⭐️ETV that pwr. lies mainly with the PM rather than cabinet

Question 1

Para headings & LOA

Answer 1

1. Extension of legislative power
2. Collective ministerial responsibility
3. Power of patronage
   * LOA = Agree, pwr lies mainly with PM

Question 2

Intro

Answer 2

• The Cabinet is responsible for working collectively to develop political positions.
• This collective leadership should act as a check on the power of the prime minister and allow for better government.
• However- argued that the cabinet today remains less important and this can be seen in recent years.
• LOA = Agree, pwr lies mainly with PM

Question 3

Para 1: extension of legislative power
Dsiagree- Cab. has more pwr.

Answer 3

• Powerful ministers may be in a position to block or even reverse the policies of the Prime Minister
• EXAMPLE: Brexit - Gove, Johnson, Patel and Grayling all chose to support the leave campaign. Ended up winning the referendum and led to Cameron resigning in 2015.

Question 4

Para 1: extension of legislative power
Agree- PM has more pwr.

Answer 4

SpAds being used more regularly to devise legislation - ministers meant to blindly agree with new policies. 171% increase in SpAds since 1997.
* EXAMPLE: Blair’s ‘sofa government’ - unelected ofÏcials such as Jonathan Powell (Downing Street Chief of Staff) and Alastair Campbell (Downing Street Director of Communications)
* Clare short (the international development secretary) said “We didn’t have cabinet govt” under Blair*

Leads to unelected figures being more important, not accountable to anyone but the PM. Extension of PM power - ministers + meetings ceremonial.
* EXAMPLE: Dominic Cummings - effectively became BJ’s Chief of Staff - not sacked for breaking COVID legislation he had helped create -> reliance of SpAds increasing?

Question 5

Mini conclusion

Answer 5

PM is still able to dominate cabinet, through the use of patronage - if a minster tries to block policies, PM is able to remove them from cabinet and send them to the backbenches. 2023 - Suella Braverman sacked from govt. after ignoring changes to an article criticising the police.

Question 6

Para 2: Collective ministerial responisbility
Disagree- Cab. has more pwr.

Answer 6

Ministers may disregard CMR if the PM is weak. Ministerial code states that it is only a guideline and it’s to the PM’s discretion how they choose to enforce it.
* EXAMPLE: Johnson refused to resign in 2017 after writing a column for the Daily Telegraph which detailed a vision for Brexit that was different from the PM. Only resigned after Chequer’s Plan in 2018.
* EXAMPLE: March 2019 - 8 Cabinet ministers voted against a gov. motion to request an extension to Article 50.

Question 7

Para 2: Collective ministerial responisbility
Agree- PM has more pwr.

Answer 7

Allows ministers to discuss freely and confidentially before coming to a decision, then support policies in public + vote in line with the govt. - included in the ministerial code.
* EXAMPLE: 36 govt. Ministers resigned from May’s government over Brexit.
* EXAMPLE: Gavin Williamson sacked (May 2019) as defence sec. after May suspected he was the source of a leak from a National Defence meeting.

Question 8

Mini conclusion

Answer 8

PMs are still able to use CMR to control cabinet ministers - can be used to reign in ministers who would be too disruptive on the backbenches. Micheal Gove, Tory ‘Big Beast’, has sat in ⅘ cabinets - Cameron, May, Johnson, Sunak. Publicly slagged off Truss, calling her mini-budget ‘not Conservative”.

Question 9

Para 3: Power of patronage
Disagree- Cab. has more pwr.

Answer 9

Ministers can also refuse demotions - undermines the power of the PM and sends already disgruntled ministers to the backbenches.
* EXAMPLE: Jan 2018 - May attempted to reshuffle Edu Sec to Work and Pensions (Justine Greening) and fire Jeremy Hunt - Greening resigned and Hunt resigned.

Question 10

Para 3: Power of patronage
Agree- PM has more pwr.

Answer 10

• Can appoint ministers who are loyal and share their ideological preferences and remove opponents from Cabinet.
• Also secures payroll votes - ministers must vote in line with the government
• EXAMPLE: Thatcher appointed ‘Dries’ - New Right Tories that agreed with her policies + ‘Wets’ - moderates who disagreed with her New Right agenda.
• EXAMPLE: Truss appointed close allies Theresa Coffey and Kwasi Kwarteng in her cabinet. May selected Damian Green.

Question 11

Mini conclusion

Answer 11

Power still lies with the PM as more likely to sack ministers/use unsatisfactory ministers and then replace them once they’ve served their purpose. Thatcher Cabinet reshuffle post-1983 election - loaded with ‘Dries’. Post-Brexit Johnson removed hardline Brexit supporters eg. Health Sec - Matt Hancock replaced with Sajid Javid.