The Prime Minister And Executive Flashcards
Core structure of the uk executive
Prime minister
The cabinet (20-25 posts)
Government departments
Senior civil servants inc Cabinet Secretary
Various bodies that feed info / policy development to the cabinet (think tanks)
Sometimes a few v senior officials of governing party who are closely involved without an official post
What are key features of office of Prime Minister
Ultimate control of policy inc economic Leader of governing party and commands majority in HoC Enjoys prerogative powers Enjoys a mandate from the people Chairs cabinet and dominates proceedings
Who supports PM
Cabinet secretary
PM’s private office staff (civil servants)
Chief of staff
Special advisors
What is the cabinet Office
Government department
Staffed by civil servants
What is No 10 policy unit
Group of special advisers NOT civil servants who advise pm
Main features of the cabinet
All members appointed by pm
Pm chairs all meetings
20-25 members
Members all senior govt ministers/key officials
Meets once per week
Proceedings are secret
Detailed work of cabinet conducted in cabinet committees
What are cabinet committees
Small groups of ministers chaired by pm or another senior cabinet member
Develop policy details and present proposals to cabinet for approval
Most cabinet work done in these committees
Subcommittee COBRA - meets when there is an emergency
Is the cabinet a policy making body
Only v occasionally
Policy normally made elsewhere and cabinet merely ratifies it
Define a minister
An MP or Peer promoted by PM to run a govt department or carry out a specific role for the govt
What is a Secretary of State
A senior minister who runs a large department - likely to be a cabinet member
What is a minister of state
Runs a subdivision of the department
Not a cabinet minister
Parliamentary under Secretary of State
V junior minister
Runs specialised section of dept
What is a parliamentary private Secretary
First run on ministerial ladder
Unpaid
What are Secretaries of State known as
Right honourable members
What are roles of ministers/departments
Develop policies
Prepare case for implementation of policy to the cabinet
Develop a budget
Draft legislation when required
Organise passage of legislation inc secondary legislation
Appear regularly in parliament or before select committees
Make decisions which do not require cabinet approval
Use media old and new to explain policy
What are 4 roles of executive in general (there are 9)
Development of govt policy
Conducts foreign policy
Defence
Managing states finances
Responding to major problems or crises
Law and order (police/armed services/intelligence )
Drafting and securing passage of legislation
Organising implementation of legislation
Organising and managing services provided by the state
How are civil servants and special advisers different/the same
Both are unelected
Civil servants NOT subject to Prime ministerial patronage
Advisers can lose their jobs for political reasons while civil servants can not
Name 3 government departments and their cabinet ministers
Treasury - Rishi Sunak Foreign Office - Liz Truss Home office - Pritti Patel Defence - Ben Wallace Health - Sajid Javid Transport - Grant Shapps Education - Nadhim Zaharia Also Michel Gove and Jacob Rees Mogg have random jobs but are in cabinet
Describe the civil service
The permanent staff of the govt who advise and support the political leaders in enacting the work of the govt
Describe the cabinet
The senior Secretaries of State who head the govt departments and advise and consult the pm to formulate and co ordinate official policy
Name two occasions when a cabinet minster has failed to lead their department effectively
Gavin fucking Williamson the Education Secretary during covid Andrew Lansley (Health 2012 - hated by all and all reforms reversed since then) Ruth Kelly (education 2006) Norman Lamont (Chancellor in 1992)
Who writes the queens speech
The PM
Why is the queens speech significant
Sets out legislative programme for coming parliamentary session and officially opens the new session
Define royal prerogative
The powers of the monarch that are exercised by the pm
How has the PM’s power to declare war been limited
By the Blair convention
How has the PM’s power to appoint senior judges been limited
By creation of judicial appointments commission
How has the PM’s power to appoint members of the HoL been limited
By creation of Lords Appointment commission
How has the PM’s power to call a general election been limited
Limited by fixed term parliament act 2011
What is primary legislation
Statute Law
Introduced and passed by parliament
Highest form of law
Can only be altered by parliament
What is secondary or delegated legislation
Usually concerns detailed changes to the law made under powers from an existing act.
Allows govt to make changes to a law without needing to pass a completely new act
What are the advantages of the govt controlling the HoC
Enact manifesto policies
More easily pass legislation
Avoids delays
What are the disadvantages of the govt controlling the HoC
Govt with a clear majority are not subject to any effective checks and can therefore do what they like
Lack of scrutiny and oversight
This could lead to creation of an elective dictatorship
What do backbench revolts reveal about government power
Backbench revolts usually mean govt has lost power to control even its own supporters
Shows govt power is dependent on support of ordinary party mps
Why have govts come to rely more on secondary legislation
With a coalition govt followed by one with small majority it is easier to pass legislation without going to parliament
Particularly as work of govt has increased
Explain differences between selection of a president and a PM
President is elected and directly accountable to the people
PMs are ordinary members of their legislative chambers who rely on party support rather than popular mandate
2 advantages of the method of PM appointment
Have the backing of party and usually HoC which gives them authority to act
In event of death or resignation there is a party contest to establish best person to take over
2 disadvantages of PM appointment
Person can become PM without being elected meaning they have no mandate or authority
This would rely on partisan support which can be divisive and undermine parliament
In 2010 why was there confusion about who would become PM
The process was not clearly set down in statute law or codified
Had to refer to past precedent (1974)
This took several days before the majority of people agreed who should get the first opportunity to form a govt
What was the problem with how Theresa May became PM
She faced an initial contest from some conservative mps the withdrawal of Andrea Ledsom before the party memebership voted meant that TM was effectively appointed by MPs rather than elected by membership
What was the problem with how David Cameron became PM
Although his party won the most seats AND the largest share of the vote in the 2010 election he failed to secure a clear victory and therefore his authority and legitimacy to follow his manifesto were disputed
What was the problem with the way Gordon Brown became PM
Although the 2005 election had been fought with the expectation that Brown would succeed Blair the lack of competition meant he was appointed with no scrutiny or vote which undermined his legitimacy
What was the problem with how john major became PM
JM won a clear victory among fellow MPs no one outside the parliamentary party had a say and many felt he, and other leading figures, had betrayed Thatcher
Why might it be difficult for the public to remove a PM
They are not directly elected
They depend on party support
Cabinet or party might be able to remove the PM but does not require the public to participate
How & why did David Cameron left offices
He resigned after losing the EU referendum as the people had rejected his position and he felt people would not believe that he could not negotiate the withdrawl in good faith
How/why did Gordon brown leave office
Under his leadership the Labour Party lost the 2010 election
How/why did Tony Blair leave office
He was pressurised into resigning by Brown and his supporters
He had become increasingly unpopular as a leader post the Iraq war and the party wanted a new leader
How/why did john major leave office
In 1997 under his leadership the Conservative party lost by a landslide as a result of the economic crash of 1992, scandal and divisions within the party
How/why did Margaret Thatcher leave office
She was pressurised into resigning after losing support of her cabinet
Remained popular with party membership but could not continue without cabinet backing
Distinguish between roles of head of state and head of govt
Head of state is figurehead of the nation and officially represents it in foreign meetings as well as having authority to enact laws
Head of govt has authority to lead govt but does not have the same legal status as head of state
Identify one situation in which Cameron provided national leadership
Leading the vote in favour of gay marriage
Identify one situation in which Brown provided national leadership
Bailing out banks and dealing with initial financial crisis
Identify one situation in which Blair provided national leadership
Response to terrorist attack on 7/7
Identify one situation in which Major provided national leadership
Maastrict Treaty
Identify one situation in which Thatcher provided national leadership
Over Falklands War
Explain how setting the cabinet agenda allows the PM to control the cabinet
By deciding what is to be discussed the PM can choose which issues to promote and ignore the ones they don’t
By deciding where an issue comes on the agenda they can influence how much time and importance is warranted
How does primus inter pares limit the power of the PM
Primus inter pares means first amongst equals
When the cabinet votes, the PM has only one vote and can therefore be on the losing side
Explain how PMs dominate the cabinet system
Because they appoint all cabinet ministers the PM can choose loyal minsters and remove troublesome ones
By setting the agenda the PM can determine which issues are to be voted on thus avoiding defeat
The PM can create cabinet committees and sub groups to bypass the need for full cabinet meeting and vote
What factors could affect PMs ability to control the cabinet
Major party divisions over an issue
A small majority
Drop in PMs popularity/perceived ability to win elections - attacks in media/mishandling of crisis
Defiance from popular and prominent ministers
Outline 4 functions of the cabinet
To head govt departments To coordinate govt actions To resolve departmental disputes To advise the PM To formulate govt policy
Describe the role of a junior minister
Work under a cabinet secretary
Take responsibility for an area of their department’s work
Have power of decisions and implementing policy
Represent their department in parliament
By what methods are ministers scrutinised by parliament
By select committees
Ministerial questions
Urgent questions
Define collective ministerial responsibility
The convention that all ministers must publicly support and vote for the official policy of the government
Even if they disagree privately
In the event of govt error all ministers share responsibility
Why is collective responsibility important in UK politics
Ensures a unified govt
Ensures govt policy is clear and understood
Means pm should have backing of all govt ministers creating a loyal vote of about 120 mps
Important to achieve goals and deal with crises
In event of failure all ministers are held accountable by the public and the law
Why did Iain Duncan Smith resign from the cabinet in 2016
Work & pensions secretary
Been working on welfare reform
Felt that Osbourne’s budget of 2016 was too harsh
Resigned so that he could criticise it
(In reality more likely that IDS wanted to speak out about EU Referendum (he was pro brexit and is a git)
Name some other people who resigned from cabinet because of collective ministerial responsibility
Clare Short - Iraq war
Robin Cook - Iraq war
