The Executive

Question 1

Definition of the Executive

Answer 1

The collective group of the PM - head and appointed by monarch

Cabinet - senior people in gov departments

Junior Ministers - assisting senior people in policy decision

Civil service - permanent officials day to day running

known as the government

Question 2

Main roles of the Executive

Answer 2

• Propose legislation - sets Parl agenda and develops 1st reading on policy decision
• Proposes a budget - needs to be approved by Parl - calculates how much money is needed for proposed policies, taxation, duties, investment and loans
• Makes policy decision within law and budget - how to enforce legislation and amendments
• Armed conflict, security threats and social disorder such as conducting foreign policy and responding to major crisis

Question 3

Definition of the Royal Prerogative

Answer 3

A set of powers and privileges belonging to the monarch but normally exercised by the PM or Cabinet, such as the granting of honours or legal pardons

Question 4

Role of the PM

Answer 4

• Heads the Cabinet system - chooses members, sets agenda, what committees should exist
• Sets general tone for economic policy
• Appoints and dismisses gov (parliamentary leader)
• Can call a general election
• Commander in chief of armed forces, conducts foreign policy and has the power to negotiate foreign treaties

Question 5

The nature of the Cabinet

Answer 5

Consists of 20-25 senior government ministers chosen by PM that mainly control gov departments, this is where the main decision making happens in government. All gov decisions have to be cleared here for it to be official policy

Question 6

The four great offices of state

Answer 6

Defence, Health and Social Care, Business and energy and industrial strategy

Question 7

Role of Cabinet - Emergency and Crisis management

Answer 7

In emergency, PM may revert to collective wisdom
Shown through military operations as the UK intervention in Afghanistan in 2001 under Blair
COVID-19 lockdown decisions under Johnson in 2020

Question 8

Role of Cabinet - Policy presentation

Answer 8

How policy will be presented to Parl, the gov’s own MPs and peers, the public and the media

Helps to present a united front against government ministers who feel ‘informed’ and ‘read in’ to the work of government

Shown through Blair’s press secretary Alastair Campbell who used to use a weekly media ‘grid’ to plan announcements on policy to the press, in order to avoid different departments competing from press coverage

Question 9

Role of Cabinet - Resolving disputes

Answer 9

Occasionally, disputes within ministers - often how the gov expenditure should be allocated to different departments
Cabinet as final court of appeal

Shown through Callaghan allowing rival groups of ministers to present their cases for and against a large financial bailout from the IMF in 1976.

These disputes can be leaked to the press

Question 10

Role of Cabinet - Setting government agenda

Answer 10

Most gov business passes through Parl and different gov have different priorities
Cabinet is the place where legislation is scheduled and strategies to make sure it has enough support are discussed

Presence of chief whip and leader of the HOC are key here

Question 11

Role of Cabinet - Ratifying decisions made elsewhere

Answer 11

PM often in situations for international agreement (climate change conferences like COP27) foreign policy decisions (in COBRA meetings with military and intelligence chiefs) or even decisions with domestic policy (with individual ministers)

Need to be formally signed off in Cabinet as part of collective decision making

Question 12

Cabinet Committees purpose

Answer 12

Chaired by PM or senior minister
Present proposals to full Cabinet and usually accepted or referred back to Committee for an amendment

Question 13

Chancellor of the Exchequer purpose

Answer 13

Economic and financial policy - ‘fait accompti’
Annual autumn statement - budget in March, revealed to Cabinet on eve of Parliament presentation
Budget must be passed by parl - formally, often dissension

2017 Phillip Hammond proposed higher national insurance for self employed - resisted by all opposition parties and Conservative rebels, measure quickly dropped

Question 14

Groups of Ministers purpose

Answer 14

Policy develops here with professional advisors, policy units and think tanks
Bring policy ideas to the rest of Cabinet and PM to obtain approval - if other ministers have problems with it it is voiced well in advance

Question 15

Individual ministers purpose

Answer 15

Policies that require gov departments specifically but require wider approval presented to Cabinet by relevant minister alongside civil servant

Question 16

Wider government

Answer 16

Made up of elected - PM, Cabinet, over 100 junior ministers who are either business managers for government, assistants to cabinet ministers or heads of small government departments

AND unelected - Cabinet Secretary, Chief of Staff, No.10 policy unit

PM and Cabinet are simply ‘public face’ of government

Question 17

Development of policy

Answer 17

Although advice from unelected advisors may be taken, final decisions are made by ministers who are publicly accountable

Question 18

Implementation of policy

Answer 18

The organisation of the state, largely undertaken by unelected officials. Ministers still remain accountable for the quality of administration

Question 19

Why are ministers selected?

Answer 19

• Must have potential - younger MPs who can take senior posts in the future - Gavin Williamson in May’s Cabinet, Oliver Dowden for Sunak
• Alike political philosophies - New Labour or Thatcherism - Mandelson in Blair gov and Hunt in Cameron gov - ‘the fellow Cameron moderniser’
• Can represent an important section of their party - Gove or Johnson prominent Brexiteers in May gov, Suella Braverman in Sunak gov for the right
• A respected potential rebel - David Davis in May gov
  US president Lyson Johnson famously said that it is better to have your rivals ‘inside the tent pissing out, rather than outside the tent, pissing in’

Question 20

Collective ministerial responsibility

Answer 20

Ministers must support Cabinet decisions or leave the executive

Question 21

The 5 principles of collective responsibility

Answer 21

• Ministers collective responsible for all gov decisions
• Must publicly support gov decisions even if they disagree
• Must resign before speaking out
• If they don’t resigned, can be expected to be dismissed by PM
• All Cabinet meetings secret (and kept so for 60 years) any dissent there is concealed (but leaks)

Question 22

3 exceptions to collective responsibiltiy

Answer 22

• Coalition 2010-2015 - impossible for 2 separate parties to agree on everything - part of the agreement was to let some areas in policy not be included
• EU referendum 2016 - Con ministers free to express view counter to official gov positions - Former Justice Secretary Michael Gove and former leader of the HOC Chris Grayling openly campaigned against official gov line
• May weak leadership in 2017-19 - failed to exert it as various people become openly critical on Brexit - hard finding a consensus between 2 divided sides and forcing ministers to resign

Question 23

Individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 23

The principle in which ministers are responsible for their personal conduct for that department

Question 24

The 3 principles of individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 24

• Must be held accountable to Parl for their policies and decisions on that department in the form of question time, Select Committee scrutiny or Urgent Q in the house - David Davis grilled on Brexit impact assessments in Dec 2017, Rudd Windrush scandal 2018
• If they make a serious error of judgement in running of department of policy by themselves or their departmenr, resign
• If personal conduct of minister falls below standards required for someone in public office, particuarily if they’ve breached Ministerial code of conduct, resign or be dismissed

Question 25

The erosion of ministerial responsibility

Answer 25

2nd and 3rd principle eroding

Question 26

individual ministerial responsibility resignations

Answer 26

• Dominic Raab - Ministry of Justice, Foreign, Commonwealth and development office, 21st April, 2023 - Bullying complaints - ‘unreasonably and persistently aggressive’ towards staff and civil servants

Question 27

2 collective responsibility resignations

Answer 27

• Amber Rudd, Windrush scandal, 7th Sep 2019 -
• Estelle Morris 2002 Education Secretary - made a commitment to tory shadow education secretary (David Willets) to resign if the literacy and numeracy targets weren’t met

Question 28

Conventions do not account for actions of ministers - AGREE

Answer 28

• No longer relevant - ministers have regularly publicly disagreed with PM in recent years on issues from Brexit to Covid regulations, without resignations - EG Rudd, Clarke and Gauke publicly speaking against a no-Brexit deal whilst in May’s Cabinet in early 2019
• Individual ministerial responsibility is dead - they have a history of blaming civil servants for departmental mistakes and use a veil of ignorance to evade culpability - Health Secretary Hancock not resigning despite scandal over PPE contracts, Education Secretary Williamson not resigning despite exam results scandals
• Conventions are more challenging to sustain when the personal strength of the PM is weak (i.e majority) Priti Patel telling journalists that she advised Johnson to fully close borders April 2020

Question 29

Conventions do not account for actions of ministers - DISAGREE

Answer 29

• CMR very relevant - cornerstone of Cabinet gov, providing needed unity and a public face for gov. Resignations have taken place when ministers disagree - Rudd and Hancock supporting May’s Brexit deal throughout 2018-19
• IMR very relevant, Cabinet ministers attend ministerial question time and account for the actions of their department, or personal conducts - Rudd Windrush scandal Home Affairs Select Committee, Hancock resigning as Health Sec resigning over breaking lockdown rules in 2021
• Prime ministerial government - conventions more readily followed - Nadhim Zahawi forced to resign as party chairman Jan 2023 following investigations into his tax affairs (Sunak said he needed to restore honesty and professionalism)

Question 30

How did Johnson water down ministerial code May 2022

Answer 30

Blocked his independent ethics chief - Christopher Geidt, from gaining the power to launch his own investigations and rewrote the foreword to the ministerial code - removing all inferences to honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability

Question 31

Authority and power

Answer 31

Authority - The right to exercise power

Power - The ability to achieve political ends

Question 32

Other PM power

Answer 32

• Traditional authority - upon the monarch assuming the office of PM through a general election
• Party leader of the largest party in the House of Commons
• Parliament - recognises the authority of the PM to govern - formal parliamentary recognition of this - a swearing in ceremony
• The People - eventhough the PM is not a directly elected position, people vote from highly personalised campaigns asking people to support their personal leadership

Question 33

Sources of Prime Ministerial power

Answer 33

• Prerogative powers - when the royal prerogative gets transferred to PM - temporary head of state - shown through them attending foreign meetings as part of the UK
• Party - power in policy making, carry it through Parliament by support of party - Blair 1997-2007 defeated only x3 with 178 maj
• Patronage - can promote people to higher office demands loyalty to be promoted
• Parliament - all PMs gain some power from them even if their support/majority isnt strong enough amongst their own MPs - May being voted in for an election despite weak majority

CMR in Cabinet - Big Beasts, can dominate, rubber stamp, Blair

Question 34

Formal powers PM enjoys

Answer 34

• Patronage - appointing ministers, judges, peers and other honours
• Chairing of Cabinet and setting agenda
• Foreign policy leader and commander in chief
• Ability to call a ge or recall parliament

Question 35

Informal powers PM enjoys

Answer 35

• Controlling and setting gov policy and legislative agenda
• Economic leadership
• Media focus and platform
• National leadership in time of crisis

Question 36

2 examples of PM using prerogative powers as Commander in Chief

Answer 36

• 2nd April 1892 - 14th June 1982 Thatcher - falklands war - protracted dispute over territories , gb gov saw this as an invasion from argentina, deployed british forces, won, risk
• 1998 - Blair - kosovo intervention, sent 200 to reinforce NATO force peacekeeping

Question 37

Quick! Cabinet power!

Answer 37

• Legitimise policy - deciding on what gov policy is, formulating, deciding how to enforce, then signing off - key during May’s minority gov 2017-19 - ministers had a big say - less important for powerful pms
• Determine legislative agenda of gov - which policies to implement firsy and which can wait and how they will be presented to press and public
• De facto power to oust pm - cabinet can stop supporting a pm in public, forcing a resignation through public criticism (blair 2007) or forcing a leadership contest (thatcher 1990)
• Overrule a PM - as it is on policy - Cameron forced to suspend collective responsibility in 2015 for the EU referendum