3.1 Structure, role and power of the executive

Question 1

4

List the components of the executive

Answer 1

• Prime Minister
• Cabinet
• Junior Ministers
• Government departments

Question 2

3

Describe the PM

Answer 2

• Head of executive (primus inter pares - first among equals)
• Able to command majority of MPs in HoC
• Conventially member of HoC (Hume renounced peerage to win by-election) - fusion of powers

Question 3

5

Describe the powers of the PM

Answer 3

• exercise royal prerogative powers
• ‘exercise patronage’ - appoint and sack members of cabinet
• abolish or create new government departments (e.g. Department for STI)
• Chair cabinet meetings and set up Cabinet Committees to set government strategy and vision
• provide vision for direction of government - increasingly drawn on personal ideology rather than democratic mandate e.g. British Baccalaureate

Question 4

4

Describe the Core Executive

Answer 4

• Comprises ministers, civil servants and SPADs who PM can freely confide with when developing policy
• Includes institutions such as Cabinet Office and Policy Unit
• May involve powerful interest group leaders or local/regional leaders
• PMs increasingly reliant on this from Blair

Question 5

4

Describe junior ministers

Answer 5

• Oversee specific areas within department (e.g. schools, skills)
• Report to head of department (cabinet minister)
• Do not generally attend cabinet (exceptions such as Andrew Mitchell or Chief Sec to Treasury)
• Two tiers: Minister of state (e.g. Damian Hinds - Schools) and Parliamentary under-secretary of state (Andrea Leadsom - Public Health, Start for Life and Primary Care)

Question 6

3

Describe Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPS)

Answer 6

• Backbench MP who acts as unpaid assistant to minister or shadow minister
• ‘eyes and ears’ of minister in HoC
• Johh Lamont served as PPS to FO during Liz Truss foriegn sec tenure (2021-22) - now a parliamentary under sec for Scotland

Question 7

4

Describe the Civil Service

Answer 7

• Politically neutral unlike political advisors
• Defined by principles of neutrality, anonymity and permanence
• Provide impartial advice on policy development and implementation to any government department
• Therefore not expected to be held accountable for actions of department - overall focus of policy and adminsitration determined by elected politicians

Question 8

3

Describe limits to civil service neutrality

Answer 8

• Tom Scholar sacked as Perm Sec to Treasury by Truss
• Simon McDonald (Perm Under-Sec at FO)
• accusations of ‘blob’

Question 9

5

Describe the role and composition of government departments

Answer 9

• A branch of the executive
• Comprises cabinet ministers (generally heads of department) and junior ministers
• Manages particular area of government and develops policy
• Each ministerial team makes proposals for legislation concerning their department (includes both primary and secondary)
• Treausry holds special importance as control government finances

Question 10

3

Describe responsibility within government departments

Answer 10

• Secretary of State takes ultimate responsibility for department
• Junior ministers bound by collective responsibility
• Relies on support of civil service, headed by permanent secretary for that department

Question 11

4

List the main roles of the executive

Answer 11

• Proposing legislation
• Proposing a budget
• Making policy decisions (run domestic and foreign policy)
• Day-to-day governance (most government action does not require legislation)

Question 12

4

Describe the executive’s ability to introduce legislation

Answer 12

• Introduce legislation proposals to Parliament via King’s Speech (state opening of Parliament)
• Based on manfiesto which GE granted mandate for
• ‘doctor’s mandate’ - can introduce legislation into Parliament in response to changing circumstances
• Can also introduce secondary legislation

Question 13

4

Describe the executive’s ability to propose a budget

Answer 13

• Can introduce budget to parliament
• Outlines how government intends to raise revenue
• Drawn up by CX in negotiation with PM
• May be other budgetary statements throughout year (autumn statement, mini-budget)

Question 14

4

Describe the executive’s ability to make policy decisions

Answer 14

• Decisions on how legislation will be implemented
• Mostly done through secondary legislation
• Run domestic policy - determine services provided for population
• Conduct FP - done through attendance at summits, development of treaties/agreements and military action

Question 15

3

Describe the royal prerogative

Answer 15

• Powers held by constitutional monarch (rather than Parliament) delegated to executive, especially the Prime Minister
• Include powers to declare war, patronage, set date of election (temporarily removed by FTA), grant pardon
• Royal Prerogative of Mercy (grant pardon) used for Steven Gallant in 2020 who recieved reduced sentence for murder for heroic actions in London Bridge Attack 2019

Question 16

4

Describe the composition of the cabinet

Answer 16

• 20-25 senior ministers (cabinet ministers + others attending)
• All appointed by PM
• meet at least once a week
• much of detailed work conducted in cabinet committees

Question 17

2

What are cabinet committees?

Answer 17

• small groups of ministers chaired by PM or other senior cabinet member
• may be tasked with developing and implementing specific policies or serving important governance role

Question 18

2

Describe the membership of cabinet committees

Answer 18

• membership and remit decided by PM (enhance PM authority over cabinet)
• reduces burden on whole cabinet e.g. National Security Council excludes Culture Sec

Question 19

2

Describe the decisions taken in cabinet committees

Answer 19

• decisions of cabinet committees are binding
• hold same legitimacy as those of full cabinet

Question 20

2

When might the PM chair cabinet committees themselves?

Answer 20

• Chairs committees that are of particular important to government strategy and policy
• e.g. Boris Johnson chaired Climate Action Strategy Committee

Question 21

All ministers are (…) to Select Committees and MPs at Ministerial Question TIme

Answer 21

accountable

Question 22

8

List factors that limit Prime Ministerial power

Answer 22

• Existence and size of electoral mandate
• Parliamentary majority
• Cabinet unity
• Party unity
• National circumstances
• PM style
• Personal popularity
• Media presentation

Question 23

4

List some current SPADs

Answer 23

• Isaac Levido - election guru (though not official position)
• Eleanor Shawcross - Head of policy
• James Forsyth - political secretary
• Nerissa Chesterfield - director of comms

Question 24

Who has the powers of patronage to appoint chairs of public inquiries?

Answer 24

The PM

Question 25

# 4 for and against points Describe the argument that the Prime Minister is powerful

Answer 25

* **Determines policy objectives of Government through core executive** vs **influenced by internal party factions** * **Dominate cabinet** vs **Prescence of big beasts** * **Powerful with large parliamentary majority** vs **limited when parliamentary majority is weak** * **Royal Prerogative grants significant powers** vs **Supreme Court reinforces parliamentary sovereignty**

Question 26

# 3 Describe the PM's ability to determine the policy objectives of the Government

Answer 26

* Media spotlight grants strong communicators ability to set political agenda e.g. Get Brexit Done * Based on own ideology e.g. Boris Johnson and Levelling Up * Use of Core Executive to create policy (policy unit) and ensure its implentation in government departments (cabinet office) - PM chooses membership of such bodies, inc Cabinet Secretary (civil service)

Question 27

# 3 Describe how the PM's power is influenced by internal party factions

Answer 27

* prescence of big beasts outside cabinet e.g. Boris under May * factions shape policy agenda - CGG influence criticial in decision to cut NI * Can remove sitting PM

Question 28

# 3 Describe how the PM dominates cabinet

Answer 28

* uses powers of patronage to decide membership of cabinet and cabinet committees * chairs cabinet and key cabinet committees, allowing them to steer the development of government policy * ultimately decides government decisions and can override cabinet will - May decision to hold talks with Labour over brexit deal

Question 29

# 4 Describe how the prescence of big beasts in government limits the PM's power

Answer 29

* Exert significant factional influence e.g. Penny Mordaunt * Contravene collective responsibility - Suella Braverman * Present direct threat by posing as alternative PM * Affected by prescence of electoral mandate

Question 30

# 5 Describe how the large parliamentary majority can increase the PM's power

Answer 30

* Large parliamentary majorities grant them significant power as they are unlikely to be challenged - personal status tied to electoral success * do not require the support of all party factions to pass legislation * Can therefore pursue their political agenda * e.g. 59 Con MPs voted against smoking ban * Blair suffered no defeats from 1997-2005

Question 31

# 4 Describe how the small parliamentary majority can limit the PM's power

Answer 31

* Small parliamentary majority/minority will lead to dealmaking - more contentious policy as it is less likely to pass the HoC * Sept 2019, Boris Johnson minority government so weak that the House of Commons voted to take control of the legislative agenda * limit - much of policy enacted is secondary legislation which bypasses HoC

Question 32

# 1 Describe a limitation to a coalition limiting the PM's power

Answer 32

Cameron passed radical austerity policies despite LD's previous opposition to such extensive cuts in 2010 election campaign

Question 33

# 3 for and against paras Describe the argument that the PM is presidential

Answer 33

Note: much of this essay may be similar to the 'PM dominance question' * **Focus of media attention** vs **Party image more significant** (e.g. Sunak intiial popularity vs Tory unpopularity) * **Use of SPADs and core executive to determine policy** vs **Cabinet remains significant** * **Policies can be dependent on personal ideology** vs **Parliamentary sovereignty remains key**

Question 34

# 2 How did Rishi Sunak sideline his cabinet in 2024?

Answer 34

* Called election for July 4 without consultation of cabinet prior to makug request to King * Relied on SPADs + Dowden