UK Executive

Question 1

Cabinet/Presidential government

Answer 1

Made up of 20 senior ministers in the Government who are chosen by the Prime Minister to lead on specific policy areas such as Health, Transport, Foreign Affairs or Defence.

Question 2

Collective ministerial responsibility

Answer 2

Members of the cabinet must publicly support all governmental decisions made in Cabinet, even if they do not privately agree with them.

Question 3

Prerogative powers

Answer 3

Executive powers that can be exercised by the monarch or there representatives without the need for legislation

Question 4

Individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 4

Constitutional convention that makes government ministers responsible for not only their own actions, but also for those of their department

Question 5

Ministerial code

Answer 5

Sets out “rules” and standards for government ministers

Question 6

Sofa politics

Answer 6

Informal decision making within government

Question 7

Core executive

Answer 7

Part of the government that implements policy

Question 8

Great Offices of State

Answer 8

Four of the most senior and prestigious posts in the British government

Question 9

Secondary legislation

Answer 9

Law created by ministers (or other bodies) under powers given to them by an Act of Parliament

Question 10

Civil Service

Answer 10

Delivers public services and implements policies

Question 11

Why was it that Margaret Thatcher was effectively forced to resign in 1990?

Answer 11

Because Nigel Lawson (Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Geoffrey Howe (Deputy PM) resigned

Question 12

What did Tony Blair and David Cameron create and what did it do?

Answer 12

Created a constitutional convention because they held votes in the Commons before using British troops in war e.g. Iraq War

Question 13

How did Theresa May break the constitutional convention created by Tony Blair and David Cameron?

Answer 13

Theresa May arguably broke this convention by launching airstrikes (for just one night) against the Syrian government without House of Commons approval

Question 14

The three most important Lib Dem ministers in the coalition cabinet were . . .

Answer 14

The three most important Lib Dem ministers in the coalition cabinet were Nick Clegg, Danny Alexander and Sir Vince Cable.

Question 15

Which 3 former Prime Ministers lost their position after losing their elections?

Which Prime Minister lost the position of Prime Minister after the 2016 EU referendum?

Answer 15

James Callaghan, John Major, and Gordon Brown all lost the position of PM after losing elections, and David Cameron lost it after the 2016 EU referendum.

Question 16

Which 2 Prime Ministers were effectively removed by pressure from their cabinets?

Answer 16

Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair

Question 17

Who forced Theresa May to resign?

Answer 17

Theresa May was forced to resign by pressure from her backbench MPs

Question 18

How many times has collective ministerial responsibility been suspended?

Why is 1975 and 2016 an example of this?

Answer 18

Collective ministerial responsibility has been suspended twice.

In 1975, Harold Wilson suspended collective ministerial responsibility to allow ministers to campaign on either side of the EEC Membership Referendum.

In 2016, David Cameron suspended collective ministerial responsibility to allow ministers to campaign on either side of the EU Membership Referendum

Question 19

Prime Minister use what to make decisions?

What was Harold Wilsons, Tony Blair and David Cameron’s called?

Answer 19

Prime Ministers use smaller groups of minister to make decisions

Harold Wilson had the ‘Kitchen Cabinet’, Tony Blair used ‘Sofa Politics’ and David Cameron used ‘the Quad’

Question 20

Examples of Prime Ministerial advisers - Give at least two example and who they advised to

Answer 20

Particularly famous Prime Ministerial advisers:
.Dominic Cummings (Chief Special Adviser under Boris Johnson)

.Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill (joint Chiefs of Staff under Theresa May)

.Craig Oliver (Director of Communications under David Cameron)

.Alastair Campbell and Peter Mandleson (Director of Communications and the latter generally referend as a ‘spin doctor’ under Tony Blair)

Question 21

Key debates:
1. Is the UK Prime Minister effectively . . .

2. Does the convention of . . .
3. Does the Prime Minister . . .
4. What is the most important role . . .
5. What is the most important part of the core executive . . .

Answer 21

1. Is the UK Prime Minister effectively a President?
2. Does the convention of collective ministerial responsibility still exist?
3. Does the Prime Minister dominate the cabinet?
4. What is the most important role of the Prime Minister?
5. What is the most important part of the core executive for policy making?