UK GOVERNMENT - Prime Minister and The Executive Flashcards
1
Q
Define the ‘Core Executive’.
A
The Prime Minister, Cabinet, and junior ministers, or ‘the government’
2
Q
Define each part of the executive.
A
- PM: Head of the executive
- Cabinet: Senior Ministers often responsible for running government departments
- Junior ministers: those who assist the cabinet ministers in policy and department running
- Civil service: permenant, neutral, and anonymous officials who carry out the day-to-day of government departments
3
Q
What is the importance of the Core Executive being in Parliament?
A
Members must be able to face sufficent scrutiny from either MPs or Lords and be held to account by elections.
4
Q
Outline the one type of civil servant that is arguably un-neutral.
A
The Special advisors or SpAds are civil servants who are employed directly to give political advice to ministers.
5
Q
Outline the downfall of Theresa May’s SpAds.
A
Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill were consistently questioned for how ‘neutral’ they were, writing and making manifesto decisions and organising her 2017 campaign; ultimately they were fired for the loss, an irregularity for a civil servant to be considered responsible for.
6
Q
How was Dominic Cummings’ role peculiar?
A
Cummings held an unprecedented amount of power as Chief of Staff, leading campaigns and making policy decisons, being considered the “second Prime Minister” within the Cabinet (Kunnesburg “State of Chaos”).
7
Q
What are the three legislative roles of the executive?
A
- Proposing legislation
- Proposing a budget
- Making policy decisions withing the law and budget
8
Q
Outline the ‘legislation proposal’ portion of the Executive’s role.
A
Most legislation that passes through Parliament are Government Bills developed by the Executive and based on the policy decisions of ministers.
9
Q
Outline the ‘budget proposal’ portion of the Executive’s role.
A
Twice a year the government will roughly calculate how much money is needed to run the country and carry out proposals, and how much is possible to raise, announcing the ‘Autumn Budget’ and ‘Spring Statement’ to be voted on (and invariably passed, as a failure would trigger a snap election)
10
Q
When has the Budget been denied?
A
Never, the government has to resign if it is not approved so its often a 3 line whip.
11
Q
Outline the ‘policy decisions within the law and budget’ portion of the Executive’s role.
A
All legislation needs to be made more detailed so it can be realized, the Executive is given the responsibility to create this secondary/delegated legislation. Additionally, in response to circumstance changes, the Executive can quickly amend finances without the express will of parliament, such as during COVID.
12
Q
What are the 5 other roles of the executive? Give an example of each.
A
- Conducting foreign policy, such as meeting with Trump to avoid tariffs
- Organising national defence, such as investing 2.5% of GDP into national defence
- Responding to major problems or crisis, such as Johnson enforcing a lockdown
- Controlling and managing law and order, such as introducing new community police officer
- Organising and managing public services, such as reforms of the Ofsted system
13
Q
What are the 5 bases of Prime Ministerial power?
A
- Traditional authority
- Party
- Parliament
- Patronage
- The People
14
Q
How does ‘traditional authority’ give the PM power?
A
Although the Monarch doesn’t hold power, as the Head of State, legally they do. The act of delegating the PM prerogative powers essentially makes the PM a representative of the traditional authority of the Monarch, a temporary head of state, though merely formally.
15
Q
What is a weakness of the PM’s ‘traditional authority’?
A
Prerogative powers granted by the monarch can be taken away by other conventions; after Cameron asked and was denied permission to deploy troops in Syria in response to the usage of chemical weapons, the PM’s prerogative power to commit the military action has been weakened as they are expected to ask the permission of Parliament.
16
Q
How does the party give the PM power?
A
The PM is the leader of the largest party in the Commons, so indirectly represents the people; if they’re voted out, the next guy becomes PM. The last person to be taken out by their party was Liz Truss.
17
Q
Give an example of a PM using the Party to boost their own authority.
A
Major, outraged at backbencher disloyalty, resigned as party leader and then won the relection, reaffirming himself as the party’s (so the dominant ideology’s) choice.
18
Q
How does Parliament give the PM power?
A
Parliament unofficially recognizes the authority the PM to run the government, though the Budget approval can be seen as the stamp. They also have power as the head of the largest party so is often able to pass legislation easily; for example, Starmer used a three line whip to pass cuts to the Winter Fuel Payments allowance also Johnson’s 80 seat majority and passing Brexit.
19
Q
How does patronage give the PM power?
A
The PM’s ability to appoint people to public office incentivizes loyalty and the PM enjoys a level of forced loyalty from ministers, a large amount of their party. However, this can backfire as it requires a PM with some level of power already: May was unable to reshuffle Hunt into the Health department.
20
Q
How do the people give the PM power?
A
Given the rise of presidentialism, the question of who will run the country is essential to people’s vote. This provides the PM legitimacy within the democratic system.
21
Q
What are the 6 main roles and powers of the Prime Minister?
A
- Patronage
- Negotiation of foreign treaties
- Commander-in-chief of the armed forces and can commit them to action (technically)
- Conducting foreign policy and deciding relationships with other states
- Head of the Cabinet
- Setting the tone for economic policy
22
Q
Give 3 examples of the PM exercising prerogative powers.
A
- Blair sending troops to invade Iraq in 2003
- May calling an early general election in 2017
- Johnson signing the ‘EU Divorce Treaty’ in 2020
23
Q
How is the Cabinet a ‘rubber stamp’? How is it not?
A
Cabinets can often amount to a confirmation of decisions already made a presidential Prime Minister (Blair)
- For a weak Prime Minister, Cabinet is full of Big Beasts that you can’t argue with (May and Hunt)
24
Q
What are the 4 great offices of the cabinet? Who are the current?
A
- The PM - Starmer
- The Chancellor of the Exchequer - Rachel Reeves
- The Foreign Secretary - David Lammy
- The Home Secretary - Yvette Cooper
25
What member of the civil service sits in Cabinet meetings? Who is it currently?
The Cabinet secretary, the highest member of the civil service, currently Chris Wormald.
26
Are Cabinet meetings public?
No, they are only published after 30 years.
27
What are the 4 consistent roles of the Cabinet?
- During crisis situations, the PM may fall back on the collective wisdom of the Cabinet such as the power of the Cabinet increasing when BoJo got COVID, especially during military situations such as Thatcher did before the Falkland liberation
- To discuss how policy will be presented to Parliament
- To solve disputes between individual ministers, often about the budget
- To settle the government's agenda
28
How are cabinet disputes resolved?
Often outside the actual cabinet, with ministers often taking issue with the PM or Cabinet Secretary before the meeting - 'cabinet rows' are uncommon.
29
What is the 'Downing Street Machine'? What is the issue?
The various policy units and civil servants that will work with the PM to make decisions - the issue lies in the increasing usage of these groups to make policy, completely ignoring Ministers and the effect on their departments
30
How do Ministers oppose the PM, though rarely? Give examples.
They will resign; although extreme, it can deal a harsh blow to a PM's authority (such as Howe's resignation ultimately leading to Thatcher's) and even better if it starts a cascade of other resignations (such as 11 May cabinet Ministers resigning in 18 months).
31
Where is most detailed policy work done?
Small cabinet committees headed by senior ministers and comprised of junior ministers.
32
Who presents financial policy to the cabinet? How likely is dissent?
The Chancellor of the Exchequer's Autumn Statement and Budget are often presented to the Cabinet the night before the Parliament, a fait accompli - dissent is very rare as the Chancellor always has the backing of the PM and Ministers have very little chance to challenge it.
33
Who presents departmental policy? How likely is dissent?
The relevant senior minster of that department aided by their civil servants may experience some dissent as everyone wants a larger share of the budget, but they can be more secure if they have the approval of the PM.
34
How does the variety of sources of policy help the PM control the Executive?
The PM sees all proposals in advanace and has the oppurtunity to block them completely, they also control the agenda so can avoid disussions they don't like - Blair was a big fan of sofa politics
35
What are the 3 key powers of the UK Cabinet?
- Legitimising government policy
- Supporting the PM
- Deciding on government policy
36
How does the Cabinet legitimise government policy?
A PM that has pushed forth a proposal that their ministers disagree with appears to be purely ideological and not caring about the consequences, but a cabinet suport can imply that they have considered the effects on different departments - an example would be May's Cabinet being filled with dissent due to the opposing Brexit ideologies, thus harming her authroity and leading to the largest losing margin in history (230 votes).
37
How does the cabinet have power in their support of the PM?
Although the Cabinet cannot directly force out a PM, they can effectively push out the PM by refusing to support them in public, either leading to a resignation (May - 2019) or a leadership election (Thatcher - 1990). It is important to not the individual power of ministers here, many being 'big beasts', like Brown.
38
How can deciding the government policy give the Cabinet power?
The Cabinet can overrule a PM if they have sufficent support for an alternative policy, such as with Cameron's Cabinet forcing a suspension of collective ministerial responsibility for Brexit.
39
What are the two types of ministerial responsibility?
- Collective: ministers must support the Cabinet's decisions or resign
- Individual: ministers are responsible for their own conduct and department
40
Outline the principle behind collective minsterial responsibility.
Although the PM has prerogative powers, decisions are made collectively so all ministers are collectively responsible even if they personally disagree, so must publically defend and support it.
41
What is the importance of collective ministerial responsibility?
It hugely bolsters the power of the PM, it is a great boost to authority for PMs not to be worried about their ministers openly criticising their policy and decisions.
42
What is the 'payroll vote'?
Under collective responsibility, the PM can rely on their ministers to vote in favour of their policy so can count on about 120 votes before any division.
43
What is the argument for and against collective responsibility?
For: Ministers can express their views within the Cabinet without worrying about leaks to the press, it also presents stability to the public and world
Against: It gags ministers and prevents them from expressing their views
44
What were the three times collective responsibility was suspended?
- During the 2010-15 coalition
- During the Brexit campaign
- Almost all of May's premiership
45
Why was collective responsibility suspended for the coalition government?
People would never believe that two parties that weren't even on the same side of the political spectrum agreed on everything; the Coalition Agreement was made to outline what topics would and wouldn't be under CR, such as renewal of Trident nuclear missile systems.
46
Why was collective responsibility suspended during the Brexit campaign?
It was believed it was important for ministers to openly express their views about such an important referendum, many, including Former Justic Secretary Gove, campaigned against the party line.
47
Why was collective responsibility suspended under May?
May's support was incredibly weak and, with many Big Beasts (Jeremy Hunt) in her cabinet, she worried that firing anyone who criticized her would harm it even more so, allowing Boris Johnson to write weekly critical articles about her in the Daily Telegraph.
48
Give an example of collective ministerial responsibility being upheld.
Rishi Sunak publicly supported Johnson's Northern Ireland Protocol when Chancellor, but criticised its excessive customs checks and creation of a border in the Irish Sea when PM, replacing it with the Windsor Framework
49
Give an example of a minister resigning because they cannot uphold collective ministerial responsibility.
Anneliese Dodd became the 4th minister to resign since July, leaving over Starmer's cuts to raise defence spending.
50
What are the principles of individual ministerial responsibility?
- Accountability for depratment decisions, including by comittees and debates
- Resign if serious error of judgement
- Accountable for department even if not personally involved in the error
- Resign if there is a serious breach of conduct standards (especially minsiterial code)
51
Give three time that ministers resigned due to individual responsibility.
- Braverman (2022): shared secure information from a private email (breach of ministerial code)
- Kwarteng (2022): chancellor fo the Exchequer responsible for failure of mini budget
- Rudd (2018): Home Department responsible for deporting almost 100 Windrush immigrants and she lied about not knowing
52
Give 2 examples of ministers resigning over personal conduct
- Health Minister Gwyne was sacked after it was revealed he made racist, sexist and antisemitic comments in a WhatsApp group chat.
- Matt Hancock (2021) - making out with aide despite covid regulations, big no no for the health secretary
53
Why may personal conduct no longer be as important?
It largely depends on the Prime Minister who has final say, sue to patronage, over whether it is enforced - important right now as Starmer campaigned and built his base off of the idea that he was more honourable than the Conservatives.
54
Give two examples of ministers refusing to resign over personal conduct.
- Boris Johnson revising the Ministerial Code in 2022 after Partygate to weaken the rules so that he wouldn't be expected to resign, but to apologise
- Priti Patel (2020) - bullying accusations by the cabinet sercretary
55
What are the two aspects of ministerial responsibility for department? Give an example of a resignation for each.
- Ministers must accept responsibility for any errors in their department - Amber Rudd (2018) and the Windrush Scandal
- Ministers must accept responsibility for any failed policy - Kwarteng and the Mini-budget (2022)
56
Why may ministerial responsibility become less important?
It is once again up to the PM, with 'Failing Grayling' presiding over the unpopular banning of books for prisoners (calling them prisoners' "perks and priveliges") and the awarding of a no-deal Brexit ferry contract to company without any ferries, and yet never forced to resign. Additionally, it is increasingly civil servants whose heads are on the block, such as the head of Ofqual resigning over Gaving Williamson's failed 'Centre-Assessed Grades'.
57
What Prime Ministers used their cabinets as sounding boards for policy?
- Major (1990-97)
- Cameron (2010-16)
58
What Prime Ministers only used cabinets to legitimise their policy?
- Thatcher (1979-90)
- Blair (1997-2004)
59
What are the four powers of the prime minister over the Cabinet?
- The PM is percieved by the public as head of state so has more authority
- Patronage can demand loyalty
- PM chairs cabinet and controls agenda so can avoid unwanted topics
- Collective responsibility binds ministers
60
What are the four powers of the Cabinet over the Prime Minister?
- Determined Cabinets can overrule a PM
- Cabinets can use their power to remove PMs
- Cabinets often have Big Beasts, like Howe, with large backings
- Cabinet becomes important for agenda if the PM has a small or non-existent majority
61
What are the three methods to constructing a cabinet, give examples:
- Pack it with loyalists so you have maximum power: Thatcher's 1981 'purge of the wets'
- Balance it to reflect the policy tendencies in your party: May hired Johnson and Fox as ministers for her Brexit Cabinet despite being adversaries
- Pick the best possible people: Callaghan's group 'of all talents'
62
How can party unity affect Cabinet appointments? Give examples
If it is ideologically divided, a PM may wish to create a Cabinet that reflects the wings of their party so all feel represented
- May's Brexit Cabinet
- Major and divisions over the EU
63
Give a criticism of Party Unity as a factor in Cabinet Appointments.
Authoritative PMs may fully back one horse in an attempt to push the party in one direction and gain ideological power as their leader
- Thatcher's 'Purge of the Wets'
- Johnson's removal of 'soft Brexiteers'
64
How can experience affect Cabinet appointments? Give examples
PMs may want people who are Big Beasts within the party to give them legitimacy, to advise them, or to make sure they keep their mouth shut.
- Cameron's appointment of William Hague, previous leader of the Conservative party
They may also not have much of a choice if the Beasts are more powerful than them
- May's appointment of Big Beasts like Hunt as Health Secretary
65
Give a criticism of experience as a factor in Cabinet Appointments.
But they may also not want to have them as they can act as rivals, especially important for unpopular PMs
- Theresa May's removal of George Osbourne, former-Chancellor and ally of Cameron
Additionally, a lack of experience might be useful if more experienced members may have rival allyship
- The average shadow ministerial experience under Truss was 58 months, half of that under Major
66
How can ability affect Cabinet appointments? Give examples
PMs may wish to have the best possible people in certain positions
- Starmer's appointment of James Timpson as Minister of State for prisons
- Sunak proved himself as Chief Secretary of the Treasury, becoming Chancellor in 2020 and proving himself once again with the furlough scheme
67
Give a criticism of ability as a factor in Cabinet Appointments.
Lack of experience might be useful if more experienced members may have rival allyship or if a PM wants to dominate policy
- The average shadow ministerial experience under Truss was 58 months, half of that under Major
68
How can ally and advisor-ship affect Cabinet appointments? Give examples
A Prime Minister may want to have close allies in the Cabinet to not have to worry about power grabs
- Cameron's appointment of main political ally, George Osborne, as Chancellor
- Most prominent example is Blair and Brown
69
Give a criticism of ally- and advisorship as a factor in Cabinet Appointments.
May not be possible if they lack allies
- May :(
70
How can external pressure affect Cabinet appointments? Give examples
PMs have to make decisions in line with public opinion, lest they risk loss of electoral support
- Resignation of Amber Rudd after the Windrush Scandal
- Kwarteng was forced to resign even as one of Truss' few allies
71
Give a criticism of external pressure as a factor in Cabinet Appointments.
Some PMs have the power and are willing to ride out public criticism
- Hunt was able to continue as Culture Secretary after the Phone hacking scandal left him wildly unpopular
Some PMs may lack the ability to remove (or evene just move) Big Beasts that are unpopular with public, but popular with party members
- May's inability to remove Hunt as Health Secretary
72
How can diversity affect Cabinet appointments? Give examples
PMs may wish to have a socially diverse Cabinet as a means of either gaining support from the public, or because they appreciate the diversity of perspective
- 92% of Starmer's Cabinet went to state comprehensives and 46% are women
73
Give a criticism of diversity as a factor in cabinet appointments.
This may be a reflection of greater diversity within Parliament, rather than a choice by the PM
- Starmer's Cabinet is one of the youngest in history with an average age of 52; however, the average age of Parliament is also getting younger, with Mariah Black as the first 20 year elected in 2015.
74
How can coalition agreements affect Cabinet appointments? Give examples
During the coalition years, Cameron had to have Nick Clegg as his Deputy and allow him four other LibDem Cabinet Positions, including keeping Vince Cable as Secretary for Business and Trade despite controversy over his impartiality relating to Rupert Murdoch and the merger of BSkyB.
75
What was the relationship between the Prime Minister and the Cabinet before the 1960's?
Pre-60's was the era of Cabinet Government, when the PM was 'first among equals' and unable to dominate them and had to allow debate of issues.
76
What was the relationship between the Prime Minister and the Cabinet between the 1960's and 2010?
This era was one of Prime Ministerial/Presidential Government, where the Cabinet as a whole (not necessarily individual ministers) is largely dominated by the Prime Minister.
77
What are the three styles of Prime Ministerial domination?
- Wilson: would allow ministers to develop their own policies but would manipulate the Cabinet by controlling the agenda and discussions when it came to the overall direction of government policy
- Thatcher: ruthlessly removed all that weren't ideologically aligned (Purge of the Wets - 1981)
- Blair: adopted a style known as 'sofa politics' where he would develop policies outside the cabinet and isolate individual ministers in informal meetings to convince them and present the policy as a fait accompli
78
What was unique about the relationship between Cabinet and the PM in the 2010's?
It was a brief golden age for Cabinet government, as Cameron relied on the LibDems for his majority and new issues develloped that required a cabinet:
- Disputes between Conservatives and LibDems
- Presentation of policy became difficult with the two ideologies
Additionally, May's reliance on her Cabinet due to her impopularity was strong
79
What is the current state of Cabinet-PM relations?
Starmer is a rare exception as one would assume, with his large majority, that he would be quite presidential; however, he is also largely unideological, so giving lots of reign to his ministers like Chancellor Reeves and her 'Iron fist' approach to spending cuts.
80
How can the size of majority affect the PM-Cabinet dynamic?
PMs with larger majorities rely less on the legitimacy provided by the Cabinet, and do not require the 'payroll vote' as much as most rebellions will be fruitless anyway.
- Blair: 179 majority, didn't lose a vote for 5 years
- May: 9 seat minority: Brexit deal loses 600:24
81
How can unity affect the PM-Cabinet dynamic?
PMs have to rely less on the Big Beasts in their party for support and for ministers generally for the 'payroll vote' if their party is united around an issue.
- Blair didn't lose a vote till after he had lost support from Iraq
- May's governement lost 33 divisions in 2 years
82
How can an electoral mandate affect the PM-Cabinet dynamic?
Mandates give PMs greater power to make policy decisions and ignore the wants of the ministers in favour of the will of the people
- Johnson's Brexit deal/Johnson's 21
- Brown had rebellions in 30% of his divisions
83
How does being a first-term government affect the PM-Cabinet dynamic?
First-term governments often have 'honeymoon periods' where people are excited by change and can blame any problems on the previous party/haven't experienced any problems caused by the current party.
- Blair's government was at peak popularity in 1997 (75% satisfied) and reached lowest at the end of his career (25%)
Honeymoon periods can vary wildly though
- Starmer's honeymoon period lasted 1 month before the donationgate
84
How can personal popularity affect the PM-Cabinet dynamic?
PMs with 'prime ministerial coattails' can convince voters to vote for MPs they wouldn't usually, this means they are in debt to the PM and are less likely to rebel. Ministers are also less likely to argue with a popular prime minister.
- MPs in the previous Red Wall were less likely to rebel against Johnson
85
How can the number of new MPs affect the PM-Cabinet dynamic?
New MPs are more likely to comply and rely on the whips office for guidance and support; as they gain experience, they are more knowledgable and less willing to 'do what they are told'
- Tony Blair 1997: didn't know how to open the door
- Thatcher's government was more experienced
86
How can the salience of issues affect the PM-Cabinet dynamic?
if a PM is lucky, they won't face any controversial issues where their approach is scrutinized too heavily; on the flip side, there can be huge rebellions and disharmony
- Blair's policies were pretty low salience: increasing classroom size and introducing a minimum wage, only losing a vote when he tried to extend detention for terrorist suspects
- Johnson choosing to lockdown 3 months after COVID reached the UK
87
How can fear of alternatives affect the PM-Cabinet dynamic?
Prime Ministers who have other weaker candidates for leader will more easily be able to assert dominance; additionally, a strong opposition may work to strengthen compliance ministers are worried about losing the government
- John Major resigning and then coming back
- Brown was preferred by 2004 so Blair lost a lot of authority
88
How can external factors affect the PM-Cabinet dynamic?
- Devolution causes PM and government to lose power over whole regions of the country
- EU membership meant power as moved to EU officials
- PM foreign policy is limited by NATO and our relationship with the US
- Valence issues can be way more important
