UK Executive Branch: Prime Minister Flashcards
Prime minister
First minister, the head of government.
Cabinet
20–25 senior ministers who meet regularly
Core executive
PM, senior ministers, cabinet committees and top civil servants.
Cabine Committees
Subdivisions of the cabinet comprising fewer members who focus on
particular policy areas.
Key roles of the core executive
Making policy
- Get Brexit Done
Passing legislation
- Rwanda bill 2023
Financing
Being the national first responder
- Covid 19
Main powers of the executive
- Patronage Powers
- Deployment of UK armed forces overseas
- Relations with international powers and international diplomacy
- Making and ratifying treaties
- The organisation and structure of the civil service
- Issuing directives,statements during emergencies
How significant are the prerogative powers of the executive?
Significant
- Opportunity to deploy armed forces, 2001 Blair
- Can appoint anyone
- During emergencies execuitve delivers speeches
- Treaties negotiation
Less Significant
- Convention, military action put for vote, 2003 Iraq 413 for
- Cabinet must be diverse
- Opposition criticise executive actions during emergencies
The accusation of presidentialism
Thatcher
- Cabinet full of wets
- Decision to take back Falklands in 1982 decided with spads
Blair
- 2003 Iraq war, decided with small group of advisers
- Sofa government, Chan of executive Gordon Brown 2003
Johnson
- 208 spads, Dominic Cummings, prorogue of parliament 2019
The case against presidentialism
May
- Defeated 2, Jan and March 2019, over Brexit deal, resigned
Blair
- Popularity dropped after Iraq, pressure from inside, resigned 2007
Thatcher
- 1988 Poll tax riots, popularity declining, resigned 1990
Power of the prime minister and cabinet to dictate events and
determine policy-making
Introduction of the poll tax in 1990
- Thatcher personally wanted fairer tax system
Decision to invade Iraq in 2003
- Close relationship with Bush, lack of cabine decisioon, opposition
Decision to call an early election in 2017
- No election until 2020, wanted personal mandate
Institutional powers of the PM
- Cabinet management
- Chairing weekly meetings of the cabine
- Dictating policy priorities
- Issuing honours such as life peerages
Personal and political powers of the PM
- Personal qualities
- Ability to unite party
- Effective management of colleagues
- Skill in managing the economy
Collective responsibility
All members of the cabinet and government must support
the prime minister and government policy in public
- 2023 Rwanda Bill, no minister resigned everyone backed
- 2022 Suella Braverman criticised police and got sacked
Cabinet Office
Supports the PM and ensure the effective running of government
- Around 2050 civil servants work there
- Covid 19 dealing with misinformation
Powers of the cabinet
- Ministers run their own departments
- Links to media
- Can refuse to move, Jeremy Hunt in 2018
- Cabinet meetings involve debates
- Resignation numbers, 35 over 2.5yrs
Does cabinet government still exist?
Yes
- Cabinet meetings forum for debates, Brexit
- Cabinet still influence policy
Ministers important role in shaping budget in 2023
- Influential minister hard to remove
No
- Cabinet ministers appointed by PM, can be removed
- Many meetings are short
- Many decisions made ouside cabinet
Main occasions when ministers resign from government
- Accepting the blame for an error
- Unwillingness to accept collective responsibility
30 Conservative ministers resigned over May’s Brexit deal - Inability to deliver a policy promise
- Personal misconduct
Suella Braverman 2022 - Political pressure
Priti Patel 2017, holding unauthorised meetings in Isrel
Is the executive largely unaccountable to parliament?
Yes
- Try to avoid direct answers
- Ministers often claim they were unaware
- Party loyalty is guaranteed
No
- Regulary scrutinised during Pmqs
- Ministers must follow the Ministerial Code
- Prime Minister must retain the support of their party
