Evaluate The View That Political Loyalty Is The Most Important Factor Governing The Prime Ministerʼs Selection Of Ministers.

Question 1

P1: Political Loyalty is More Important Than Ideology.

Answer 1

1. Prime Ministers prioritize political loyalty when selecting ministers to ensure public unity and avoid destabilizing the government.
2. Ministers chosen are expected to support government policy publicly and not embarrass the administration by dissenting.
3. In 2020, Boris Johnson replaced Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith, who opposed no-deal Brexit, with loyal ally Brandon Lewis despite Smith’s effectiveness.
4. Keir Starmer’s first cabinet mostly consisted of long-serving shadow ministers who were loyal allies, such as Rachel Reeves and Pat McFadden.
5. Liz Truss also selected a cabinet largely made up of her leadership supporters, including Kwasi Kwarteng, who was appointed Chancellor despite limited experience.

Question 2

P1: Ideology Is More Important

Answer 2

1. Prime Ministers must balance political loyalty with representing different party factions to keep the party united.
   An ideologically balanced cabinet prevents public dissent by binding all ministers to collective responsibility.
   2.Theresa May’s cabinet included both Brexiteers (Boris Johnson, David Davis) and Remainers (Philip Hammond, Jeremy Hunt).
2. After leadership contests, losing rivals often receive cabinet roles (e.g., Boris Johnson gave posts to Matt Hancock, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, Sajid Javid).
3. However, recent Prime Ministers with strong majorities prioritize loyalty over balance. Boris Johnson’s first cabinet was heavily Brexiteer-dominated (Priti Patel, Dominic Raab).
4. Liz Truss excluded Rishi Sunak from her cabinet after winning leadership. Starmer’s first cabinet lacks left-wing Labour members, with Angela Rayner as the closest.

Question 3

P2: Disagree Competence Is More Important

Answer 3

1. Jeremy Hunt was appointed Chancellor by both LT and RS.With nine years of cabinet experience since 2010, Hunt was seen as a safe, experienced choice after Kwasi Kwarteng was sacked. Sunak kept him on for stability.
2. RR became Chancellor after serving as Shadow Chancellor for three years and previously working at the Bank of England; Yvette Cooper was appointed Home Secretary, bringing government experience from Blair and Brown’s administrations.
3. James Timpson was made Prisons Minister, notable for his rehabilitation work—10% of his company’s workforce are former prisoners, and he was made a peer to take up the role.
4. Consider future leadership potential Liz Truss was made a junior minister by David Cameron in 2012, later promoted to the cabinet in 2014, helping her rise to party leadership and eventually Prime Minister.

Question 4

P2: Disagree Loyalty over experience

Answer 4

1. Recent PM have sometimes chosen ministers with limited experience but strong party loyalty or factional support.
2. Chris Grayling, nicknamed ‘Failing Grayling,’ was appointed Secretary of State for Transport despite incompetence, notably awarding a ferry contract to a company without ferries.
3. LT appointed Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor and James Cleverly to key roles, both having limited government experience. Truss’s cabinet was the least experienced in modern times, with an average of only 17 months’ ministerial experience.
4. Kwarteng’s promotion to Chancellor after less than two years in cabinet highlights the prioritisation of loyalty and political alignment over experience.

Question 5

P3: Direct Representation and Diversity over Loyalty.

Answer 5

1. PMs have prioritized making their cabinets more representative of the population, especially regarding gender and ethnicity.
2. Blair appointing Margaret Beckett as the first female Foreign Secretary, and Brown appointing Jacqui Smith as the first female Home Secretary.
3. BJ December cabinet included six ethnic minority members, with key roles held by Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel.
4. Starmer’s first cabinet had 11 women, including the first female Chancellor, but only three ethnic minority members—a decline compared to Johnson and Sunak’s cabinets.

Question 6

P3: Loyalty > Diversity

Answer 6

1. There are clearly limits to how much importance Prime Ministers place on diversity when selecting their ministers, particularly in relation to gender. Continues to be largely dominated by white men.
2. The coalition was criticised for its lack of gender balance with only 4 women in its first cabinet.
3. Though Prime Ministers do likely consider diversity in their selection of ministers, factors such as political loyalty and individual competence/experience are arguably more important, as they
   are key factors in enabling the Prime Minister to maintain their power and control