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
What can force a cabinet reshuffle at an unwanted time for the PM?
An unexpected cabinet resignation, but in most cases the PM will have control over when a cabinet reshuffle occurs
What is a cabinet reshuffle?
A series of changes to cabinet personnel and the positions they occupy, instigated by the PM
How can the power to dismiss cabinet ministers backfire?
A botched reshuffle can highlights questions about the PM’s judgement, reveal cabinet decisions and highlight policy failures.
Give three examples of cabinet dismissals backfiring
- Harold Macmillan’s reshuffle in 1962, where he sacked 7 cabinet ministers, was dubbed ‘the night of the long knives’
- Thatcher’s demotion of foreign secretary Geoffrey Howe in 1989, as it was resignation a year later that would trigger her downfall
- Johnson’s 2020 reshuffle, with Javid resigning as chancellor after refusing to have his spAds replaced
How can senior ministers thwart a PM’s plans for a cabinet reshuffle?
By refusing to switch posts
Give two examples of a senior minister thwarting a cabinet reshuffle?
- Brown planned to make Ed Balls chancellor in 2009, but Alistair Darling refused to switch posts and Brown relented
- Jeremy Hunt successfully argued that he should not be removed as health secretary in 2018 and was granted extra powers over social care
What does the PM have significant authority within?
The core executive
What is the core executive?
The heart of government, consisting of the people and organisations who coordinate central government activity
Describe how the PM controls the core executive
- Chairs cabinet meetings
- Manages the agenda of cabinet meetings and determines their frequency and length
- Directs and sums up cabinet discussions
- Creates cabinet committees and appoints their members
- Holds bilateral meetings with ministers
- Appoints senior civil servants
- Organises the structure of government
What are skillful PMs able to do in cabinet discussion?
Ensure that their position prevails
What will happen if the PM is either too domineering or indecisive in cabinet?
It will undermine their authority
What will an effective PM do within cabinet?
Act as a coordinator on disputed issues. They will direct general government strategy by providing a sense of cohesion, direction and purpose
What can the PM create to drive forward their agenda?
Cabinet committees. An example of this would be when Johnson created one for the union
What are the three ways the PM can control the agenda of cabinet meetings?
- Determining which issues and papers should be brought before the cabinet to control the information received by ministers
- Keeping contentious issues off the agenda by dealing with them in cabinet committees or bilaterals
- Deciding the chair, membership and remit of cabinet committees
What does the PM have license to do in terms of policy making?
Get involved with issues across the political spectrum
What can the PM do if they have a strong interest in an issue?
Give it a central place in the government’s programme
What three policy areas do PMs tend to take the most active interest in?
- Economic
- Foreign
- Anything relating to a crisis
Who will the PM need the backing of on major issues?
Senior ministers
How will the PM exert influence over foreign and economic policy despite the importance of the roles of chancellor and foreign secretary?
They are likely to set objectives and direct and coordinate policy in these areas
How was Thatcher influenced by senior ministers in 1989?
Because her chancellor, NIgel Lawson, and foreign secretary, Geoffrey Howe, threatened to resign if Thatcher continued to block the UK’s entry into the ERM
Give an example of a PM who played an active role in many policy fields
Thatcher; policy successes, like the Falklands, strengthened her position, whereas policy failures, like the poll tax, weakened her position
How did taking too much of a role in policy making negatively impact Blair?
The questions over whether the government was just in going to war in Iraq led to questions about Blair’s personal judgements and trustworthiness
What did May and Johnson both take overall charge on?
Brexit strategy
How much was Cameron able to control policy in the coalition?
It did limit him, but he set the overall agenda and determined the responses to crises
How does a majority in parliament strengthen the position of the PM?
Because they are better able to enact the government’s programme
Why can a PM not rely upon party support?
Due to increased backbench rebellions
Give two examples of Cameron buckling in the face of backbench rebellions
- The coalition dropped their plans for lords reform after opposition from conservative backbenchers
- Conservative rebellions on EU issues contributed to Cameron’s decision to hold a referendum on EU membership
What makes the position of conservative and labour party leaders legitimate?
They are elected by their MPs and party members. The length and cost of a leadership election makes a sudden withdrawal of party support unlikely
Give an example of a PM forced from office after failing to win a leadership contest
Thatcher in 1990
What did Blair and Brown both have to survive?
Attempts by labour MPs to force them from office
How did Major reassert his authority within the party in 1995?
By resigning as party leader and winning in a leadership election - with 2/3 of the party supporting him
What gives the PM such a high public standing?
They provide political leadership at home and represent the nation in foreign affairs
Give two examples of PMs who made their mark on the international stage and had close relationships with US presidents
Blair and Thatcher
How does the PM act as the communicator in chief for the government?
By articulating its policy programme and objectives. Twice yearly appearances infront of the commons liaison committee is the formal representation of this
What will public satisfaction with the PM do to their position?
Strengthen it; a PM perceived as strong and effective will have greater authority than one perceived as weak and out of touch
Give an example of a PM who polarised public opinion but was viewed as a strong leader
Thatcher; this image was profitable for much of her premiership, but in the end she was viewed as autocratic
Make the case that patronage brings the PM significant power
- They can appoint ministers
- They can place allies in key roles
- They can dismiss ministers
- They can appoint outsiders to the government
Make the case that authority in the cabinet brings the PM significant power
- Chairs and manages cabinet meetings
- Can steer and sum up cabinet decisions
- Can create cabinet committees and appoint members to them
- They can use bilaterals to steer policy
Make the case that party leadership brings the PM significant power
- The position grants them authority
- They have been elected to the position by MPs and party members
- The party will normally have a commons majority
Make the case that having a substantial policy making role brings the PM significant power
- Directs government policy and sets the agenda
- Direct policy in areas of their choosing
- Represent the UK in international affairs
Make the case that the PM’s office brings the PM significant power
It provides advice and support to the PM
Disprove the idea patronage grants the PM significant power
- Senior ministers might have claims to posts
- They can be restricted by the need to have an ideological balance to represent different wings of the party
- Botched reshuffles can create rivals
- Their choice is limited by talent availability
Disprove the idea that control of the cabinet brings the PM significant power
- Problems can arise if big beasts feel ignored
- Senior ministers may challenge the PM’s policy preference
- The PM is not involved in the detailed policy making that occurs in cabinet committees
- Ministers represent departmental interests, seeking additional resources and influence
Disprove the idea that party leadrship brings the PM significant power
- Party support is not unconditional
- Party rules allow for a leadership challenge
- Backbench rebellions have become more frequent
Disprove the idea that public standing brings the PM significant power
- Unpopularity with voters can undermine their authority
- They are blamed for government failings
- They are expected to reflect the public mood
Disprove the idea that having a substantial role in policy making brings the PM significant power
- They are expected to be able to articulate a vision
- They lack the time and expertise to have any significant involvement in this
- Globalisation has reduced their scope for action
Disprove the idea that the PM’s office has brought the PM significant power
It has limited resources available to it
Make the case that the coalition government was a significant constraint on Cameron’s power?
- The coalition agreement meant that Cameron could not dismiss or reshuffle Lib Dem cabinet ministers without Clegg’s approval
- The government’s policies were set out in the coalition in the Coalition Agreement and the lib dems resisted deviation from this
- Key issues had to be discussed in the cabinet to ensure both parties agreed, forcing cabinet government
- Cameron had to manage the relationship between the conservatives and lib dems, alongside ERG dissent
Make the case the coalition did not act as a significant constraint on Cameron’s powers as PM
- Retained significant patronage powers, like creating and making appointments to cabinet committees
- Determined the overall thrust of government policy and shaped its response to key issues
- Decisions were often made within the quad or with Clegg alone
- The coalition gave Cameron a healthy parliamentary majority and proved stable
What did Blair do to take control of the party in his first conference speech in 1994?
Advised the party to revise its constitution and drop clause IV
What did Blair do to take control of the party in his first conference speech in 1994?
Advised the party to revise its constitution and drop clause IV
What did Blair do to take control of the party in his first conference speech in 1994?
Advised the party to revise its constitution and drop clause IV
What did Blair and Brown do to instantly assert their authority in 1997?
Gave the BoE the freedom to set interest rates on their first day
When did Blair experience his first backbench rebellion?
In 1997, 47 backbenchers rebelled against his decision to cut benefits to single parents
