Prime Minister and the Executive - Topic 3.3

Question 1

What are the powers of the PM?

Answer 1

• Determine the membership of government, including the cabinet and cabinet committees
• Make senior appointments to the civil service and judiciary
• Recommends most appointments of life peers to the Lords
• Negotiate foreign treaties
• Direct military forces in combat
• Decide whether to activate the UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent
• Defines the casting narrative of their government; the principles, ideals and spirit

Question 2

How is the Cabinet selected?

Answer 2

Influential colleagues and dominant personalities are most likely to get in as the PM is under great pressure to include them to garner party and popular support.

The PM advances key allies to senior positions as they can rely on them to provide unwavering support in crisis.

• Blair reshuffled his cabinet after his second landslide victory and introduced Labour modernisers to keep the government constantly reforming

The PM would also put poteintial rivals in government with them too, since this binds them to ministerial responsibility and therefore cannot publically criticise the government. Giving them high office could even result in them giving loyalty to the PM.

Question 3

How has the style of government changed since Wilson?

1964-

Answer 3

Since the 1960s, the centrality of the cabinet government has been questioned as PMs have acquired so many other sources of advice and information, so it can be argued that we now have a presidential government. The cabinet has become more of a rubber stamp for policies that have already been determined elsewhere in the core executive rather than a bounce-board of ideas.

The UK has morphed into a system of prime-ministerial government rather than cabinet.

Question 4

How did Blair increase control in the executive?

As well as receive new sources of information?

1997-2007

Answer 4

• Chief of Staff was established to coordinate government policy, demonstrating “a change from a feudal system of barons to a more Napoleonic system.” The role still exists
• PM Strategy and Delivery Unit were established and further challenged the autonomy of cabinet ministers by setting their departments’ targets and monitoring performance
• The Press Office became more prominent in government, ensuring that Downing Street had more control over how news stories were presented and responded to
• The increased reliance on SPADS for advice rather than the civil service meant that as they are politicial appointments, they are committed to the same politicial ideology as the PM and likely to agree with the PM; i.e., Dominic Cummings under Johnson

Question 5

How does the Cabinet still have strength over the PM?

Examples

Answer 5

The PM’s ability to govern and achieve the outcomes they want depend on them maintaining the confidence of the cabinet.

Anthony Eden - 1955-57

• Forced to announce a ceasefire with Egypt in 1956 when the cabinet refused to support further hostilities

Harold Wilson - 1964-70, 1974-76

• Failed to combat growing trade union power when leading members of his cabinet, led by Callaghan, refused to support him over ‘In Place of Strife’

Margaret Thatcher - 1979-90

• Heseltine resigned from cabinet in 1986 and Thatcher’s power was significantly reduced as he was her main rival in the party and garnered support
• When she lost support of cabinet, she was forced to resign

Theresa May - 2016-19

• Jeremy Hunt refused to be moved from the Department of Health and even expanded its role to being the Department of Health and Social Care

Boris Johnson - 2019-22

• After suffering major resignations such as the join Savid Javid and Rishi Sunak resignations, he was forced to resign from office

Question 6

How did Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet’s relationship change?

1979-1990 (Con.)

Pre-1997 PM & Cabinet

Answer 6

First government - 1979-83

• Facing opposition from one-nation Conservatives who distrusted her because of their disagreement over monetary policy, she ensured cabinet unity by thoroughly debating controversial policies

Second & Third governments - 1983-87, 1987-90

• As challenges to her authority dimished over time, she used her cabinet less and less and confided in those who agreed with her policies and were loyal to her, with majority of her cabinet being sidelined or replaced with ideologically-likeminded ministers

Question 7

What was Boris Johnson’s relationship with cabinet?

2019-2022 (Con.)

Post-1997 PM & Cabinet

Answer 7

Even having a 80-seat majority, Johnson understood the importance of his cabinet and regularly debated contentious issues with his ministers to maintain unity and to prevent resignations.

Cabinet freely discussed the case for new Covid restrictions and cases were presented by two sides of cabinet arguing for and against new restrictions. Johnson was unconvinced by the for, but the cabinet meeting lasted for double its intended time.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Johnson summoned an emergency cabinet meeting in COBRA to fully brief its members on the government’s response to the invasion, to ensure a united front.

Johnson’s relationship with his cabinet only began to deteriorate when Partygate was in the public eye and his covering up of the Chief Whip Chris Pincher sexually assaulting to men. Lack of integrity meant that his two most important and loyal members had began to sunk his ship; he resigned two days later.