The Cabinet Flashcards
what is the cabinet?
senior decision making body, chaired by the PM and members include secretaries of state + other senior ministers where the purpose is to discuss policy and make key decisions
Free expression in the Cabinet
soundproof walls in weekly meetings
big beasts definition
important and senior figures in the party who are well known and respected by the party and in public
examples of big bests in cabinet
Cameron in Sunak’s current cabinet
Boris Johnson, David Davis in May’s cabinet
Brown in Blair’s cabinet
Theresa May cabinet
- highly divided over Brexit
- big beasts - BoJo Foreign Sec and Davis Brexit sec - LEAVERS
- 16 Cabinet resignations - 3 great offices of state - BREXIT
- BoJo, Davis and Steve Baker resigned 2018
Brexit resignations May Cabinet
in July 2018, BoJo, David Davis and Steve baker all resigned from May’s cabient - ALL LEADING BREXITEERS (Baker was number 2 brexit sec)
effect of leading Brexiteers resignation from May Cabinet
weakened her stance as PM as had less support from Brexiteers
Cabinet Reshuffle def
addingand removing ministers to cabinet
Johnson cabinet reshuffle #1
- July 2019 - ‘summers day massacre’
- 11 fired and 6 resigned
- more ethnically diverse
- Raab became foreign sec
- Sajit Javid became Chancellor
- Patel became home sec
Johnson reshuffle 2
- Sunak promoted after Javid resigned after refusing to dismiss his advisors as Johnson was ordering him to do
- Sunak as chancellor
Johnson reshuffle 3
- Zahawi replaced Williamson
- Williamson resigned from bullying allegations - telling someone to ‘slit their throat’
- Truss replaced Raab when Raab did not come back from holiday after Taliban took over Afghanistan
Reasoning for BoJo choices in Cabinet
- Hard Brexiteers - Truss, Sunak
- Reliable people unlike Raab
- reward - Sunak promoted, Zahawi promoted after good Covid Vax scheme
why may a PM want big beasts in cabinet?
- public support
- valuable expertise and meritocracy
Tony Blair Cabinet
- PM government - sofa politics
- powerful rival in cabinet - Brown
- Lots of unity in Cabinet initially
Cameron Cabinet
- coalition so 22:5 Tory and LD split
- advised by quad - Cameron and Osborne, Clegg and Alexander
Impact the Quad had on cabinet?
undermined the power of the cabinet as they made key decisions and had the influencing power.
How is the PM limited by Cabinet?
- criticism to PM in a cabinet government - Johnson opposing May in her Cabinet - improves leadership but limits PM
- minority government heads rely on cabinet - Cameron-Clegg = representation from other party
Why isn’t the PM limited in cabinet?
- if they have a strong majority, do not need cabinet support to pass legislation - just a rubber stamp
- PM chooses their cabinet so may not choose opposers and only people loyal to them
Liz Truss Cabinet
- big beasts: Braverman and Cleverly
- loyalty: Kwasi Karteng
Sunak Cabinet
- cabinet government
- big beasts: Cameron, Hunt, Cleverly currently, previously braverman
- maaaany resignations and betrayals of IMR and CMR - cannot control his cabinet
