The Executive - unit 2 Flashcards
Definition of the Executive
The collective group of the PM - head and appointed by monarch
Cabinet - senior people in gov departments
Junior Ministers - assisting senior people in policy decision
Civil service - permanent officials day to day running
known as the government
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Main roles of the Executive
- Propose legislation - sets Parl agenda and develops 1st reading on policy decision
- Proposes a budget - needs to be approved by Parl - calculates how much money is needed for proposed policies, taxation, duties, investment and loans
- Makes policy decision within law and budget - how to enforce legislation and amendments
- Armed conflict, security threats and social disorder such as conducting foreign policy and responding to major crisis
Definition of the Royal Prerogative
A set of powers and privileges belonging to the monarch but normally exercised by the PM or Cabinet, such as the granting of honours or legal pardons
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Role of the PM
- Heads the Cabinet system - chooses members, sets agenda, what committees should exist
- Sets general tone for economic policy
- Appoints and dismisses gov (parliamentary leader) and can call a general election
- Commander in chief of armed forces, conducts foreign policy and has the power to negotiate foreign treaties
The nature of the Cabinet
Consists of 20-25 senior government ministers chosen by PM that mainly control gov departments, this is where the main decision making happens in government. All gov decisions have to be cleared here for it to be official policy
The four great offices of state
Defence, Health and Social Care, Business and energy and industrial strategy
Role of Cabinet - Emergency and Crisis management
In emergency, PM may revert to collective wisdom
Shown through military operations as the UK intervention in Afghanistan in 2001 under Blair
COVID-19 lockdown decisions under Johnson in 2020
Role of Cabinet - Policy presentation
How policy will be presented to Parl, the gov’s own MPs and peers, the public and the media
Helps to present a united front against government ministers who feel ‘informed’ and ‘read in’ to the work of government
Shown through Blair’s press secretary Alastair Campbell who used to use a weekly media ‘grid’ to plan announcements on policy to the press, in order to avoid different departments competing from press coverage
Role of Cabinet - Resolving disputes
Occasionally, disputes within ministers - often how the gov expenditure should be allocated to different departments
Cabinet as final court of appeal
Shown through Callaghan allowing rival groups of ministers to present their cases for and against a large financial bailout from the IMF in 1976.
These disputes can be leaked to the press
Role of Cabinet - Setting government agenda
Most gov business passes through Parl and different gov have different priorities
Cabinet is the place where legislation is scheduled and strategies to make sure it has enough support are discussed
Presence of chief whip and leader of the HOC are key here
Role of Cabinet - Ratifying decisions made elsewhere
PM often in situations for international agreement (climate change conferences like COP27) foreign policy decisions (in COBRA meetings with military and intelligence chiefs) or even decisions with domestic policy (with individual ministers)
Need to be formally signed off in Cabinet as part of collective decision making
Cabinet Committees purpose
Chaired by PM or senior minister
Present proposals to full Cabinet and usually accepted or referred back to Committee for an amendment
Chancellor of the Exchequer purpose
Economic and financial policy - ‘fait accompti’
Annual autumn statement - budget in March, revealed to Cabinet on eve of Parliament presentation
Budget must be passed by parl - formally, often dissension
2017 Phillip Hammond proposed higher national insurance for self employed - resisted by all opposition parties and Conservative rebels, measure quickly dropped
Groups of Ministers purpose
Policy develops here with professional advisors, policy units and think tanks
Bring policy ideas to the rest of Cabinet and PM to obtain approval - if other ministers have problems with it it is voiced well in advance
Individual ministers purpose
Policies that require gov departments specifically but require wider approval presented to Cabinet by relevant minister alongside civil servant
Wider government
Made up of elected - PM, Cabinet, over 100 junior ministers who are either business managers for government, assistants to cabinet ministers or heads of small government departments
AND unelected - Cabinet Secretary, Chief of Staff, No.10 policy unit
PM and Cabinet are simply ‘public face’ of government
Development of policy
Although advice from unelected advisors may be taken, final decisions are made by ministers who are publicly accountable
Implementation of policy
The organisation of the state, largely undertaken by unelected officials. Ministers still remain accountable for the quality of administration
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Why are ministers selected?
- Must have potential - younger MPs who can take senior posts in the future - Gavin Williamson in May’s Cabinet, Oliver Dowden for Sunak
- Alike political philosophies - New Labour or Thatcherism - Mandelson in Blair gov and Hunt in Cameron gov - ‘the fellow Cameron moderniser’
- Can represent an important section of their party - Gove or Johnson prominent Brexiteers in May gov, Suella Braverman in Sunak gov for the right
- A respected potential rebel - David Davis in May gov
US president Lyson Johnson famously said that it is better to have your rivals ‘inside the tent pissing out, rather than outside the tent, pissing in’
Collective ministerial responsibility
Ministers must support Cabinet decisions or leave the executive
The 5 principles of collective responsibility
- Ministers collective responsible for all gov decisions
- Must publicly support gov decisions even if they disagree
- Must resign before speaking out
- If they don’t resigned, can be expected to be dismissed by PM
- All Cabinet meetings secret (and kept so for 60 years) any dissent there is concealed (but leaks)
3 exceptions to collective responsibiltiy
- Coalition 2010-2015 - impossible for 2 separate parties to agree on everything - part of the agreement was to let some areas in policy not be included
- EU referendum 2016 - Con ministers free to express view counter to official gov positions - Former Justice Secretary Michael Gove and former leader of the HOC Chris Grayling openly campaigned against official gov line
- May weak leadership in 2017-19 - failed to exert it as various people become openly critical on Brexit - hard finding a consensus between 2 divided sides and forcing ministers to resign
Individual ministerial responsibility
The principle in which ministers are responsible for their personal conduct for that department
The 3 principles of individual ministerial responsibility
- Must be held accountable to Parl for their policies and decisions on that department in the form of question time, Select Committee scrutiny or Urgent Q in the house - David Davis grilled on Brexit impact assessments in Dec 2017, Rudd Windrush scandal 2018
- If they make a serious error of judgement in running of department of policy by themselves or their departmenr, resign
- If personal conduct of minister falls below standards required for someone in public office, particuarily if they’ve breached Ministerial code of conduct, resign or be dismissed