PM and Executive Flashcards
(35 cards)
1
Q
define PM
A
the leader of government and chair of the cabinet
2
Q
define cabinet
A
committee of senior ministers which is the ultimate decision making body of government
3
Q
who is the core executive
A
PM, cabinet committees, bilateral agreements between ministers and PM and senior civil servants
4
Q
roles of executive branch
A
- making policy decisions like giving permission to trigger Article 50 in 2017
- proposing legislation once a year in kings speech= where gov ministers propose bills to parl to support bills
- propose a budget= chancellor of exchequer proposes budget in HOC= debate budget for 4 days and then written into finance bill and pass stages in HOC
= HOL can’t amend or delay it due to Parl Act 1949
5
Q
prerogative powers executive branch
A
- make and ratify treaties= Paris agreement
- international diplomacy= invasion on iraq 2003
- deployment of armed forces overseas= Cameron didn’t launch air strikes on syria as parl voted against him in 2013 but did win 2015 when parl approved
- organisation of civil service= 24 gov departments on specific areas
- control legislative agenda
- powers of secondary leg= leg that allows provisions of a parl act to be brought into force wo needing primary legislation
6
Q
roles of PM
A
- appoint gov
- political leadership
- represent UK in international affairs
- chairing cabinet= Thatcher held 2 meetings a week
- national leadership= Bojo during COVID
- managing executive
7
Q
how to become PM
A
- must be an MP
- must be party leader= Thatcher resigned 1995 as she lost Tory leadership party election
- political party they lead ususally has majority in HOC
8
Q
what powers do PM have over cabinet
A
- appoint life peers= Sunak appointed Cameron as foreign sec
- appoint cabinet ministers= Blair appointed brown as chancellor, PM can remove minister whenever
- cabinet reshuffle
9
Q
representation in cabinet
A
- only have three from minority ethnic backgrounds despite a record 89 being elected to parliament 2025
- Starmer’s deputy, Angela Rayner, left school at 16 having grown up on a council estate in Stockport, working her way up the ranks as a trade union official before becoming an MP
- 46% women 2025 vs 4% under Thatcher and 14% under Cameron
- Hilary Benn, NI secretary, is the oldest member at 70, while the transport secretary, Louise Haigh, is the youngest at 37
- 2023, no women in economic affairs
10
Q
roles of cabinet office
A
- provide support for cabinet system and PM
- manage civi service
- calls cabinet meetings
- prepares agenda
11
Q
cabinet powers
A
- register decisions of committees and PM
- advise PM decisions on major issues= Blair invasion
- make rapid advice and decisions on policy like COVID19
- make report on current issues like policies or personal departmental advice and info
- settle disputes
12
Q
disadv of cabinet powers
A
- gov departments and ministerial committees often unable to reach agreement= votes rarely taken= wld highlight divisions e.g David Davis resigned due to Bojo Brexit
- if disputes can’t be settled= feel obliged to resign= Hesseltine vs Thatcher over Westland issue
13
Q
define collective responsibility
A
the principle that ministers must support cabinet decisions or resign from gov
14
Q
main elements of collective responsibility
A
- must keep secrecy of discussions in cabinet
- once choice made in cabinet, its binding and must accept decision made= 2003 Robin Cook resigned as didn’t agree with Blairs invasion and 42 left under May due to Brexit
- must resign if lost vote of no confidence
15
Q
describe elastic band theory of PM power
A
PMs like Thatcher can stretch power over cabinet to reassert authority but eventually cabinet swings back to reassert authority to remove PM like Thatcher
16
Q
exceptions to collective responsibility
A
- temporary suspension during referendums to prevent ministerial resignations= 1957 Wilson allowed ministers to vote yes or no on 1975 EEC ref and 2016 EU ref let ministers take personal opinion in campaigns
- 2010 coalition= LD ministers campaigned on diff sides of 2011 AV ref and 2014 PMB on bedroom tax caused spilt between parties= tories opposed it
- free votes granted on issues like 2015 vote on abortion, Cameron allowed free vote on Same Sex Marriage 2013= 2 ministers voted against
17
Q
strains on collective responsibility
A
- disgruntled ministers leak info= Clegg and Ed Balls wrote books about cabinet info
- minister that oppose gov policy have survived in office= Libdem ministers openly critical of coalition policy but only one junior minister Norman Baker resigned over policy diff
- PM dominance undermined CR by ignoring cabinet= Heseltine said thatchers contempt for collegiality and sofa gov
18
Q
which MPs resigned
A
- 2017 gov under May= 5 cabinet ministers and 11 junior ministers resigned= opposed Brexit policy due to draft 2018 Withdrawal agreement and 2018 Chequers agreement
- cabinet rebelled against May to decrease gov strength and rep= leaked confidential letters of concern
- 2019 march, 4 ministers defied whip and abstained vote preventing leaving EU wo deal
19
Q
define individual ministerial responsibility
A
the convention and principle that ministers are responsible to parliament for their personal conduct and that of their department
20
Q
are ministers always held accountable?
A
NO
- not if decisions are made by civil servants wo their knowledge or if they disagreed with it
- ministers don’t have to region if failings are due to civil servants
21
Q
example of knowingly misleading parl
A
ministers must be as open as possible due to ministerial code that states that ministers must give ‘accurate and truthful info to parl’
= amber rudd resigned 2018 as mislead home affairs Session by stating home office didn’t have targets for deporting illegal immigrants
22
Q
mistakes made by gov departments
A
- Dominic Raab resigned as deputy PM in 2023 due to inquiry into bullying
- Stella Braverman resigned as home Sec from Truss gov in 2022= sent sensitive info from personal email to fellow tory MP who wasn’t authorised to see it
23
Q
PM has power over cabinet
A
24
Q
PM doesn’t have power over cabinet
A
25
define cabinet gov
system of gov where executive power is vested in a cabinet whose members exercise collective rather than a single office
26
what does Heffernan argue
all PMs are pre-eminent as they automatically have 4 institutional powers
27
describe pre-eminent power of PM
- legal head of gov= appoint ministers
- leadership of gov= set policy agenda
- PM's office
- setting personal agenda
= Major, Brown, Cameron and May
28
describe pre-dominant power of PM
- leadership ability and reputation
- association w political success
- electorate popularity
- high standing within their party
= Thatcher and Blair
29
What did Michael Foley suggest
PM has become presidential
30
forms of presidentialisation
- personal leadership through personality and ideology
= Blair's new labour modernisation approach and televised leadership debates 2010
- strong public outreach= media gave Bojo a personal connection with the public that many leaders lack= regular TV briefings during COVID19
- spatial leadership= distance created between PM and party= Blair's sofa cabinet
- Chilcot Report into Iraq War showed Blair withheld the legal ambiguities over the war in Iraq from cabinet= undermines democracy as less opinions heard on important matters like war
31
points that PM is presidential
- high public outreach through media
= Bojo has over 2 mil IG followers, Blair famous interview in 1997 with Michael Parkinson and on Andrew Marr Show
- high spatial leadership and separation from cabinet
= Blair held 'sofa cabinet'= Chilcot Report and Clare Short was Secretary of State for International Development= said "we didn't have a cabinet"= By 2007, the number of special advisers had risen to around 80–90
32
- Robin Cook, Foreign Sec @ time, resigned 2003 due to his opposition to Iraq War= felt was being pushed through wo adequate Cabinet or parliamentary discussion
33
ministers defying accountability and resignation
- Jeremy Hunt – Secretary of State for Health (2012-2018)
= criticised for long waiting times, staff shortages, and funding gaps within the NHS= blamed NHS managers and NHS unions= remained in his role for over 6 yrs= one of the longest-serving health secretaries in history
- Chris Grayling – Secretary of State for Transport (2016-2019)= awarding a £13.8 million contract to Seaborne Freight, a ferry company w no ships, to prepare for a potential no-deal Brexit= claiming that the situation had been a consequence of tight deadlines and that civil servants had not fully considered all the risks involved
- Bojo and partygate scandal
- Iain Duncan Smith refused to resign over universal credit
- David Blunkett – Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2004)= relationship with a woman who was also his former employee= used his position to expedite visa applications for his lover’s nanny= eventually resigned in December 2004 after intense media scrutiny
34
factors that affect cabinet and PM
- Prime Minister’s Leadership Style
- Size of the Prime Minister’s Majority in Parliament
= may minority gov led to high cabinet rebellions
- External Events and Crises
= national crises can strengthen the PM (e.g. Johnson during COVID, Blair after 9/11).
Or weaken them if mishandled (e.g. May during Brexit negotiations, Brown during 2008 crash)
- Cabinet Composition
- How unified a party is
= May's cabinet was divided and tension due to ONC vs hard brexiteers in her European research group (ERG)
= Boris kicked out most ONCs and replaced w brexiteers
- Leader support
= Blair had huge leader support due to his personality of being presented young and charismatic= more flexibility to choose a cabinet that aligns with his ideals
= thatcher lost popularity after poll tax= led to cabinet resignations
= under Johnson, sunak and sajid Javid resigned due to partygate scandal
= after truss mini budget, cabinet forced her out within 54 days
35
cabinet case studies
- Boris made smaller cabinet group called COVID-19 strategy with health sec Hancock and Micheal Gove
- Blair sofa gov= Clare short said 'we didn't have a cabinet'
- coalition gov the 'Quad' was used to make decisions= involved Cameron, chancellor Osborne, Clegg and LD sec to treasury Danny Alexander
- may used big beast of Johnson to increase popularity
- by 2005, Blair had over 30 special advisors and mojo had Dominic Cummings who broke covid laws by driving from London to Barnard castle but Boris openly defended him= importance of SPADs to PM
