Chapter 6: the Prime Minister and executive

Question 1

Executive definition

Answer 1

Branch of government responsible for policy making and policy implementation

Question 2

Prime minister definition

Answer 2

the head of government and chair of the cabinet

Question 3

Cabinet definition

Answer 3

the committee of senior ministers which is the ultimate decisions making body of government

Question 4

Ministers definition

Answer 4

appointed by the pm specific to policy portfolios within a government

Question 5

government departments definition

Answer 5

the main administrative units of central government, each dealing with a particular area of policy

Question 6

What is the role of the executive?

Answer 6

1. making policy functions: pm and cabinet set political priorities and determine the country’s overall policy
2. proposing legislation: the executive devises and initiates legislation. Mainly primary legislation
3. Proposing a budget: the executive makes key decision on economic policy proposes a budget

Question 7

What are the powers of the executive?

Answer 7

1. prerogative powers
2. control of the legislative agenda
3. powers of secondary legislation

Question 8

What is prerogative powers?

Answer 8

• powers exercised by ministers that do not require parliamentary approval

Question 9

How does the executive control the legislative agenda?

Answer 9

• most bills are proposed by the government and it controls the legislative timetable.

Question 10

What are powers of secondary legislation?

Answer 10

• delegated legislation
• form of legislation which allows the provisions of an act of parliament to be brought into force or amended by ministers without requiring a further act

Question 11

What is the role of the prime minister?

Answer 11

1. political leadership: decides the political direction taken by the government
2. appointing the government: determines the membership of the government by appointing ministers
3. chairing the cabinet: chairs meetings of the cabinet
4. prerogative powers: exercises prerogative powers such as deploying the armed forces

Question 12

How powerful is the prime minister?

Answer 12

• resources available:
  + patronage: power of the the pm to appoint someone as a life peer or to the honours system
  + authority within the cabinet
  + policy - making input
  + party leaderships
  + public standing

Question 13

Appointing cabinet ministers:

Answer 13

• can create a cabinet in their own image,
• 2010 coalition cons & LD
  + required to appoint 5 LD to Cameron’s cabinet
• May: first cabinet campaigned to remain in the EU
• Thatcher: Thatcherites and west (one nation cons)

Question 14

What is a cabinet reshuffles?

Answer 14

• A series of changes to the personnel of the cabinet and the positions they occupy
• 1962 MacMillan reshuffle - sacked 7

Question 15

Authority in the cabinet system

Answer 15

• pm is the course executive
• PM;
  1. sets agenda
  2. policy making role

Question 16

Party leadership - PM

Answer 16

• PM is the leader of the party in the HoC
• increased number of backbench rebellion means that the PM cannot always rely on parties support

Question 17

Public standing - PM

Answer 17

• PM has a high public profile
• provides poltical leadership and represents the the UK in international affairs

Question 18

Cabinet

Answer 18

• now plays a limited role in decision making as many key policy decisions are taken elsewhere in the executive
• Cabinet ministers: heads of gov departments
• Cabinet meetings: Blair - lasted an hour. Recent years have fallen in length and frequency
• Cabinet committees: most decisions made.
• Cabinet office - provide support for the cabinet system

Question 19

What roles and powers does the cabinet have?

Answer 19

• set out the role and functions of the cabinet
• functions: registering and ratifying decisions taken elsewhere in the cabinet system (EEC membership), discussing and making decisions on major issues (Exchange rate mechanism), receiving reports on key developments and determining government business in parliament

Question 20

Ministerial responsibility

Answer 20

Collective ministerial responsibility:
- principle that ministers must support cabinet decisions or resign from the government
+secrecy: details of discussions in the cabinet a secret
+binding decisions: once a decision has been made and it becomes binding
+ confidence vote: gov must resign if defeated in a vote of confidence

Question 21

Expectations to collective ministerial responsibility

Answer 21

• temporary suspension during referendums
  + rare occasions pm have suspended collective responsibility to prevent ministerial resignations
• Coalition
  + 2010 - cons & LD - LD ministers would not be bound by collective responsibility on 4 topics
• free votes
  + may be granted to ministers as well as backbench MPs on issues of conscience

Question 22

Strain on collective responsibiility

Answer 22

• Leaks:
  + ministers may leak information on cabinet discussions to the media
  +e.g. Ed balls and Nick clegg in their books
• dissent and non-resignation:
  + cabinet ministers who oppose important aspects of governemnt policy have survived in office been when their concerns have been made public
• prime-ministerial dominance:
  + some cabinet ministers who served under Thatcher and Blair claimed that the pm had undermined collective ministerial responsibility by ignoring the cabinet

Question 23

Individual ministerial respnsibility

Answer 23

The principle that ministers are responsible to parliament for their potential conduct and that of their department

Question 24

In what circumstances do ministers resign?

Answer 24

• mistakes made within departments
  + 1954 Sir Thomas Dugdale resigned when mistakes made by civil servants in the Crichel Down case came to light
• Policy failure
  + resignation following policy failure include that of chancellor of the exchequer James Callaghan after the 1967 devaluation of sterling
• personal misconduct
  + Ministers are expected to follow the seven principles of public life
• political pressure

Question 25

Cabinet government or prime-ministerial government?

Answer 25

Cabinet gov - a system of gov in which executive power is vest in a cabinet, whose members exercise collective responsibility, rather than a single office Prime-ministerial gov - a system of government in which the PM is the dominant actor and is able to bypass the cabinet

Question 26

When is a PM predominant?

Answer 26

- pre-eminent - PM automatically has: + legal head of gov (e.g. appointing ministers) + leadership of governemnt (e.g. setting the policy agenda) + the PMs office + setting the political agenda (e.g. through their party and the media) - predominant - PM combine effective use of power and personal power: + leadership ability + association with political success + electoral popularity + a high standing within their party

Question 27

Has the PM become president?

Answer 27

- PM has become more presidential: a de facto British presidency has emerged (presidentialisation) - Personalised leadership + PM is expected to be a dominant political personality who stamps their imprint on the gov e.g. Thatcher - political ideology set the agenda - public outreach +political leaders have become public commodities e.g. Blair and Cameron were effective communicators - spatial leadership + A sense of distance has been created between the PM and gov and party. PM relies more on inner circle e.g. Cameron - Quad

Question 28

Has the PM become more presidential?

Answer 28

yes: + leadership in the executive has been personalised, with the PM expected to impose personality and agenda + PM increasingly rely on a close circle of senior ministers and advisors + PM appeal to the public directly through the media and claim personal mandate no - PM leads but cannot command the executive, particularly in coalition and directs rather than controls - Senior ministers have resources of their own, including support from gov departments - PM needs the support of ministers and officials to achieve objectives - Support from the party is not unconditional and unpopular leaders face concerted

Question 29

Government ministers

Answer 29

- roles: + policy leadership: a minister does not have the time or knowledge to play a hands-on-role in all detailed policy e.g. Cameron granted ministers greater policy autonomy tan was the norm under Blair and Brown + representing departmental interests: ministers represent the interests of their department in the cabinet e.g. represent gov in the council of EU + departmental management: ministers steer bills through parliament setting objectives and shaping the internal distribution of resources + relations with parliament: ministers steer bills through par e.g. accountable to par for decisions

Question 30

Government departments

Answer 30

- main administrative units of central gov - functions: + providing's policy advice to ministers + managing public spending + fostering relationships with interested parties, such as pressure groups + policy implementation - Treasury is the most powerful department - controls public spending

Question 31

Civil servants

Answer 31

- an official employed in a civil capacity by the Crown, responsible for policy advice or policy implementation - principles: + impartiality: civil servants serve the Crown rather than the gov + anonymity: individual civil servants should not be identified as the author of advice to the ministers