The powers of the PM Flashcards
What underlies the power held by the PM?
The royal prerogative
When did the power of the monarch begin to be curbed?
The 17th century
What are prerogative powers?
Powers that cannot be limited by parliament or any other body
Why could the royal prerogative not simply be delegated straight to parliament?
Because it is too big to efficiently do things like appoint ministers or deploy armed forces overseas
Why could the royal prerogative not be delegated to the cabinet?
Because different cabinet ministers will have conflicting ideas and goals; there needed to be a single figurehead within the cabinet
List the main roles and powers of the PM
- Controls senior public appointments, like ministers and senior civil servants
- Negotiating foreign treaties
- Commander-in-chief of the armed forces
- Conducts foreign policy and determines relations with foreign powers; represents the country internationally
- Heads the cabinet, deciding on its overall direction; decided what cabinet committees should exist and appoints people to them
- Sets the general tone of economic policy; with the chancellor often being a close colleague
How has the position of the PM as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces changed in recent years?
It is now noted that the PM can only take military action ‘on the advice and sanction of parliament’. However, once the forces have been deployed, the PM has general control of their actions
What two categories can prime ministerial powers be split into?
Formal and informal
Where do the formal powers of the PM tend to stem from?
The royal prerogative
Where do the informal powers of the PM tend to stem from?
The other 4 sources of prime ministerial authority (patronage, party, parliament, the people)
What are formal prime ministerial powers?
Powers that all PMs enjoy
What are informal prime ministerial powers?
Powers that vary depending on the PM
List some formal prime ministerial powers
- Patronage
- Chairing the cabinet and setting its agenda
- Foreign policy control
- Commander-in-chief
- Signing foreign treaties
- Calling an early general election
- Recalling parliament
List some informal prime ministerial powers
- Controlling and setting government policy
- Controlling and setting the legislative agenda
- Economic leadership
- Media focus and platform
- National leadership in times of crisis
Give an example of Thatcher using the royal prerogative?
When she sent a task force to liberate the Falklands in 1982
Give three examples of Blair using the royal prerogative?
- When he committed UK forces to help in the Kosovo war in 1999
- When he sent troops to Sierra Leone to save the elected government from armed insurgence in 2000
- When he used UK forces to assist the US in deposing Hussein in Iraq in 2003
Give an example of May using the royal prerogative
Called an early GE with two thirds majority vote in the commons in 2017
Give two examples of Johnson using the royal prerogative
- Appointed Nicki Morgan as a peer so she could continue as culture secretary
- Signed the divorce treaty to begin breaking ties between the EU and UK
What do the functions of the PM grant them in relation to other ministers?
Greater resources
What are the 5 main resources the PM had at their disposal?
- Patronage
- Cabinet authority
- Public standing
- Policy making input
- Party leadership
What does the power of the PM depend upon?
How well they use the resources at their disposal
What is the most significant power of prime ministerial patronage?
Appointing ministers
What does the ability to appoint life peers to the lords do?
Alter the party balance of the lords
How did Blair increase Labour representation in the lords?
By appointing 162 labour peers
Why was Johnson criticised for appointing conservative life peers?
Because he did this at a time when the house was trying to reduce its membership
Why did Johnson appoint David Frost as a peer?
Because he wanted to give his chief Brexit negotiator a cabinet position
Why did the PM’s role within the honours system change in 2007?
Because the ‘cash for honours scandal’ suggested that labour had been granting peerages to labour party donors
How does the revised honours system work?
Nominations are considered by an honours committee made up of civil servants and people independent of government. In cases where a donor is nominated, the committee will consider whether they are deserving
How have powers of patronage in other areas been curtailed for the PM?
They play no role in judicial appointments and can only suggest one name for ecclesiastical appointments
How does control over cabinet appointments aid the PM?
Because it means they can reward loyalty and penalise disloyalty
Why does the PM actually face informal constraints in terms of appointing the cabinet?
- They are unlikely to ignore senior party figures, even though some may be rivals for their job. Brown received assurances he would be chancellor in return for not standing against Blair in the 1995 leadership contest
- Blair was required under Labour party rules to select his first cabinet in accordance with the previous shadow cabinet
Who did May and Johnson dismiss upon taking office?
Many of the ministers who had served under their predecessors. This allowed them to exert their authority, but some of the dismissed ministers went on to cause trouble on the backbenches
How are ideological considerations important when appointing the cabinet?
A cabinet that contains only members of one wing of the party may not have complete party support. Thatcher had to include both dries and wets in her first cabinet. Blair appeased Old Labour by appointing John Prescott as deputy PM.
What types of diversity must a PM consider when appointing the cabinet?
Ethnic, gender and regional
What three things limit a PMs power to appoint the cabinet in practise?
- The need for diversity
- The need to appease all wings of the party
- The inability to ignore ‘big beasts’
What do cabinet reshuffles allow the PM to do?
Promote successful ministers, demote or dismiss underachievers and freshen up the team