Evaluate The View That The Popularity Of The Prime Minister Is The Most Important Factor Influencing The Balance Of Power Between The Cabinet and Prime Minister.

Question 1

P1: Popularity in PM more important than how unified the party is

Answer 1

1. Rishi Sunak faced criticism and challenges from within his party in 2023-2024 due to declining popularity. (After Jenrick resigned he criticised Sunak for not taking a strong approach on immigration and Braverman his inability to deliver ‘war on woke’ and hardline immigration).
2. Margaret Thatcher’s mid-term popularity helped her control the cabinet and implement policies, but later unpopularity over the Poll Tax led to weakened control and her eventual resignation.
3. Boris Johnson was a strong electoral asset post-2019 but lost influence as his popularity dropped, culminating in his resignation after cabinet defections.
4. Liz Truss’s massive drop in support following her mini-budget led to her being ousted after just 54 days.

Question 2

P1: Disagree Cabinet Unity

Answer 2

1. Theresa May in particular struggled to keep the support of a party that was divided between one-nation conservatives and hard Brexiteers in the European Research Group in particular, Boris Johnson speaking out and sometimes even voting against the government.
2. BJ kicked out many one-nation conservatives from the party and
   replaced them in the 2019 election with Brexiters who were personally loyal to him.
3. KS, exert control despite net favourability in February 2025 was extremely low at 40%, but he has been able to dominate his cabinet, with no real challenge to his leadership and
   very limited leaking.

Question 3

P2: Disagree PM Manager Skills

Answer 3

1. Margaret Thatcher, whose increasingly autocratic leadership style alienated members of her cabinet. The resignation of Geoffrey Howe in 1990, once a close ally, was particularly damaging, criticised her leadership in r speech.
2. Blair aware of the threat GB posed, made a deal early in his premiership to give Brown significant control over economic policy in exchange for political loyalty.
3. BJ allowed RS to be the public face of major economic responses, such as the Furlough Scheme and Eat Out to Help Out. These policies boosted Sunak’s public profile and popularity, unintentionally positioning him as a credible alternative leader.
4. Blair Communications and Strategy
   Directorate in Downing Street to control the governmentʼs media messaging and ensure the cabinet publicly supported the government.

Question 4

P2: Agree Popularity over PM Managing

Answer 4

1. When the PM is popular, they will find it a lot easier to manage their cabinet as was the case with both Boris Johnson in the year after the 2019 election and Tony Blair.
2. Boris Johnson less able to control his cabinet in the end of his reign was arguably not his lack of management skills, but his declining popularity, which emboldened key cabinet ministers to challenge him.
3. This is because government ministers are primarily concerned with power and not losing their seats/positions.

Question 5

P3: Disagree Ability To Bypass Cabinet

Answer 5

1. Use of SPADs. Blair, centralised style became known as “sofa government”, where real decisions were often made outside formal cabinet meetings.
2. Blair, the creation of the Strategy Unit and Delivery Unit gave No. 10 a key role in both shaping long-term policy and monitoring implementation, especially in health and education
3. KS, By mid-2024, he had appointed over 20 SPADs in No. 10 and more than 80 across government.
4. Under John Major, there were just 8 SPADs; by 2005, Blair had 30.
5. Theresa May and Boris Johnson relied heavily on cabinet committees. May used the Committee on Exiting the European Union to steer Brexit policy, while Johnson made major COVID decisions through the COVID-19 Strategy Committee, where figures like Matt Hancock and Michael Gove held significant influence.

Question 6

P3: Popularity Is The Most Important

Answer 6

1. For example, when Theresa May was seeking to introduce a Brexit deal, her unpopularity meant she had to give significant control to hardline Brexiteers in her cabinet, including Boris Johnson, who had a lot of influence due to their support among the party. This forced
   Theresa May to a harder Brexit deal.
2. Liz Truss, who forced through her radical economic policies with Kwasi
   Kwarteng with little consultation of the Cabinet. After they failed and she became deeply unpopular, collective ministerial responsibility broke down and she was eventually forced to resign by her party and cabinet.