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UK Government > The PM & The Executive > Flashcards

The PM & The Executive Flashcards

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1
Q

What is Individual Ministerial Responsibility?

A
  • Ministers are responsible for the performance of their department and are expected to resign if there are major failings in their department’s work or conduct.
  • Must behave appropriately in personal life.
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2
Q

What is an example of individual ministerial responsibility?

A
  • Rudd 2018, the Home Secretary, resigned due to misleading the Home Affairs Select Committee over her department’s targets for deporting illegal immigrants.
  • Patel 2017, resigned as UK international development secretary over her unauthorised meeting with Israeli officials.
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3
Q

What are two advantages of individual ministerial responsibility?

A
  • It holds the gov to account
  • There is a strong standard of behaviour maintained by gov officials.
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4
Q

Where does individual ministerial responsibility fail?

A
  • It fails when ministers don’t resign and blame others in their department.
    e.g. 2011 Home Secretary May did not resign over weakened border checks, allowing suspected terrorists into the UK. She blamed Clark, head of the UK Border Force.
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5
Q

What is collective ministerial responsibility?

A

A convention that cabinet members must publicly support the decisions made by the cabinet, otherwise they must resign.

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6
Q

What is an example of collective ministerial responibility?

A
  • 2018, Johnson resigned as foreign secretary as he disagreed with the govs ‘Chequers deal’ for leaving the EU.
  • Hancock, 2021, quit as health secretary after breaking social distancing guidelines.
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7
Q

What are two advantages of collective ministerial responsibility?

A
  • Ensures the gov appears united and that they support other gov ministers.
  • Ensures a strong gov as it means the gov has a clear official position on policies.
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8
Q

What is a disadvantage of collective ministerial responsibility?

A

Ministers have to defend policies they don’t agree with, meaning policies can be forced upon them by the PM.

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9
Q

What’s an example of the problem with collective ministerial responsibility?

A

Members of Blair’s cabinet were not asked for their approval on invading Iraq in 2003, until 3 days before, where cabinet ministers claim they were forced to agree.

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10
Q

What’s an example to where a PM relaxed collective ministerial responsibility?

A

Cameron during EU ref, giving ministers the choice to campaign for staying/leaving the EU.

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11
Q

What are the powers of the PM?

A
  • Patronage
  • Chief negotiator
  • Chief legislator
  • Chief commander
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12
Q

Define Patronage.

A

Power to promote, demote, appoint and dismiss someone to the cabinet.

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13
Q

The gov introduced 360 statutory instruments under what act for covid?

A

The Public Health Act 1984

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14
Q

What is another phrase for being prime-ministerial?

A

First among equals

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15
Q

Why may a PM be seen as presidential?

A
  • If they have signed treaties.
  • Has international recognition.
  • Media focuses on PM.
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16
Q

What are four sources of the PMs power?

A
  • The ruling party
  • Royal prerogative
  • Popular mandate
  • Parliament
17
Q

When did Sunak use patronage?

A
  • Suella Braverman returned as home secretary - less than a week after she resigned from the role over a data breach, leaving with a brutal attack on Liz Truss’s government’s direction on migration.
  • After taking over as PM, he kept a number of ministers in the same posts they were in before - including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
18
Q

How did Blair try to set up a media agenda that was favourable towards him?

A

Hired Alistair Campbell as his press secretary.

19
Q

How did Cameron use patronage negatively?

A

He appointed lots of ministers to limit the number of backbench rebellions 2011

20
Q

What are functions of the cabinet?

A
  • Provides a key forum in which gov decisions are legitimised.
  • Defines key issues of policy.
  • Discuss schedule if meetings.
  • Resolve conflict.
  • Scrutinise the PM.
21
Q

What are four factors which may influence who the PM appoints to the cabinet?

A
  • Individual’s experience.
  • Rewarding loyalty and key allies.
  • Maintaining balance between different fractions in the party.
  • Meeting expectations of diversity.
22
Q

What are factors which effect the relationship between the PM and the Cabinet ?

A
  • Management skills
  • Use of cabinet committees and special advisors
  • Impact of wider political/social situation
23
Q

What does COBRA stand for ?

A

Cabinet Office Briefing Room A

24
Q

What is COBRA’s purpose?

A

High level coordination and decision making in event of major emergencies.

25
Q

What is a Prime Minister government?

A

Model gov which the PM is dominant and the cabinet is relegated to a subordinate decision making role.

26
Q

Why does the PM have more power?

A
  • Monarch loosing power.
  • Role of media.
  • Advisors.
  • When the cabinet acts as a ‘rubber stamp’ (just agreeing) ~ kitchen politics
  • Under National events.
27
Q

What is a cabinet government?

A

Members likely to be ambitious, have power.

28
Q

What 4 factors does a cabinet government depend on?

A
  • Events
  • Rivals
  • Media
  • Majority
29
Q

What was ‘The Quad’?

A

In Cameron’s gov, they met on matters which may be contentious between lib dem and tories prior to cabinet meetings.

30
Q

How did May attempt to achieve a united approach to Brexit?

A

She summoned the whole cabinet to chequers

31
Q

How many times was May defeated?

A

33

32
Q

What was the issue around Attlee’s Nagasaki Bomb Manhattan Project?

A

Chancellor of the Exchequer disagreed and anyone who opposed the bomb was excluded from the meeting.

33
Q

What was the Winter of Discontent? (1978 made Callaghan appear weak)

A

widespread strikes by private, and later public, sector trade unions demanding pay.

34
Q

How did Thatcher ruin her relationship with her cabinet?

A
  • She was unwilling to debate controversial issues like the poll tax.
  • Said ‘as long as they do what I say’.
35
Q

How had Blair became presidential?

A
  • ‘Peoples princess’ speech
  • Only defeated 5 times
  • Advisors > cabinet
  • Iraq war
36
Q

Who discussed the idea of an ‘elected dictatorship’?

A

Hailsham

37
Q

What three things contribute to an elected dictatorship

A
  • Collective responsibility
  • Large majorities
  • Three line whips
38
Q

When was there a lack of individual ministerial responsibility with Priti Patel?

A

Home office said there was a humanitarian funding and that there was eases in Calais which had facilities to issue visas for fleeing immigrants.

39
Q

What are statutory instruments?

A
  • A form of legislation which allow the provisions of an Act of Parliament to be subsequently brought into force or altered without Parliament having to pass a new Act.
  • They are also referred to as secondary, delegated or subordinate legislation.

UK Government (7 decks)

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