Topic 3: The PM and the executive

Question 1

Who is the Prime Minister?

Answer 1

The head of the executive who determines government policy and makes decisions on national issues e.g. the Iraq War Tony Blair

Question 2

Who makes up the executive?

Answer 2

The PM, senior and junior ministers and semi-independent government agencies e.g. the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency)

Question 3

What is the cabinet and how many members are there?

Answer 3

Made up of the PM and senior ministers, with the latter leading government departments and consulting the PM on policy decisions - 22 members as of 2024

Question 4

Give three examples of cabinet ministers

Answer 4

1. Lord David Cameron - Foreign Secretary (2023)
2. James Cleverly - Home Secretary (replaced Suella Braverman in 2023)
3. Jeremy Hunt - Chancellor of the Exchequer (2022)

Question 5

What is the role of the senior ministers?

Answer 5

To run government departments

Question 6

What is the role of junior ministers and how many are there?

Answer 6

Have roles within government departments and report to the senior minters who run the departments. 97 members

Question 7

What are civil servants?

Answer 7

Permanent staff members within the government who carry out its policies e.g. Sue Gray

Question 8

What are the functions of the executive?

Answer 8

1. Propose legislation to Parliament e.g. Rwanda bill
2. Propose the budget which the Chancellor announces in their Spring budget statement in March or April to Parliament e.g. 6th March 2024
3. Making policy decisions which determine how the country is run

Question 9

What are the Royal Prerogative Powers and three examples of them

Answer 9

Powers exercised by the PM on behalf of the monarch
1. Appoints cabinet
2. Can deploy the army - Theresa May deploying British military fighter jets to Syria without Parliament’s permission
3. Negotiates treaties

Question 10

What are the main powers of the executive?

Answer 10

1. Royal Prerogative Powers
2. Primary and Secondary legislation - e.g. Nitrous Oxide becoming a Class C drug the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in November 2023
   3.

Question 11

What is individual ministerial responsibility?

Answer 11

A minister must resign for personal or department misconduct

Question 12

What are two recent examples of IMR?

Answer 12

Dominic Raab - resigning in March 2023 over allegations of bullying junior ministers and Nadhim Zahawi - fired in January 2023 over not declaring to the PM that he had been under investigation by the HMRC for tax evasion since July 2021

Question 13

What re the advantages and disadvantages of IMR?

Answer 13

Advantage: Holds the government to account
Disadvantage: MPs don’t automatically resign or get fired, its only when there’s large media attention e.g. Nadhim Zahawi

Question 14

What is collective ministerial responsibility?

Answer 14

Ministers have to resign or get fired if they do not publicly agree with cabinet policies.

Question 15

State two examples of CMR

Answer 15

Robin Cook - resigning as the Leader of the HOC in 2003 over his dissent to Blair’s decision to join the Iraq War.

Boris Johnson - resigning as foreign secretary in 2018 over the government’s ‘Chequer’s Deal’ for leaving the EU.

Question 16

What re the advantages of CMR?

Answer 16

1. Allows the government to look united
2. Ensures a strong government - they have an official position on policies

Question 17

What are the disadvantages of CMR?

Answer 17

1. Undemocratic - the ministers have to support policies that are forced upon them e.g. minsters were told that the UK was joining the Iraq War three days before the invasion.
   Suella Braverman - stated the Rwanda bill was ‘fundamentally fatally flawed’ in January 2024 AFTER she was fired as Home Secretary

Question 18

How has CMR been eroded in recent years?

Answer 18

Cameron - allowing MPs to campaign ‘Remain’ or ‘Leave’ the EU in January 2016 because of a divided government of Eurosceptics and Europhiles.

Question 19

What are the functions of the PM?

Answer 19

1. Head of the government - responsible for all government departments and can create, destroy or merge new ones.
2. Commander-in-chief - decides whether or not to deploy the army to any foreign intervention or war e.g. Blair and Iraq
3. Party Leader

Question 20

What is another of the PM’s powers?

Answer 20

Patronage - ability to appoint and dismiss cabinet ministers.

Question 21

What influences a PM’s appointments?

Answer 21

1. Reward Loyalty and allies
2. Balance political views in the govt - factions e.g. Theresa May’ s in 2017
3. Diverse and representative of voters
4. Keep control over rivals and stop them from rebelling from the backbenches