PM and cabinet Flashcards
(23 cards)
roles of PM
- chief policy maker: decides gov policy across spectrum (e.g VAT on private school fees -2024 L manifesto)
- Head of gov: create and abolish departments, appoint ministers and head of civil service
- chief gov spokesperson: ‘ultimate source’ of policy news
- commander in chief of armed forces: commit troops into conflict when necessary (Tony Blair iraq)
- chief foreign policy maker: decides UKs actions towards other countries (BJ and brexit)
- PM
- Cabinet
- Gov department
- minister/ secretary of state
- civil service
- leader of gov and largest parliamentary party
- committee or senior ministers responsible for implementing policies
- area of gov responsible for policy regarding a specific sphere of public demonstration
- MP/lord chosen to lead a government department
- neutral gov workers responsible for helping ministers carry out their work
7 factors affecting policy making
- referéndums (e.g Brexit ~ 52% wanted it implemented)
- manifesto pledges (e.g Starmers manifesto to modernise HoL ~ HoL(hereditary peers) bill
- changing attitudes: social and cultural (e.g Harold Wilson’s gov (1964-70) - abortion act 1967, ending death penalty and decriminalisation of male homosexuality)
- coalition deals: (2011 AV referendum ~ LD idea, Tories put no effort in (To= 41%, FPTP=68%)
- national emergencies= Covid 19: advised to stay at home, social distance and policy would disrupt parties and fine
- personal conviction ( Thatcher = ‘conviction politician’ = privatisation (British Telecom and gas and electricity companies + sale of council houses reduced (1982: 5.4m ,, 1991: 900k)
- public pressure: climate change - Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion
Poll Tax 1990: Thatcher
- before: domestic rates tax funded local councils and payed by landlords + homeowners
- replaced with flat rate tax payable by almost all adults regardless of wealth based on how many residents lived in the property
• major riots in LDN
• unpopular in Scotland
• easy to avoid ~ moving and ‘disappearing’
- associated with Thatcher’s Downfall
- unpopular amongst cabinet = poor governance, wanted her to resign (she did)
~ powerful cabinet
Snap Election 2017: May
- she couldn’t get a majority to pass Brexit deals and wanted her own mandate (handover - unelected)
- 20% above Labour in opinion polls
• misleading = said she’d win a landslide - relied too much on SpAds (less powerful cabinet)
Iraq War 2003: Blair
- pressure from Bush wanting UK and Us forces to come together and fight
- TB: “there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that could destroy the UK”
• no NATO states joined conflict
• 1mil. in protest in LDN
• no evidence of weapons on Iraq
- PM could’ve consulted cabinet 11x but didn’t (withheld info incase they leaked info to press) = Chilcot Inquiry
• no trust in cabinet (sofá gov.) = unpowerful - downfall and negative legacy, referred to as war criminal
~ won 2005 GE
functions of core executive
- Making policy
• 2024 Employment Rights Bill: banning 0hr contracts and fire/rehire practices - Proposing rules
- Forming budget
• 2024 Autumn Budget: Rachel Reeves increase employers National Insurance Contributions to 15% - Leadership in emergencies
• Covid 19 pandemic 2020 - gov played vital role in overseeing reaction to emergency - gives universal support to gov. actions in national emergencies
- settle disputes amongst eachother and come to unanimous decisions
personal misconduct
- minister breaks 1 of 7 principles in ministerial code (misdemeanours)
• Matt Hancock resigned as Health Sec 2021: caught engaging in an affair during Covid pandemic while telling people to isolate and distance
~ most frequent
unwillingness to accept CCR
- can’t adhere to CCR: strongly disagrees on a policy
• Robin Cook 2003: Iraq war, urged UK to work with UN partners instead of USA = UK then joined USA in conflict
Political pressure
- becomes too embroiled in controversy and negative publicity that they’re pressured to resign by media and colleagues
• Andrew Mitchell + plebgate resigned as Chief Whip 2012: police told him to dismount bike and walk, swore and called policy a pleb
~ apologised but claimed he never swore/ said pleb
~ forced to resign after policy stuck to his version of events
accepting blame for error within department
• Claire Perry resigned as rail minister 2016: admitted to failure of her department to resolve issues of reliability and overcrowding on trains
-rare, most ministers blame civil service and heads of executive agencies for operational failures
inability to deliver policy promise in department
- feels undermined by other Whitehall departments and changes i. policy that concerns their policies
• Tracy Crouch: sports minister 2018: delays to crackdown max. stakes for betting machines
~ Chancellor cut them from £100-£2 in budget to take place a year later
~ Crouch promised fixed odds betting machines - “unjustifiable”
- Sofa government
- Inner (kitchen) cabinet
- informal and relaxed chats with 2-3 ministers and PM
- small core of ministers that the PM particularly relies on
Cabinet committees + eg
meetings with specific ministers to discuss various affairs
• National Security Council (Ukraine) = Chancellor of exchequer, Sos for Home Dep, Sos for defence, Sos for foreign affairs = come together to consider matters relating to gov’s response to situation in Ukraine
~ pragmatically discuss gov’s handling to current affairs
~ strong governance = unity
~ broad committees on a range of ideas
Cabinet Collective responsibility
once a cabinet has made a decision on policy, all members of government have to support it or resign
(shows stability and accountability)
Individual Ministerial Responsibility
all ministers responsible for own actions while in public office and expected to resign when fall short
- enhances rule of law and accountability
- good track record and professionalism
ways in which CCR is under pressure
- media leaks by dissatisfied ministers
• May ordered ministers to stop leaking confidential details of cabinet discussions over brexit policy (2017)
~ hostility and divisions = poor governance
~ public have a lack of trust in gov and refrain from voting in future - ministers may not adhere to accept policy
• Robin Cook
~ shows cabinet isn’t united
~ public aware that senior politicians disagree to such an extent that they’re willing to lose job - inclined to view future policies with caution (unpopularity and untrustworthy) - Coalitions
• Clegg critical of Cameron’s veto to a proposed revision to Lisbon Treaty at EU summit 2011
~ 2 parties in power with 2 different belief and values
~ extremely difficult to make unaminous decisions when half of the cabinet have conflicting views
features of a cabinet government
- cabinet committees
- IMR
- CCR (decision-making takes place shielded from public gaze = confidentiality - protects sensitive intro and creates safe environment for an expression of divergent views and untested ideas + improves quality of discussion)
ways cabinet can limit PM power
- coalitions
• AV Referéndum (LD idea- tories put no effort in)
~ power further divided and handed to parties with diff ideological beliefs
~ Cameron obligated to go Referenduk despite not wanting to - Cab have opposing views to PM
• Thatcher Poll tax
~ no policy can be implemented - PM must take into account the popularity of ministers
• TB: Brown wielded considerable power as CofEx and PM had to consider his reactions and consult him on key decisions since he could sack him
~ PM has to regard views and ideas of senior ministers to prevent hostility
~ conform to popular ministers belief whether they agree or not
presidentialism
PM holds a superior position of authority over their cabinet
PM are increasingly presidential
Yes:
- PM relies on a small inner circle of advisors (kitchen cabinet)
• Tony Blair had a sofa government - Iraq War, Had 11 opportunities to consult cabinet but didn’t invade they’d leak info to press
~ not a forum of balanced debate
~ no trust lies within cabinet
- Cabinet made up of ‘yes people’ who don’t challenge PM and agrees with all their ideas
• Thatchers cabinet: majority of gov strongly supported the privatisation of national industries
~ PM free to propose what they wish and cabinet would support
~ power somewhat lies in the power of one individual
No:
- small majorities in parl = lack of power
• May’s brexit deals (317) seats
~ more opposition who blocks bills and proposals
~ less in agreement w PM = less Cons MPs
- if the cabinet strongly disagrees with the proposals of PM, PM cannot pass a proposal and can become unpopular and forced to resign
• MT poll tax
~ more democratic- power lies within multiple people
~ PM receives opposition against their policies
sources of PMs powers
- royal prerogative: powers that are exercised by PM on behalf of monarch
• TB iraq war: declared war - acted in own interest and extended his PP by intervening in conflict
~ power effectively moved into hand of PM overtime
~ Done in name of monarch - decision taken by PM - Majority in HoC
• TM
~ greater majority greater power
~ party whip = all MPs of that party must vote in accordance with PM - Appointment and Patronage : responsible for selecting cab and non cab ministers
• Keir Starmers cabinet as of 2025 = Ed Miliband = Sos for Energy Security and Net 0 (previous shadow minister and leader of party)
~ PM chooses those with political experience who advise him to handle and create effective policy
~ deals w promotions, dismissals and vacancies
~ ambitious backbenches give absolute loyalty to PM to achieve a job
special advisors
political appointees that overlook work of politicians
