The PM and the Executive Flashcards
THREE roles of the executive
Proposing legislation
Proposing budget
Making (executing) policy decisions within laws and budget.
Individuals that are part of executive?
- PM
- Cabinet
- Cabinet Committees
- Junior ministers
- Civil service
- Government departments
What THREE principles define the civil service?
- Neutrality
- Anonymity
- Permanence
This means they should provide impartial advice to any government on policy development and implementation.
What is the Ministerial Code?
Sets out the standards and conduct expected of ministers, including the principles of collective ministerial responsibility and individual ministerial responsibility.
Includes the provision that “Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the PM”.
Existed at least since WW2, but first published in 1992.
Revised (weakened) by Johnson.
Who is responsible for enforcing breaches of the ministerial code (including IMR and CMR)?
The Prime Minister can ask the Cabinet Secretary or independent advisor to investigate breaches, but ultimately decision on enforcement rests with PM.
Other possible sanctions for breaches include public apology, remedial action or financial penalty.
What is individual ministerial responsibility?
The convention that ministers are responsible for their personal conduct and for the work of their department.
* Amber Rudd resigned in 2018 saying she had “unintentionally misled” Parliament over deportation targets.
* Estelle Morris 2003* failure of department over A Level standards*.
* Dominic Raab 2023 after enquiry found evidence of intimidatory behaviour.
THREE examples where a minister has failed to take individual ministerial responsibility.
- 2020 Gavin Williamson Ofqual algorithm that downgraded A Level results for 1000s of students.
- 2020 Priti Patel refused to resign after inquiry found evidence of her bullying civil servants.
- Johnson over lockdown parties (until forced to resign by imminent publication of Privileges Committee Report June 2023).
TWO reasons why the convention of individual ministerial responsibility has eroded in recent years.
Ministerial resignations can make the government look weak, so government may try to‘ride out the storm’.
Loyal ministers may expect support as pay back (Johnson said publicly that Priti Patel still had his ‘full support’ after inquiry into bullying of civil servants in 2020 – his independent advisor resigned in protest, but PP kept her post)
Its smooth operation is dependent on the conduct of the PM: Johnson seriously undermined this by himself misleading parliament over Downing St parties that breached covid lockdown restrictions.
What is collective ministerial responsibility?
Unwritten convention that ministers must support government decisions in public, regardless of private reservations.
If they are unable to do so, they must resign.
* Robin Cook 2003: Iraq War.
* Iain Duncan-Smith 2016: disability benefit cuts.
* Sajid Javid 2020: replacement of his advisors by PM.
* 17 ministers (including 4 Cabinet ministers) resigned over May’s Brexit strategy July 2018-April 2019
THREE ways the conventions of ministerial responsibility are important?
IMR
* Ministers should uphold high standards of personal conduct
* Should not be ‘above the law’
* Ministers must be prepared to be accountable to Parliament for policies and decisions made by their departments – this ensures they manage their policy areas to best of their ability.
CMR
* Enables government to give a single view of future policy direction, which is helpful to public, businesses and public services planning their response.
* At same time allows for ‘free and frank’ discussion and debate in private, to ensure that policy is tested before it is announced.
TWO examples where CMR was formally suspended
During coalition: CMR only applied to policies that were part of the Coalition Agreement
Brexit referendum
What other circumstances may lead to a breakdown in collective responsibility?
When PM fails to apply the rules consistently or to obey them himself (Johnson’s partygate)
PM lacks authority to dismiss ministers who are disloyal (Theresa May). Personality clashes/factions in Cabinet (Blair-Brown)
Factors that affect PM’s selection of Cabinet members?
- Balance (geographic, demographic, political)
- **Ability **and experience
- ‘Big beasts’
- Personal relationships
What are the sources of PM power?
- Parliamentary majority (this is why the monarch invites the leader of largest party to form government, also makes getting legislation enacted easier)
- Patronage (the so-called ‘payroll vote’)
- Royal prerogative
- Party support
- Popularity with the public
- Media focus on PM as government figurehead
- Institutional resources (Cabinet Office)
Examples of prerogative powers and how they have been limited in recent years.
- Appoints Cabinet, senior civil servants, life peers
- Directs military action including Trident (since 2003 convention that Parliament should have final say on declaring war, though May authorised bombing of Syria in 2018 without parliamentary approval)
- Negotiate foreign treaties (but Supreme Court ruling on Brexit: treaties approved by Parliament can only be undone by Parliament)
- Decide when to hold a general election (was removed by FTPA but this now repealed)
