

What evidence is there that UK now has a priministerial government

Answer 36

1 position of chief of staff established to coordinate policy
2 establishment of PM strategy Unit and PM delivery unit sets targets and monitors the performance of ministers
3 Establishment of press office ensured Downing Street had more control over how news stories were presented and responded to
4 increasing reliance on special advisors instead of civil Servants as they are committed to same ideology as PM

Question 37

Does cabinet play a central role in British government

Answer 37

Yes
1 during political crisis OM will need to discuss all options with cabinet as it contains a collective wisdom of the government
2 Boris Johnson consulted cabinet on major crises such as spread of omicron variant - there was uncertainty over best approach to follow and so the cabinet provided an important method of debate
3 after Argentine invasion of Falkland’s Thatcher summoned an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss all diplomatic and military options
4 Theresa May called an urgent meeting to discuss military response to Syrian governments presumed use of chemical weapons - it was very important she had cabinet support as she was not going to consult with Hof C
5 When Russia invaded Ukraine Johnson held emergency cabinet meeting to ensure they were fully briefed on the governments response

PM also depends of cabinet support to remain in power
1 cabinet failed to offer Thatcher dull support during the leadership challenge which prompted her resignation
2 When the chancellor and health secretary resigned from Johnsons government it triggered 3 others to resign from cabinet Johnson felt his government was facing collapse so resigned
3 After sacking her chancellor Truss she was exposed by the resignation of the Home Secretary and a day later she resigned

6 James Callaghan discussed IMF loans and John Majors cabinet met in emergency meetings during black Wednesday economic crisis

NO
1 Harold Wilson liked to make decisions through a small close advisors in his flat
2 Harol McMillan appointed 4 chancellors in 6 years until he got one that “adopted” his view
3 Edward Heath made key decisions with trusted advisors
4 Margret Thatcher pushed issues such as poll tax through without enough discussion and discouraged discussion on westlands crisis

PM depends on cabinet support to remain in power
1 Blair liked to make decisions quickly and was impatient in long discussions and discouraged discussions having already made his decision
2 Theresa May call snap election without consulting cabinet and cabinet had no involvement with manifesto
3 Boris Johnsons key strategy decisions during pandemic mainly made with cooperation of Dominic Cummings
4 growing influence of Downing Street political advisors reduces importance of cabinet who usually meet once per week and advisors have constant access to PM

Question 38

2 examples of how PMs can approach cabinet

Answer 38

1 IMF loan 1976
In 76 labour government was undecided if to accept a loan from the International Monetary Fund which comes with strong demands on cuts in public spending. The chancellor said there was no alternative to the loan but Callaghan needed to prove cabinet was unified on the decision so allowed cabinet to debate the issue - he said we will have to rally the majority view whatever it is or i will not be able to carry on

2 Westland affair 1986
In 85 and 86 the department of trade and industry and ministers of defence clashed over if a British firm (Westland helicopters) should be taken over by an American or European bid. It went to cabinet to be resolved it was alleged that Thatcher was bias towards the Americans and it undermined genuine cabinet debate and Hesletine resigned

Question 39

To what extent is the PM the dominant force in politics

Answer 39

PMs authority depends of the circumstances at the time of office as they can be victims of changing political events

Question 40

Give examples where the PM has been a victim of changing political events

Answer 40

1 1963 Harold Macmillan resigned after his Secretary of State John Profumo had to resign over an affair with Christine Keeler that seemed to threaten national security
2 `Edward Heath successfully negotiated entry of UK in to EEC but his authority was challenged by miners strike in 1972 and 1974- he called a snap general election and lost
3 James Callaghan challenged post war economics and electively brought down inflation, he decided not to call an election in 1978 which he was expected to win. Governments authority was damaged by a series of strikes and his government then lost a vote of confidence
BEST EXAMPLE
The party was behind him after securing a Brexit deal but allegations broke out he had broken lockdown regulations and mislead parliament. His grip on power diminished his style of government was critised and 41% of Tory MPS voted against him in a vote of confidence . When it was known he had a ppointed a chief whip after personal allegations had been made against him his judgements were critised. 2 high profile cabinet members resigned within minutes of each other and Johnson was left completely exposed he announced his resignation 2 days later.

Question 41

The PM is the dominant force in UK Politics

Answer 41

There are forces beyond their control that can make it difficult for them to set political agenda
]YES
1policy unit and cabinet office reprort directly to PM. PM chooses their membership and they pay a key role in developing policy and ensure departments action them
2 PM determines main policy objectives of government
3 cabinet is selected by PM cabinet careers can be advanced or ruined by PM so he has significant power
4 Media spotlight is for used on PM strong communicators can use this to set the political agenda
5 PM decides crucial intelligence and ,military issues and in a national crisis eg Clovis 19 plays a key role determining the strategy
NO
1 PM can only dominate in certain circumstances
2 lack of charisma and division over Europe made it difficult fro May to control the political agenda
3 Major had small majority and they’re was division in the party over EU and this made it difficult for him to be a dominant force
4 As a coalition PM Cameron had to agree to certain policies as part of the agreement
5 Johnson lacked the [arliamentary support to achieve his EU withdrawal;
6 Johnson lost ability to control events as he lost support over allegations he had mislead parliament over lockdown regulations
7 Supreme Court can challenge authority of PM
8 Truss attempt to transform her governments economic strategy was condemned by International Monetary Fund. Back benchers and press turned against her she was forced out of office

Question 42

Why do some political commentators argue the position of PM is becoming more presidential

Answer 42

1 PM has become so dominant in cabinet
2 media have become so obsessed with their character
3 2010 2015 and 2017 general elections had TV leader debates - like USA and focused on leader

Question 43

When does this presidential is of PM date back to

Answer 43

1960s Harold Wilson was an admirer of JFK and he used TV to reach out to the public and create a close bond between him and voters
He was regularly photographed with celebrities ie Beatle

Question 44

What is spatial leadership

Answer 44

PM creates their own space by distancing themselves from the party so he can rise above the party

Question 45

Name 3 PMs who used spatial leadership

Answer 45

1 Thatcher - during Falkland’s War and the miners strike media focused on her leadership and not cabinet and she won support from traditional labour voters
2 Blair emphasized his moral focus developing his relationship with the public above other politicians. During lead up to Iraq war he put the case for war directly to the public through TV debates
3 Cameron often associated with policies with his authority rather than governments eg when he personally put forward a case for same sex marriages

Question 46

Under the presidential model what is the role of cabinet

Answer 46

Becomes irrelevant to decision making and PM ignores cabinet as they have their own mandate directly from the people

Question 47

How else did Blair make his government more like he was president

Answer 47

He appointed a chief of staff

Question 48

Why is it misleading to suggest PMs are now presidents

Answer 48

UK is a parliamentary democracy and government is based on the principles of collective responsibility

PM authority depends on having parliamentary majority ND MAINTAINING THE support of their party

Question 49

What makes a PM unsuitable to a presidential role

Answer 49

their character and political circumstances
Gordon Brown lacked charisma

Question 50

List the constitutional differences between presidents and PM

Answer 50

PMs
1 British PM is not directly elected by the public. In a general election electorate vote for a party leader
2 PM is accountable to government who can dismiss if they lose a vote of no confidence
3 PM is head of government not the head of state although most monarchs governing powers are devolved to PM
4 PM works closely with cabinet whose membership is selected by PM, they meet regularly under PMs chairmanship - principal of collective ministerial responsibility PM will want to achieve consensus in cabinet

Presidents
1in presidential government executive is selected separately from legislator
2 as president is elected separately to legislature they are not accountable to legislature
3 president is combined head of state and head of government
4 president selects cabinet outside of legislature - meets less frequently than cabinet and is more advisory than a central role

Question 52

Case study Harold Wilson

Answer 52

1 regarded as presidential PM
2 liked to ignore cabinet and make key decisions with a small group of trusted advisors
3 his party divided to the left and right
4 his cabinet was full of strong characters who wanted his job
5 Wilson was in conflict with cabinet over his plans to restrict power of unions - white paper “place of strigfe “ led to rows in cabinet 1969 most opposed and it led to Wilsons climb down
6 main reason Wilson won 1974 election was his promise of referendum on EEC membership

Question 53

Case study Margret Thatcher

Answer 53

1 had a complex relationship with her cabinet
2 had a clear sense of purpose but appreciated importance of discussing issues in cabinet to maintain a consensus
3 1981 allowed cabinet debate about tax raising budget
4 called an emergency cabinet meeting when Argentina invaded Falkland’s
5 after Falkland’s and miners strike she made decisions with small group of advisors
6 chancellor resigned as he complained she was listening to the economic advisors rather than him -this undermined her authority
7 unpopularity of pol tax and rising inflation led to decline in her popularity
8 resigned in 1990

Question 54

Case study Tony Blair

Answer 54

1 like Thatcher full of self confidence
2 HAD STRONG BOND WITH BRITISH Public
3 highly presidential approach - his cabinet notified of decisions Pm had already made
4 even before his cabinet had met it had been decided Bank of England would be given powers to raise interest rates
5 He was in favour of building millennium dome even though cabinet against
6 He did not consult on the Iraq war
7 his control of government diminished and cabinet looked to Gordon Brown

Question 55

Case study Theresa May

Answer 55

1 her reorganization of cabinet marked her authority on government
2 decision to call a snap general election was not discussed with cabinet and manifesto had no input from cabinet
3 her poor campaign in 2007 led to loss of parliamentary majority
4 because she didn’t have majority government had to rely on democratic support added to her constraints
5 date of uk to exit EU came closer her struggles became apparent resignations from chief cabinet members challenged her authority

Question 56

Case study Boris Johnson

Answer 56

1 first 6 months he was a weak PM - inherited ministers who tried to make life difficult for him and an energized labour government
2 3rd Sept 2019 House of Commons took control over government business and 4th put in legislation to stop possibility on no deal Brexit
3 on 3 occasions he failed to win parliamentary approval for early general election
4 in dec he ran a get Brexit done campaign and secured a parliamentary majority
5 Johnson’s authority increased as former labour seats became conservative
6 pandemic increased his authority with his regular speeches and connection with the nation
7his support of Ukraine further made him popular
8 in 2022 allegations of illegal lockdown parties began to undermine him
9 2022 41% conservatives voted against the PM in vote of confidence resignations of health secretary and chancellor meant the collapse of his control and he resigned