The PM and the executive Flashcards
What are the powers of the executive?
Prerogative powers
Introducing legislation
Secondary legislation
What are the prerogative powers of the executive?
Powers exercised by ministers in the name of he monarch- without parliaments consent. For instance- Agreeing to treaties International diplomacy Deployment of armed forces Patronage powers.
Examples of prerogative powers:
1) Agreeing to treaties
2) International diplomacy
3) Deployment of armed forces
4) Patronage powers
1) the Paris agreement (2015)- agreed to keep global temp at about 2 degrees
2) negotiations on the UK’s departure from the EU with Michel Bamier
3) the Falklands war(1982)
4) PM’s reshuffle of cabinet in Jan 2018
In what event does the government set out its legislative agenda?
In the queens speech at the state opening of parliament.
Why should the government find it relatively straight forward to pass its bills?
Typically has a majority in the H.o.C
Tendency for tight party discipline in the H.o.C
Fusion of powers
Controls most of parliamentary agenda
What is secondary legislation?
A form of legislation that allows the provisions of an act of parliament to be implemented or altered by ministers, with light requiring additional primary legislation?
Why is secondary legislation controversial?
It allows for significant changes to the law to be made without the expressed consent of parliament. This hinders the ability of parliament to undertake effective scrutiny.
What is collective responsibility?
Constitutional convention that means the gov’ is collectively responsible to Parliament. The survival of the executive nests on sustaining the confidence of the House of Commons.
Give 2 more features of collective responsibility
Monsters are collectively responsible fo all government policies, meaning minsters must publicly support all decisions or offer their resignation.
Cabinet business must be kept confidential, allowing for the gov’ to present a united front.
How can one argue that collective responsibility enhances the power of the PM?
They won’t experience open dissent from those within gov’, so to also provide a united front. The pay role vote also means that the gov’ will have larger support in Parliament and government.
Also, if an MP is critiquing the government they can be brought into government as a minister to kept the silent.
Explain 2 recent occasions when collective responsibility has been suspended?
2010-15 coalition: ministers were only bound by coalition agreement- due to political realities.
The 2016 brexit referendum.
What is individual ministerial responsibility?
Each minister is individually responsible for matters that affect his or her department separately.
They are also responsible for:
-there own performance as a minister
-conduct as an individual.
What are the principles of individual ministerial responsibility?
Minsters must be accountable to parliament for policies and decisions made by their department.
What are some key examples of individual ministerial responsibility?
Andrew Mitchell 2012- resigned after allegedly insulting police outside Downing Street.
Amber Rudd April 2018- resigned after she had stated that there were no targets for removal but a leak to the guardian of a home office memo saying they had set a target of achieving 12,800 deportations in 2017-18 meant that she had to resign.
What are the theories of executive power?
Traditional view- of the cabinet government. Believe executive power is vested collectively in cabinet.
More Modern view (post 1945)- of primeministerial gov’. Believe the PM had become dominant actor in the UK gov’ and is able to bypass the cabinet. No longer primes inter pares
