Evaluate the view that the PM has become more presidential

Question 1

LOA

Answer 1

Yes they have

Question 2

Para 1 - weaker - Spatial leadership and personal mandates

Answer 2

• there is no desire to move away from the party and Starmer has worked closely with the Labour government
• with many PMs they are more focussed on solving issues as a pose to becoming a personality (Brown focussed on solving Economic issues)

Question 3

Para 1 - Stronger - Spatial leadership and personal mandates

Answer 3

• leaders such as Blair and Thatcher were able to create their own ideologies which other leaders have tried to to mirror
• Johnson worked to distance himself from the failings of the previous May government

Question 4

Para 2 - Weaker - Cabinet importance

Answer 4

• Sunak would delegate tasks to cabinet, David Cameron was foreign Sec and led the UK in talks on Israel and Palestine. Jeremy Hunt had far more control over the economy under Sunak.
• the string of 64 resignations within the Johnson government eventually led him to resign

Question 5

Para 2 - Stronger - Ignoring Cabinet

Answer 5

• John Major had 8 Spads, Blair had 30 in 2005 and Starmer had 20 as of February 2025 including Sue Gray who is paid £170,000 annually (more than cabinet ministers)
• Blair made the decision to carry on the O2 without consulting cabinet, known as a sofa government and there was a reliance on the QUAD which involved figures such as Alistair Campbell

Question 6

Para 3 - Weaker - reliance on party for election

Answer 6

• the party choose the leader and with Thatcher she was removed after ignoring her cabinet and imposing the Poll tax
• people still have party alliances with 9% having strong alliances and this shows it is more about the party and the PM has less power

Question 7

Para 3 - Stronger - campaigns are more personal

Answer 7

• Johnson ran on his own campaign of ‘Get Brexit Done’
• the fact that Johnson is often referred to as ‘Boris’ shows that he ran on a far more personal campaign
• Thatcher was given the name ‘Iron Lady’ by the RedStar and shows she was more of a public figure
• in 1964, 44% of people had strong connections to a party and that is down to 9% as of 2015 showing people care more about other things such as the leader