Prime Minister and the Executive

Question 1

How does the government control the legislative agenda?

Answer 1

1. Legitmacy; HOC has greater legitmacy than the HOL as it is a directly elected body
2. Exclusive powers; HOC has the right to insit on its legislation, the HOL can only delay legislation for 1 year + cannot delay or amend ‘money’ bills, only HOC can dismiss the gov through a no confidence vote
3. Conventions; by convention the HOL shouldn’t oppose bills implementing the manifesto commitments (Salisbury Conventions) or undly goverenment business or reject secondary legislation

Question 2

How do executive and legislature relations work together?

Answer 2

• Goverenment benefits from a parliamentary majority + party cohesion
• **Collective responsibility **requires ministers to support the goverenment + whis enforce party discipline
  1. Control of the legislative agenda; most bills are proposed by the goverenment + they control the legislative timetable (can limit debate on bills)
  2. Secondary legislation; gives ministers the power to amend existing legislation without requiring another act of Parliament is meant to include the new details precisily in the bill
  3. Prerogative powers; powers exercised by ministers that don’t require parliamentary approval which includes deploying the armed forces overseas

Question 3

What developments have made Parliament more effective and rebalanced the relationship between the executive and legislature?

Answer 3

• Select committes; departmental select committees scruntise policy + administration of gov, many of their recommendations are taken up by gov, election of committee chairs + members has enhanced their independance
• ** Backbench business**; creation of the BBBC allows non-goverenmental MPs to select issues for debate + the increased use of ‘urgent questions’ has weakened executive control of the parliamentary timetable
• Backbench rebellions; backbench MPs from the govering party are more likely to rebel these days which force the goverenment to withdraw or amend policy propsals on issues such as tax or air strikes in Syria
• Weakening of prerogative powers; parliament now decides if there should be an early general election + there is a convention that the UK doesn’t engage with armed conflict overseas without a parliamentary debate
• Assertive HOL; no party has a majority in the HOL + with the removal of hereditary peers in 1999 it has become more assertive, gov defeats in the HOL have become more common*

Question 4

What is the role of the executive?

Answer 4

• Making policy decisions; PM + cabinet set political priorities + the country’s overall policy direction + make day-to-day policy decisions
• Proposing legislation; executive devises + initiates legislation, most primary legislation (bills) is propsed by the executive, gov bills put into effect the policies proposed in the manifesto of the govering party + gov has law-making powers on secondary legislation
• Proposing a budget; the executive makes key decisions on economic policy + propses a budget, chancellor sets out propsed levels of taxation + public spending in the budget following negotiations with gov departments

Question 5

Explain what prerogative powers are and how they have become limited

Answer 5

• Prerogative powers; powers exercised by ministers that don’t require parliamentary approval which includes deploying the armed forces overseas
• Known as royal prerogative; monarch still has some prerogative powers including appointing the PM + royal assent
  Some prerogative powershave become limited:
• now a convention that there must be a parliamentary debate before deployment of the armed forces overseas
• Prior to the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act,the PM could ask the monarch to dissolve Parliament + call an early general election; now it can be only be called with a 2/3 majority
  Example prerogative powers:
  1. making and ratifying treaties
  2. international diplomacy (relations with other states)
  3. deployment of armed forces overseas
  4. PM’s patronage powers + ability to recommend dissolution of parliament
  5. Organising civil service
  6. Granting of pardons

Question 6

What is the executive?

Answer 6

• The executive is the branch of government that executes and administers + administers laws passed by the legislature. In the UK the executive is made up of the **PM, cabinet, government ministers + senior civil servants **within the departments of state

Question 7

What are backbenchers?

Answer 7

• Backbenchers are MPs who don’t hold office within government + therefore don’t sit on the front benches of the Commons chamber. The threat of **‘backbench rebellions’ **when governments **hold slender Commons majorities is a source of instability + insecurity for many PM’s **

Question 8

What are the key roles/duties of the Prime Minister?

Answer 8

Political leadership: the PM decides the political direction taken on by the goverenment, setting its priorities + policy on key issues
National leadership: the PM is communicator-in-chief for the goverenment + provides national leadership in times of crisis
Appointing the goverenment: the PM appoints + dismisses ministers
Chairing the cabinet: the PM chairs the cabinet + steers its decisions. They also creates cabinet committees + holds bilateral meetings with ministers
Managing the executive: the PM can restructure goverenment departments + the civil service
Managing relations with Parliament: The PM makes statements to + answers questions in the HOC; also shape the government’s legisaltive programme

Question 9

How is secondary legislation scrutinised?

Answer 9

• MPs either debate the measures for 90 minutes in the HOC or in a smaller committee
• Sometimes the legislation is just laid before Parliament + simply becomes law
• This means MPs have very little power to make any ammendments; must vote to either accept or reject the measure as a whole
  e.g: George Osborne proposed secondary legislation to cut £1000 from tax credit income of poor families; given a 90 minute debate in HOC + was pushed through even though MPs hadn’t propely scrutinised it. Especially as Labour was in chasos due to Jeremy Corbyn becoming party leader. The bill received a majority of 35 when the working majorty was 12; the bill was voted down by HOL

Question 10

Why does secondary legislation keep the executive powerful?

Answer 10

• Secondary legislation allows the executive to make big changes to policy without MPs noticing; means MPs are less likely to understand the regulations in the Commons/committees
• The executive also don’t appoint people to committees on the basis of experience or expertise
• Between 1950-1990 the number of statuory instruments was rarely higher than 2,500; from 1992 it has never fallen below 3000
  Example of secondary legislation; axing of maintenance grants for poorer students which was only discussed + approved by 18 MPs, known as Education (Student Support) (Amendment) Regulations 2015

Question 11

Why do HOC committes not scruntise secondary legislation enough?

Answer 11

• Secondary legislation isn’t taken seriously by MPs who don’t want to spend much time on a committe
• Committees often don’t use the full allocated time
• Whips tell MPs to shut up + not challenge the legislation + to ‘keep quiet’

Question 12

Give an example of when secondary legislation was scrutinised by a HOC committee and keep quiet failed

Answer 12

Example of when ‘keep quiet’ failed:
* September 2012 when MPs approving trhe Draft Victims of Overseas Terrorism Compensation Scheme 2012 + the Draft Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012
* Caused uproar from Tory members + four Tory MPs (John Redwood, Jonathan Evens,Angie Bray+ Bob Blackburn) became angry + Evans even made a speech (unusal)
* Evans called the policy a ‘hospital pass’ + Redwood (who encourages budget cuts) oppossed it forcing the gov to retreat + withdraw the policy
* 2 months later MPs had another committee on the same legislation; none of the 4 MPwho had previously opposed it were allowed back on the committee
* Government had added flexibility by helping those who were temporaily unable to work
* Government said they had listened to the MPs concerns + didn’t agree so hadn’t changed the legisaltion which was then passed by the new committee 2 months later

Question 13

What enbables the ‘keep quiet’ policy in Parliament?

Answer 13

• Whips enforce ‘keep quiet’ culture as does the fact that MPs who want to advnce into the executive don’t challenge the legisdaltion on committees (career/political suicide)
• Those who do want to advance politically may actually take their rle in scruntising legislation seriously

Question 14

What is a ‘Christmas tree bill’?

Answer 14

• A ‘Christmas tree bill’ is legislation that is bare + empty without the implementation of secondary legislation that it doesn’t even make sense
• It doesn’t give MPs much of a chanc to scruntise it + whether the propsed changes are good or bad

Question 15

What are secretaries of state?

Answer 15

• Secretaries of state sit in the cabinet + head up government departments; often they are in charge of a major policy area (health, education)
• Below them in the hierarchy come minister of state + then parliamentary under-secretary
• No more than 100 government minister in the UK government

Question 16

What are junior ministers?

Answer 16

• They are responsiblefor a specifc policy role within a department
  Example:
  Victoria Atkins (Health Secretary)
  Andrew Stephenson (Minister for State for Health)
  Maria Caulfield (Minister for Mental Health + Women’s Health Strategy)

Question 17

What is a parliamentary private secretary?

Answer 17

• They are unpaid (as a minister, paid as a civil servant) assistants to ministers but don’t have ministerial status

Question 18

Explain the role and key functions of governmnet departments

Answer 18

• Main administrative units of central gov, located in ‘Whitehall’ (bureaucratic apparatus of central gov)
• In major departments a cabinet minister is the political head + the permanent secretary is the most senior civil servant
  Functions:
  1. providing policy advice to ministers
  2. managing public spending
  3. fostering relationships with interested parties such as pressure groups
  4. policy implementation
• Departments are organised by policy areas (health)
• Terriotrial extent of their function varies,work of some departments (MOD) cover all of UK but on devolved matters some departments focus on England mainly
• The Treasury is the most powerful department it control public spending, spending reviews set out other departments limits + the budget contents aren’t revelaed to the cabinet before the chancellor’s announcment

Question 19

Explain the role and key principles of civil servants

Answer 19

• Civil servants work in government departments, they provide advice to ministers, as well as expertise,experience, access to information + impartial advice
• They also stay in post even when there is a change in government or ministers
• Policy-making + policy implementation roles of the civil service were seperated in the 1980s; civil servants working in Whitehall still advise ministers but policy implementation functions were transferrr
  Key Principles;
  1. Impartiality; serve the Crown rather than the government at the time, expected to be politically neutral + not involved in overtly party political tasks
  2. Anonymity; individual civil servants shouldn’t be identified as the ‘author’ of the advice given to ministers. They may be called on to give evidence before parliamentary committees but they do so under the direction of ministers
  3. Permanence; they stay in their post when there is a change in government
  4. Meritocracy; civil servants aren’t political appointments it is staffed by generalists

Question 20

What are special advisors and spin doctors?

Answer 20

Special advisor: temporary civil servants who give out policy advice, support gov ministers + are political appointments so don’t have to be impartial
Spin doctors: special adviser who promotes the image of ministers/secretaries/PM + their policies in the media

Question 21

Explain the PM’s patronage powers

Answer 21

• The PM has powers of patronage to appoint someone to an important position
• The most significant way this is done is the appointing of government ministers
• The** PM’s previous powers to male judicial + ecclesiastical appointments was reduced by the Brown government**
• The PM’s role in the** honours system has also been reduced**

Question 22

Explain the PM’s power in appointing cabinet ministers

Answer 22

• The PM’s power to appoint + dismiss government ministers (especially at cabinet level) provides them with a crucial advantage to shape their government + policies
• PM can create a cabinet in which they reward supporters + penalize disloyal MPs
• The 2010 coalition required Cameron to appoint 5 liberal democrats to his cabinet including Nick Clegg
• PM’s reshuffling of cabinet portfolios allows the PM to promote successful ministers + demote those who have underachieved; some ministers are moved other are dismissed entirely
• PM decides the timing of a cabinet reshuffle but sudden resignations might force an unwanted one

Question 23

Explain how the PM has authority in the cabinet system

Answer 23

The PM has specific authority within the** core executive** + is known as** ‘first among equals’**
* chairs cabinet meetings
* manages the agenda of cabinet meeting
* directs + sums up cabinet decisions
* creates cabinet committees + appoints their members
* holds bilateral meetings
* appoints senior civil servants
* organises the structure of government

Question 24

Explain the PM’s power in setting the agenda

Answer 24

The PM determines the agenda by:
* Controlling the information presneted to minister by determine which issues + papers should be brought before cabinet
* Keeping potentially difficult issues off the cabinet agenda
* Deciding the chair, membership + remit of cabinet committes where detailed policy work occurs

Question 25

Explain the PM’s power in leading the party

Answer 25

• The PM is leader of the largest party in HOC (by convention not law); a working majority in parliament stregthens the positon of the PM + ensures they have the confidence of the Commons + enact legislation
• Party leadership strengthenes the authority of the PM; party leaders are elected by the party members + MPs - legitamizes their position
• Blair had authortiy within his party for his first few years in office because of two landslide eledtion victories; reformed Labour’s organisation to enhance the position of the party leader

Question 26

Explain the PM’s power through public standing

Answer 26

• The PM is the main spokeperson for the nation + acts as the head of the state (especially in international meetings)
• The PM’s press office holds a key position + the PM has unique access to the media
• Danger in the PM apearing as head of state thus eclipsing the monarchy

Question 27

What are the main requirments of the PM?

Answer 27

1. Must be a member of the Westminister Parliament; until the 19th century the PM usually came from the HOL (HOL was seen as the upper house), Commons gained supremacy it became the constitutional convention that the PM should be an MP
2. PM must be the leader of a political party + have their support (by convention the leader of the largest party)
3. The political party that the PM leaders must have a majority in the HOC; winning a general election is the most common route to becoming PM

Question 28

What are the types of government?

Answer 28

Majority governments: this is where one party has an absolute majority seats in the HOC + forms a government; governent ministers are members of this one party
Minority governments: no political party has an absolute majority of seats in the HOC; normally leads to a coalition
Coalition governments: no political party has an absolute majority in the HOC; two or more parties agree to form a government together

Question 29

What is the cabinet?

Answer 29

• The leading committe of government, comprimising the senior secretaries of state + headed by the PM. The theory of ‘cabinet government’ emphasises the** supremacy of the cabinet as a decision-making body **
• Senior ministers that have specific roles within government + help the PM lead
• Key-decision making body in the government

Question 30

Explain the role of the cabinet

Answer 30

• The ministerial code + cabinet manual set out the roles + functions of the cabinet + its committees, acting as authoritative guides to the cabinet system
  Cabinet functions:
  1. Refistering + ratifying decisions taken elsewhere in the cabinet system
  2. Discussing + deciding on major issues
  3. Receiving reports on key developments + determining government business in parliament
  4. Settling disputes between government departments

Question 31

Explain the role of cabinet committes

Answer 31

Cabinet Committee Decisions:
* Ministerial standing committes (permanent for the OM’s term of office)
* Ministerial subcommittees (report to the standing committees)
* Ad hoc committees (temporary committees set up to deal with particular issues)
* Offical committees of civil servants

Question 32

Explain what the inner cabinet is

Answer 32

• The PM periodically holds meetings with small groups of key/importance ministers
• In times of crisis, a select group of ministers may meet regulary to discuss developments + formulate policy ; the small group is said to be the ‘inner cabinet’
• It can be also be known as the ‘kitchen cabinet’
• During the coalition ‘The Quad’ was made up of Cameron, Clegg, Osborne, Alexander

Question 33

What is the Cabinet Office’s role

Answer 33

• Created in 1916 to provide support for the cabinet system
• Key section is the Cabinet Secretariat, which regulates + coordinates cabinet business
• Involved in manging + regulating the civil service
• Under Blair, the Cabinet Office took a lead role in policy delivery + public service reform

Question 35

Explain the key roles performed by ministers

Answer 35

• Policy Leadership: a minister doesn’t play a hands on role in all detailed polciy, instead they act as leaders
• Represent Departmental Interests: ministers represent their departments interests in the cabinet + negotiate for funding increases with the Treasury
• Departmental Management: ministers play a strategic role in managing their department
• Relations with Parliament: ministers put their bills through parliament + are accountable to parliament

Question 36

Explain the principle of collective responsibility

Answer 36

• The cabinet is supposed to be aunited body
• Ministers are members of the smae party + stood on a agreed manifesto at the general election
• Collective responsibility is a core principle of collective government
• It is convention that all cabinet + members of the governmnet are responsible as a group

Question 37

Explain the idea of secrecy within the cabinet

Answer 37

• Ministers must keep the details of discussions in the cabinet system a secret
• This is to retain sensitive information + preventing information from becoming part of the public domain

Question 38

Explain the idea of binding decisions within the cabinet

Answer 38

• Once the cabinet has made a decision it becomes binding on all cabinet members regardless of whethere they had been opposed to it or not
  If a cabinet member disagrees with a decision they can:
  1. Show a united front + support it publicly (can criticise in private among certain people)
  2. Resign if you want to publicly criticise it
  e.g Caroline Flint resigned in 2009 from the cabinet due to Bronw’s leadership style

Question 39

What are confidence votes?

Answer 39

• The entire government must resign if it’s defeated in a vote of confindence
• James Callaghan’s Labour government lost a vote of no confidence after its bill on Scottish devolution was defeated in the Commons
• Boris Johnson had a vote of no confidence in 2022, won 211 to 148

Question 40

Explain the PM’s power in temporarliy suspending collective responsibility

Answer 40

• The PM can suspend collective responsibility on various issues
• Meant to ensure theat there isn’t a mass resignation of ministers; leading to a crisis in government
• Harold Wilson allowed ministers to campaign for either yes or no during the 1975 referendum on the EEC
• In 2016, Cameron allowed his ministers to campaign for either yes or no membership to the EU; led to the infamous red bus with Michael Gove + Boris Jonhson

Question 41

Explain how leaks, concerns and dissent occur in the cabinet and give examples

Answer 41

• Disgruntled ministers + their advisers may leak information on cabinet discussions to the media; to mkae it public
• Cabinet discussions may have also been made public in diaries written by cabinet ministers such as Tony Benn + Robin Cook
• Cabinet ministers who oppose important government policy have survived in office ecen when their concerns have been made public
• “Wets” in Thatcher’s first cabinet were very public in their opposition to Thatcher’s government’s economic policy
• There was also dissent regarding the concerns of the 2003 invasion of Iraq

Question 42

Explain the ideas of Prime Ministerial dominance and give examples

Answer 42

• Some cabinet ministers who served under Thatcher + Blair believe that the PM’s undermined collective responsibilty by ignored the cabinet
• Caroline Flint resigned from Brown’s cabinet in 2009 accusing him of running a two-tier government with an inner circle that included few women

Question 43

Explain individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 43

• Principle that all ministers are accountable to parliament for their own personal conduct
• This convention isn’t rigid
• Ministers aren’t obligated to resign if failings are traceable to actions of civil servants; but they are responsible for informing parliament of the actions of their department
• Home Secretary David Maxwell-Fyle stated in 1954 that ministers cannot be held responsible for decision taken by civil servants that they have no knowledge of or that they disagreed with

Question 44

List the orders of the post-war PM’s and their parties

Answer 44

• Clement Attlee - Labour - 1945-1951
• Winston Churchill - Conservative - 1951-1955
• Sir Anthony Eden - Conservative - 1955-1957
• Harold Macmillian - Conservative - 1957-1963
• Sir Alec Douglas-Home - Conservative - 1963-1964
• Harold Wilson - Labour - 1964-1970
• Edward Heath - Conservative - 1970-1974
• Harold Wilson - Labour - 1974-1976
• James Callaghan - Labour - 1976-1979
• Margaret Thatcher - Conservative - 1979-1990
• John Major - Conservative - 1990-1997
• Tony Blair - Labour - 1997-2007
• Gordon Brown - Labour - 2007-2010
• David Cameron - Conservative - 2010-2016
• Theresa May - Conservative - 2016-2019
• Boris Johnson - Conservative - 2019-2022
• Liz Truss - Conservative - 6th September - 25th October 2022
• Rishi Sunak - Conservative - 25th October - present

Question 45

List all the elections since 1945, who won and what majority they had

Answer 45

1945: Attlee - Labour majority - 167
1951:Churchill - Conservative majority - 17
1955: Eden - Conservative majority - 60
1959: Macmillian - Conservative majority - 100
1964: Wilson - Labour majority - 4
1966: Wilson - Labour majority - 98
1970: Heath - Conservative majority - 60
28th Febuary 1974: Wilson - Labour minority -** (-33)**
10th October 1974: Wilson - Labour majority - 3
1979: Thatcher - Conservative majority - 43
1983: Thatcher - Conservative majority - 144
1987: Thatcher - Conservative majority - 102
1992: Major - Conservative majority - 21
1997: Blair - Labour majority - 179
2001: Blair - Labour majority - 167
2005: Blair - Labour majority - 60
2010: Cameron - Conservative majority - 78
2015: Cameron - Conservative majority - 12
2017: May - Conservative minority - (-5)
2019: Johnson - Conservative majority - 80

Question 46

Describe Churchill’s first term as PM during 1940-1945 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 46

Churchill - 1940-1945 - Conservative Party
* Biggest Strength: Good diplomacy skills ensured he secured food,oil + weaponary for the country + won the war
* Biggest Weakness: Failed to act to stop the Bengal Famine in India in which 2-5 million people died
* Churchill was aganist any attempt to maintain peace with Germany + during WW2 travelled over 100,000 miles to meet other world leaders
* Churchill was willing to work with leaders such as Stalin

Question 47

Describe Attlee’s term as PM during 1945-1951 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 47

Attlee - 1945-1951 - Labour Party
* Biggest Strength: Created the ‘welfare state’ (old+sick people were looked after) + the NHS + free secondary education became a right until 15
* Biggest Weakness: Implemented charges for some dental treatment in 1951 + failed to build half as many homes as he aimed
* National Insurance Act of 1946 created the ‘welfare state’ in which taxes paid for the old, sick + unemployed to be taken care of by the state
* Created the NHS in 1948 providing free healthcare
* Over a million new homes were built by 1951 - half as Attle aimed to but it gave people affordable homes for the first time
* Workers were given sick pay
* Gave India indpendance in 1947; division of India + Pakistan led up to 2million deaths
* By 1951 the economy was doing badly (partly due to the cost of the Korean War)

Question 48

Describe Churchill’s second term as PM during 1951-1955 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 48

Churchill - 1951-1955 - Conservative Party
* Biggest Strength: Good diplomacy skils which meant he had good relations with the West
* Biggest Weakness: Wanted ti reduce immigration from the West Indies + though “Keep England White” was a good slogan
* Churchill retained his ‘special relationship’ with the USA
* As the ‘Cold War’ continued to build as Britain tested its first nuclear weapon ibn 1952

Question 49

Describe Eden’s term as PM during 1955-1957 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 49

Eden - 1955-1957 - Conservative Party
* Biggest Strength: Lowest unemployment since the end of WW2 at only 1% which kept the economy stable
* Biggest Weakness: Plan to invade Egypt with the help of Israel + France remove the Egyptian President + lied to Parliament
* Popular during the war + famously said “peace comes first, always”
* Immediately called an election + did very well - went on after Chruchill’s retirement
* Egyptian President took control of the Suez Canel + Eden was worried that Egypt was trying to cut off oil supplies to Europe
* Plan to invade Egypt with the help of Israel + France remove the Egyptian President; mistakenly thought the USA would have no problem with this
* Criticised by USA, USSR + UN
* Eden lied to Parliament, ruining his reputation + so he resigned in 1957 after showing that Britain was no longer a large world power

Question 50

Describe Macmillian’s term as PM during 1957-1963 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 50

Macmillian - 1957-1963 - Conservative Party
* Biggest Strength: Gave several British colonies in Africa independance + reduced the working week from 48 hours - 42 hours
* ** Biggest Weakness**: Windscale Fire (caused by low safety standards) - worst nuclear accident in Britain
* 1956 Clean Air Act to try + reduce air pollution
* Factories Act 1961 to improve health + safety for factory workers
* Helped to get the USA + USSR to sign a treaty in 1963 which banned nuclear testing above ground
* Wanted to quickly improve Britain’s nuclear weapons + but safety standards dropped in order to test Britian’s first hydrogen bomb in 1957 which led to the Windscale fire
* Radioactive cloud spread over south-east England + some of Europe
* Conservations won next election comfortably due to the rise in living standards + low unemployement; Macmillian said “most of our people have never had it so good”
* In 1963 senior politican John Profumo was found to have had an affair with a model + lied to Parliament about it; the way Macmillian’s government dealt with it ruined his reputation + he resigned in the same year

Question 51

Describe Douglas-Home’s term as PM during 1963-1964 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 51

Douglas-Home - 1963-1964 - Conservative Party
* Biggest Strength: Stopped price fixing in supermarkets + shops so prices became cheaper
* Biggest Weakness: Lack of time in power + experience meant he was unabe to make substantial changes to increase his + the parties popularity
* Came from a wealthy background + had a seat in the HOL that he gave up to be PM
* During his time in power the British economy was very good but as Home didn’t have much experience he left it to other politicans
* Home struggled to rebuild his party’s reputation after the Profumo Affair

Question 52

Describe Wilson’s first term as PM during 1964-1970 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 52

Wilson - 1964-1970 - Labour Party
* Biggest Strength: Ended the death penalty, legalised abortion, decriminalised homosexual sex + banned some forms of workplace discrimination
* Biggest Weakness: Prescription charges were introduced on the NHS, were unable to close grammer schools + raise the school leaving age to 16 by 1970 + there were a lot of trade union strikes
* UK applied to join the European Economic Community but the French President refused Britain’s entry
* Made it illegal to refuse services to people based on their race + to pay men + women differently
* Spent more money on education then defence + many more universities + schools were built
* The number of children who were given free school meals were doubled + built 1.3 million houses
* Living conditions generally improved by 1970 but many worker’s groups refusing work unless they got better pay

Question 53

Describe Heath’s term as PM during 1970-1974 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 53

Heath - 1970-1974 - Conservative Party
* Biggest Strength: Raised school leaving age to 16 + low income families didn’t pay NHS charges + get FSM + halved unemployment
* Biggest Weakness: Miner’s strikes(in both 1972+1974) led to the country having little power - 3 day-work week, no TV, pubs closed + violence in NI
* Higher charges for dentistry, glasses, prescriptions + free school milk for 8-11 year-olds was ended
* More older people were paid pensions, more disability benefits were introduced + more nurseries + schools were built
* Families on low income didn’t have to pay NHS charges + recieved free school meals
* By 1972 1million were unemplyed (highest for more than 20 years); Heath then spent £2.5 bn to raise pensions + benefits + reduce taxes
* By 1974, unemployment had nearly halved, this didn’t last + the government had to cut spending on things such as nursery building
* Heath was also in charge during a period of violence in NI
* In 1973 European Economic Community + for 2 months this led to the country having little power that the government made most businesses work 3-day weeks, the TV stopped at 10:30pm + pubs closed

Question 54

Describe Wilson’s second term as PM during 1974-1976 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 54

Wilson - 1974-1976 - Labour Party
* Biggest Strength: Raised taxes for higher earners + spent £2bn on education, healthcare + housing + a 25% rise in pensions + maternity pay was introduced
* Biggest Weakness: 1976 growing unemployment + a financial crisis meant the country borrowed £4bn + made large spending cuts
* After the 1974 election no party had a majoirty in Parliament so Wilson became in charge of a minority government
* Labour was divided over Labour’s membership in the European Economic Community so Wilson had a referendum in 1975; 67% voted to remain
* Raised taxes for higher earners to pay for his increased spending; maternity pay was introduced for the first time for new mothers in 1975 + the Sex Discrimination Act made gender discrimination illegal
* Economy was doing badly by 1974 but was growing by 1976, unemployment was still very high + Britan had a financial crisis + had to borrow nearly £4bn

Question 55

Describe Callaghan’s term as PM during 1976-1979 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 55

Callaghan - 1976-1979 - Labour Party
* Biggest Strength: Child benefit for all (no matter what there parent’s income was), more children were on FSM + improving housing for the homeless
* Biggest Weakness: Huge rising unemployment (1.5mil) + ‘Winter of Discontent’ + NHS workers, bin collectors + gravediggers refused to work
* Within a year of becoming OM, he was in charge of a minority government; despite the economic crisis in an interview Callaghan said he didn’t think there was a crisis + was criticised by Thatcher
* Faced a vote of no confidence + in order to survive he had to make a deal with the Liberal Party; when this deal expired in 1978 Callaghan was expected to call an election (likely would have won)
* Callaghan decided to wait a year in which Labour suffered through strikes which paralysed the country + the ‘Winter of Discontent’; NHS workers, bin collectors + gravediggers refused to work
* Another vote of no confidence occured in May 1979 + Callaghan lost this by one + lost the election in May

Question 56

Describe Thatcher’s term as PM during 1979-1990 and her biggest strength + weakness

Answer 56

Thatcher - 1979-1990 - Conservative Party
* Biggest Strength: Cut taxes on people’s wages + had a 10-week victory in the Falkands War agansit Argentia
* Biggest Weakness: Miner’s strikes - left may areas in poverty + sold British owned business + ‘poll tax’ where everyone pays the same amount of tax
* Gave people renting council houses the right to buy their homes but this lef fewer council homes for people without homes
* Increased ‘indirect’ taxes like VAT in shops + reduced her spending on education + housing
* High unemplyment (3mil) made her unpopular + she reduced the power of trade unionsas steikes had previously paralysed the country
* Miner’s strikes of 1984-85 were over her decision to close coal pits, the strikes lasted for a year + she sold British businesses like BT, British Gas, British Steel, British Airways
* Her ‘poll tax’ where everyone pays the same amount of taxes no matter what they earn was deeply unpopular
* Thatcher’s anti-EU views led the pro-EU politicans in her party to quit forcing her resignation in 1990

Question 57

Describe Major’s term as PM during 1990-1997 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 57

Major - 1990-1997 - Conservative Party
* Biggest Strength: Cancelled ‘poll tax’ in 1991 + made sure Britain didn’t adopt the Euro + get rid of the £ + paved a way for Irish peace + Good Friday
* Biggest Weakness: ‘Black Wednesday’ - UK lost billions + unemployment (3mil) at the end of 1992 + sold Britain Rail
* Major promied to keep Britain “at the heart of Europe” but politians who didn’t like the EU challenged his authority
* By mid-1993 major newspapers + public opinion had turned aganist Major + Major sold British Rail
* Major survived a bombing by the IRA in1991 + spent years trying to establish peace in NI + paved the way for Blair’s Good Friday Agreement

Question 58

Describe Blair’s term as PM during 1997-2007 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 58

Blair - 1997-2007 - Labour Party
* Biggest Strength: Same-sex couples protected by laws, introduced the Human Rights Act, devolution, trangender people could change their gender on their Birth Certificate, reduced NHS waiting times
* Biggest Weakness: Fees for univeristy (started of at £1k, then to £3k by 2003) + joined Iraq war (believing they had chemical weapons); known as an ‘illegal war’
* In 1998 the Good Friday Agreement made peace with NI after decades of violence + terrorism
* Same-sex were protected in law from discrimination + were given the right to civil partnerships + to adopt
* Raised taxes for the well-off + increased benefits + also introduced National Minimum Wage in 1998
* Brought the UK closer to the EU, gave the police more power, reduced NHS waiting times
* Spending on education increased significantly + parents of 3 year-olds were given free childcare
* Became involved in the Kosov War to stop a genocide + helped the USA in wards aganist Afghanistan in 2001 + Iraq in 2003
* 1mil people protested in London aganist the Iraq War, Saddam Hussein didn’t have chemical weapons after all + many called it an ‘illegal war’
* Blair is also criticised for not having a referendum on EU memberhsip (promised on in 2005)

Question 59

Describe Brown’s term as PM during 2007-2010 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 59

Brown - 2007-2010 - Labour Party
* Biggest Strength: Made it a convention to ask Parliament before the UK went to war, reduced child poverty + increased the school leaving age to 18
* Biggest Weakness: Spent £500bn to rescue the banks from collaspe (grew country’s debt even though it was an impressive respons), failed to increase the time a terror suspect could be held by police without being charged (one of his key aims)
* When Brown came into power Cameron’s Conservative party pressured Brown to call an election
* In 2008 the biggest financial crisis occured since the 1930s + unemployment rised significantly
* Ensured 16-18 year-olds had the right to an apprenticeship + imrpoved old-age pensions
* Brown spent £500bn to save the banks from collapse, the response was praised + copied by most of the USA + Europe; meant the UK borrowed more than it made so the country’s debt grew significantly
* Brown faced repeated opposition within the party + failed to increase the time a terror suspect could be held by police without being charged to 42 days but it was deafeated by the HOL

Question 60

Describe Cameron’s term as PM during 2010-2016 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 60

Cameron - 2010-2016 - Conservative Party
* ** Biggest Strength**: Legalised same-sex marriage (2014), increased minium wage, kept Scotland within the UK in 2014 + helped to bomb Libya to overthrow a dicator in 2011
* Biggest Weakness: Lost EU referendum, didn’t give any/enough support to the new Libyan government (led to growth of ISIS in the area , made significant welfare cuts (£100bn) which led to austerity
* Conservatives made a coalition deal with the Lib Dems
* Cameron started austerity (cuts of £100bn); meant welfare cuts + reduced spending on policing + prisons
* Unemployment fell + the economy recovered - debt increased + living standards fell
* Changes to welfare in 2012 caused an increase in the number of children in poverty, the use of food banks + homelessness
* In 2012 he introduced the biggest reorganisation of the NHS since its creation; saw thousands of protests + was abandoned in 2019
* In 2013 he wanted to bomb Syria but Parliament refused, later said yes in 2015
* To avoid losing votes to UKIP he promised in the 2015 general elections to have a referendum of EU membership in 2016; Cameron campaigned to remain but 52% of the public voted to leave so he resigned

Question 61

Describe May’s term as PM during 2016-2019 and his biggest strength + weakness

Answer 61

May - 2016-2019 - Conservative Party
* Biggest Strength: Introduced a tax on sugary drinks to fight childhood obesity, demanded a response from Russia on the Sailsbury murder + expelled 23 Russian officals as a result
* Biggest Weakness: Brexit deal was defeated in Parliament 3x (including in the largest defeat in government history), needed the DUP’s support to have a majority in Parliament in return for 1bn of extra funding for Northern Ireland in the 2017 election in which she lost her majority
* Wanted to end the ban on creating grammer schools but after the 2017 election she had lost her majority in Parliament
* Was criticised for refusing to criticse President Trump but was praised for her response to the Sailsbury chemical weapons murders + demanded an explanation from Russia
* Several senior Conservative politicans resigned rather than support May’s Brexit deal but she survived an attempt from her own party to remove her in Dec 2018 + a vote from Parliament to remove her in Jan 2019
* Having delyaed Brexit twice, May resigned in July

Question 62

Define individual ministerial responsibility and collective ministerial responsibility

Answer 62

• Individual ministerial responsibility; the principle that governmnet ministers are singularly responsible for their conduct, their work, government and their relationships with their colleagues. If a miniter** fails to meet the expectations** demanded of high public office or is unable to reconcile personal issues or differences, resignation is required
• Collective ministerial responsibility; the principle that cabinet and government ministers to support government policy publicly, even if they disagree with the decision privately. If ministers cannot maintain collective responsibility, they must **resign from their posts **

Question 63

Explain why Dominic Rabb resigned due to individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 63

• Resigned as deputy PM after a bullying inquiry found he had been** “intimidating” and “aggressive” **towards officials
• Complaints refer to his time as Justice + Foreign secretary under Johnson + Brexit secretary under May
• Rabb had engaged in **“abuse or misuse of power” **and in a manner which was “intimidating”
• Rabb said that he would resign whatever the outcome of the inquiry before the findings had been published + Sunak accepted this
• Rabb resigned with a** resignation letter** in which he made clear that whilst he **accepted the inquiry outcome he didn’t agree with the findings **
• Rabb argued that ministers need to be able to give direct critical feedback + have direct oversight of their civil servants to drive the reform the public expect

Question 64

Explain why Dominic Rabb resigned due to individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 64

• Rabb was opposed to Theresa May’s Brexit deal + thought it wasn’t good enough
• Boris Johnson also resigned over May’s Brexit deal

Question 65

Explain why Boris Johnson resigned due to collective/individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 65

• **Partygate Scandal **(Boris Johnson held parties during lockdown at 10 Downing Street which went strictly against Covid-19 guidelines- nobody is above the law).
• The Conservative party are trailing Labour in the polls by an average of 16 points. If he had decided to stay and fight, there is no guarantee he would have returned to Parliament.
• Between forming a government on 13 December 2019 after the 2019 general election and his eventual resignation amid a government crisis, Johnson faced the resignation of 10 cabinet ministers
• Published a resignation statement to public
• Prior his resignation statement, the fundamental reason he was pushed out of parliament was due to the final report The Privileges Committee published on 15 June
• The Committee had voted on the final report text and unanimously supported it. They concluded that Johnson had deliberately misled the House, a contempt of Parliament. They said that, had he still been an** MP, they would have recommended a 90-day suspension**. To escape this Johnson had no choice but to resign
• Boris Johnson also resigned over May’s Brexit deal as Foreign secretary in 2018

Question 66

Explain why Iain Duncan Smith resigned due to collective ministerial responsibility

Answer 66

• IDS resigned as work and pensions secretary due to £4 billion of planned cuts to disability benefits (which he denounced as ‘indefensible’)
• He complained of pressure to ‘salami slice’ welfare. (Politically, this term is used to describe a divide and process of threats and alliances used to overcome opposition). He claimed the latest cuts were a** ‘compromise too far’** in a budget that **benefits higher earning taxpayers **
• He cited that the pressure to make cuts to disability benefits as the main reason for his resignation
• He resigned through writing an official resignation letter

Question 67

Explain why Baroness Sayeeda Warsi resigned due to collective ministerial responsibility

Answer 67

• On 5 August 2014, Warsi resigned from the Government
• Citing concerns that she was no longer able to support the Cameron Government’s policy on the escalation of violence in the Israel–Gaza conflict
• Described the Government’s position as “morally indefensible”
• After resigning she called for an arms embargo against Israel
• She also expressed concern about the way recent decisions had been made in the Foreign Office

Question 68

Explain why Caroline Flint resigned due to collective ministerial responsibility

Answer 68

• She resigned from government after the June 2009 reshuffle (11/06/09).
• Asserting that Brown ran a “two-tier government” and treated her as “female window dressing”
• Flint renewed her attack on Brown in a subsequent Observer article, complaining of “constant pressure” and “negative bullying”

Question 69

Explain why Tom Watson resigned due to collective ministerial responsibility

Answer 69

• Former deputy Labour leader resigned due to the “brutality and hostility” he experienced within Labour + blamed poor organisation and messaging for the **party lose in the general election **
• Watson was one of the **signatories to a letter urging Blair to quit as prime minister **
• Watson wasn’t a supporter of Corbyn and said that the next generation of Labour leaders need to assess whether they “actually want power” as they begin to rebuild the party

Question 70

Explain why Robin Cook resigned due to collective ministerial responsibility

Answer 70

• Robin Cook, the former leader of the Commons and former foreign secretary, resigned from the government in protest **over the prime minister’s stance/invasion in Iraq **
• He claimed he **couldn’t accept collective responsibility for the decision to commit Britain to military action in Iraq without international agreement or domestic support **
• He wrote and delivered a resignation speech to/at the House of Commons

Question 71

Explain why Norman Baker resigned due to collective ministerial responsibility

Answer 71

• Baker resigned over having to work with his Tory counterpart Theresa May as Home Secretary who was his boss at the time

Question 72

Explain why Amber Rudd resigned due to collective ministerial responsibility

Answer 72

• Rudd resigned over Boris Johnson’s ‘purge’ of the party and said he wasn’t looking for a Brexit deal
• Rudd was unable to support the government’s stance on Brexit
• Resigned in September 2019

Question 73

Explain why John Profumo resigned due to individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 73

• Profumo; **secretary of state for defense resigned his office **+ seat in Parliament in a letter to the PM in which he also denied improper conduct but admitted that he misled the PM
• Profumo had an affair with his 19-year-old protegee + initially **denied these allegations in the HOC **
• Profumo also denied any truth in the allegations that he had been involved in possible security breaches or the **disappearance of a witness **
• Eventually, he admitted to the PM’s chief whip that he had lied after a police investigation proved he had lied

Question 74

Explain why Peter Mandelson resigned twice due to individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 74

• Resigned as secretary of state for NI over accusations that he** acted improperly by given passports for favors **+ influence **passport applications using his position **
• Mandelson insisted he had** done nothing wrong and was exonerated** by an **independent inquiry by Sir Anthony Hammond **
• Mandelson resigned in 1998 as trade and industry secretary after the Guardian exposed a secret £373,00 loan that he received from fellow minister Geoffrey Robinson (who claimed that Mandelson solicited the loan)

Question 75

Explain why David Laws resigned twice due to individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 75

• **Liberal Democrat Laws resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury **after he admitted he claimed expenses to pay rent for his partner; said he could **no longer carry on with the crucial work of the Budget with the allegations **
• Apologised and said he would pay back the £40,000 that he claimed; resigned in a letter to Mr Cameron explaining how he would be unable to do his work with the allegations

Question 76

Explain why Andrew Mitchell resigned due to individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 76

• Mitchell quit as chief whip, abandoning a month-long fight to save his career + fend off claims that he **referred to a police officer as a ‘pleb’ **
• Mitchell’s decision was relayed to the PM personally in a meeting at Chequers; it was a huge blow to the PM who had stood by him in the face of the opposition even among **growing doubts among his own backbenchers **
• Mitchell made a statement it which he said it became clear to him that he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his duties properly due to the **damaging publicity but denied the allegations **

Question 77

Explain why Priti Patel resigned due to individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 77

• Priti Patel was forced to step down as international development secretary, she was summoned back from a trip to Uganda and Ethiopia by Downing Street
• Patel **failed to be candid with May **(PM) about **14 unofficial meetings with Israeli ministers, businesspeople senior lobbyist **
• In her resignation letter Patel admitted her actions “fell below the high standards that are expected of a secretary of state”
• Prime minister said Patel’s decision was the correct one, in a letter to former cabinet minister she said that the **UK and Israel were close allies and should work closely together through official channels **

Question 78

Explain why Damimen Green resigned due to individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 78

• Damian Green has been **sacked as first secretary of state after admitting he lied about the presence of pornographic images on his House of Commons computer **
• An investigation by the cabinet secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood, found that **Green’s denials were “inaccurate and misleading” **
• Green’s departure is a personal blow for May, who brought him into Downing Street after her** majority was wiped out in June’s general election to help shore up her authority **
• May asked him to resign from the government and have accepted Green’s resignation
• In his resignation letter, Green continued to maintain that he did not “download or view” the pornography, but added that his** lawyers were informed about its presence in 2008** + and that he **discussed it with the police in 2013 **
• Heywood found Green had twice breached the ministerial code, because his **misleading comments **had fallen short of the “seven principles of public life”, one of which is honesty

Question 79

Explain why Amber Rudd resigned due to individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 79

• On 29 April 2018, Rudd resigned as Home Secretary, stating in her **letter of resignation that she had “inadvertently misled the Home Affairs Select Committee ** on the issue of “illegal immigration”
• Told Parliament that there were** no deportation targets for immigrants; proven to be false **
• The Windrush scandal had heaped pressure on Ms Rudd who faced renewed criticism after saying she did not know about Home Office removals target
• However, the Guardian published a letter in which Ms Rudd set out her “ambitious but deliverable” aim to deport 10% more illegal immigrants over the “next few years” to Theresa May

Question 80

Explain why Gavin Williamson resigned due to individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 80

• Resigned in **2019 after being accused by Theresa May **of being behind the **leak of confidential National Security Council info as Defense Secretary
  **
• Sir Gavin Williamson has resigned as a government minister after allegations of bullying, saying he aims to **clear himself of “any wrongdoing” **
• The MP had been accused of sending abusive messages to a fellow Tory MP last month and of bullying a senior civil servant as defense secretary.
• In his resignation letter, he said he was leaving government with “real sadness” but **offered Prime Minister Rishi Sunak his “full and total support from the backbenches” **
• He said he wouldn’t be taking any severance pay
• Gavin had come under pressure since a series text messages sent by him to then-Chief Whip Wendy Morton came out + a senior civil servant told the Guardian **Sir Gavin had bullied them and told them to “slit your throat” **

Williamson was referred to the MPs’ bullying watchdog - the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS)

Question 81

Under what circumstances does a minister have to resign and not have to resign?

Answer 81

• Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to resign
• Ministers don’t have to resign if the mistake was the responsibility of civil servants
• The minister does have to inform Parliament of the actions of their department

Question 82

How has individual ministerial responsibility changed over time in regard to mistakes made within departments?

Answer 82

• In **1954, Sir Thomas Dugdale resigned over mistakes **made by civil servants, but this is rare and in occasions since this ministers have survived

Question 83

Why did Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington resign in 1982?

Answer 83

• Argentina invaded the Falklands. He accepted responsibility, but later claimed that he was** pressured to resign by MPs and the press**, and did so in order to maintain national unity in wartime

Question 84

What are the 7 principles of public life included in the Ministerial Code? What was the Nolan Committee and why was it set up?

Answer 84

• Selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership
• The Nolan Committee set out the 7 principles of public life
• Was set up after Neil Hamilton resigned following the ‘cash for questions’ case

Question 85

Why might political pressure lead to resignations?

Answer 85

• Parliament, the party or the press may pressure a minister to resign, causing negative publicity which damages the government and results in the
  resignation.

Question 86

Why did David Blunkett resign in 2004 and 2005?

Answer 86

• In 2004 allegations in the press that he had fast-tracked a visa application for a nanny employed by his former lover.
• He was** linked to the change in decision** but no conclusive evidence was found that he had directly intervened
• In 2005 it was alleged that he had broken the Ministerial Code by accepting a position at a business while out of office
• Critics claimed there was a potential
  conflict of interest as the company was bidding for government contracts which Blunkett’s department was involved with. He was later exonerated by the head of the civil service

Question 87

Why is the cabinet not as united in practice as it is in theory? Why must cabinet members keep cabinet discussions secret?

Answer 87

• Because of personal and departmental rivalries. Ministers are heads of government departments and must compete for money and influence.
• This makes sure that** sensitive information does not get made public**, and prevents differences of opinion from being revealed

Question 88

What should ministers do if they disagree with a decision once it has been made? How do votes of no confidence tie in with collective responsibility?

Answer 88

• Ministers should resign or expect to be dismissed if they disagree with a cabinet decision
• If the **government is defeated in a vote of confidence in Parliament **(as last happened in 1979) it must resign which ties in with the idea of **collective responsibility **

Question 89

Why might a prime minister temporarily suspend collective responsibility during referendums? Give examples.

Answer 89

• To prevent ministers from resigning over divisive issues. This happened over Europe in 1975 (Wilson) and 2016 (Cameron), and over the 2011 AV
  referendum

Question 90

How did the experience of coalition government lead to changes to collective responsibility? How did collective responsibility break down in some areas during the Coalition?

Answer 90

• The **coalition agreement identified four areas in which Lib Dem ministers **would not be bound by collective responsibility.
• These were nuclear power stations, tax allowances for married couples, higher education funding and Trident renewal
• They were also allowed to campaign on different sides of the AV referendum
• The Lib Dems withdrew support for constituency boundary changes because their legislation for Lords reform fell through.
• As the 2015 election grew closer, it was harder to maintain unity. Most Lib Dem ministers tried in 2014 to amend the government’s ‘bedroom tax’ against Conservative opposition

Question 91

Why do leaks happen?

Answer 91

• Leaks happen from cabinet meetings because ministers may be dissatisfied with a decision but do not want to** publicly criticise as this will lead to their
  resignation or dismissal**.

Question 92

Why might cabinet ministers be able to get away with opposing government policy?

Answer 92

• Boris Johnson was an example of this in Theresa May’s cabinet, before Johnson eventually resigned.
• If the prime minister does not feel politically strong enough to remove the minister from the cabinet, they may get away with it.

Question 93

What is prime-ministerial dominance and who was accused of this?

Answer 93

• When the PM ignores the cabinet, therefore undermining collective responsibility. Thatcher and Blair were accused of this.

Question 94

Explain how ministerial resignations destabilised May’s government

Answer 94

Relations in the executive in May’s final months were extremely fraught as there had been an irrecoverable government breakdown over Brexit
* May had 19 ministerial resignations in the first 5 months of 2019 alone and 43 cabinet or government resignations over her 3 years in power
Three resignations in the space of 10 days occured:
1. Alister Burt (minister in the Foreign Office) reigned on 25 March 2019 in **opposition to the prospect of leaving the EU without a deal + explained that he had ‘stretched the patience of collective responsibility recently’ **+ he felt unable to continue supporting the government + **voted with the opposition to support an ammendment which would support Parliament to take control of the Brexit process
* Ministerial resignations over Brexit occurred in quick succession because
1. leaving with a ‘deal’ didn’t look likely
2. leaving with ‘no deal’ was not more confidently embraced by the government**
3. efforts to avoid a ‘no deal’ by holding cross-party talks were opposed

Question 95

Explain how ministerial resignations destabilised Johnson’s government

Answer 95

• In the 2 days in which Johnson just came into power there were 8 resignations
  1. David Gauke, Justice secretary resigned over Johnson’s willingness to leave the EU without a deal

Question 96

Describe Johnson’s cabinet and the diversity of it including in the Great Offices of State

Answer 96

Great Offices of State:
PM: Boris Johnson
Chancellor; Sajid Javid
Home Secretary; Priti Patel
Foreign Secretary; Dominic Rabb

Diverse Cabinet:
Johnson’s reshuffle saw a total of 1**8 senior minsters changed or removed **
New cabinet had:
* **7 full cabinet ministers **who had never served in cabinet before
* 7 women who were full cabinet members
* 4 BAME full cabinet members
* As there had only been **12 holders of 4 Great Offices of state who had been a women or an ethnic minoirty **the Johnson cabinet was ground breaking

Question 97

What is parliamentary scrutiny?

Answer 97

Parliamentary scrutiny; the investigation, examination + analysis of government policies, actions + spending. Carried out by **representatives in the HOC on behalf of their constituents **+ in the HOL in the chambers + committees
* Parliamentary committees are set up to scruntise the policies + practices of the executive are know as select committees
* Split between departmental select committees (Defence Committee) + non-departmental select committtees (Public Accounts Committee) who have wider breifs
* **Select committees also conduct inquiries + produce thorough reports **in their respective policy areas; the reports are designed to review exisitng practice, highlight deficiencies + make detailed recommendations to the government in light of the evidence gthered

Question 98

Give an example of how Select Committees show their value

Answer 98

• Jeremy Hunt, chair of the Health + Social Care Committee + former Health secreatry extracted an admission from the PM that the UK hadn’t learnt from the lessons of SARS or MERS + that **Pubic Health England didn’t have the approprate capacity of testing kits, or lab staff **

Question 99

Explain the role and impact of the Health and Social Care Committee during the Covid-19 pandemic on the government through their recommendations

Answer 99

• In **early October 2020 the Health + Social Care Committee **produced a report that sought to ‘assess the impact and unprecedented challenge caused by Covid-19 to the provision of essential services
• These included things such as waiting times, appointment backlogs, the availability of PPE + rountine testing for the NHS
• It examined details relating to the confusion over shielding guidence, dire consequences of postposing surgical operations + the extra demands on mental health services
  Recommendations:
  1. On waiting times they asked the Department of Health and Social Care + NHS England for an update on how to manage the overall level of demand across health services by the end of Ocotber 2020
  2. On protective equipment they asked the Department of Health and Social Care to update is the **end of November 2020 + they ensure a consistent supply of appropriately fitting PPE to all NHS staff **in advance of a second wave

Question 100

Explain the role of backbenchers during the Covid-19 pandemic

Answer 100

• In late September 2020, threats by** ‘more than 80 Conservative MPs’ **over the government’s renewal of Covid-19 legislation led to several concessions made by the government to avert a backbench rebellion
• One of the concessions were that MPs would get to **vote on new lockdown measures such as ‘the rule of six’ **+ not just debate the new restrictions

Question 101

How does the structure of PMQs been criticised, give an example?

Answer 101

• PMQs provides a weekly opportunity for the leader of the opposition to raise issues + to question the PM in the House is in session in **6 sessions
• Format of PMQs is criticised** leading to accusations that with social media, leaders are searching for opportunities to insert their pre-prepared quips + soundbits that can be clipped + shared usually out of context on different social media platforms
• On the **30th September 2020 **instead of the leader of the opposition using all 6 questions to foucs on the government’s handling of the health crisis
• He used only 5 + finished with asking about Black History Month, the disproportionate deaths in pregnancy + childbirth of Black women
• The PM then had to explain his intention for a** ‘full review’** before delivering his **pre-planned fianle to a health related question which hadn’t been asked **

Question 102

Explain the similarites between the UK PM and US Preseident

Answer 102

SIMILARITIES
* More informal sources of presidential power, such as
executive orders, were not in the Constitution. This reflects how the PM’s power is not set out in statute law
* The legislature has the power to remove the PM and President from office, although it is much easier to** remove a PM (vote of no confidence) than to impeach and remove a President**
* Both the PM and President are in charge of a cabinet and have the** power of patronage**
* Both are the leaders of their political party

Question 103

Explain the differences between the UK PM and US Preseident

Answer 103

DIFFERENCES
* The** US president is both head of state and head of government. In the UK, the monarch is the head of state and the PM is head of government
* The PM’s powers are not set out in statute law, but the President’s powers are set out in the Constitution
* The US President is elected by the people so has a personal mandate. The PM is the leader of the largest party and does not need to be elected by the public.
* The PM has more power over the legislature, because in the US there is strict separation of powers
* The US cabinet serves the President and is far less powerful than in the UK it is an advisory body subordinate to the president + doesn’t share executive power **
* In the US, **cabinet appointments have to have Senate approval
* Divided government in the US occurs when one political party holds the presidency but its rivals control Congress**

Question 104

Explain the PM’s power of appointing life peers + give detailed examples + why its useful

Answer 104

Life Peers; PM can appoint people to the HOL + may include **former MPs or party supporters.
** Appointments Commission makes recommendations on non-party appointments to the Lords
* PM makes** political appointments enables the PM to alter party balance within the Lords e.g Blair increased Labour’s representation in the Lords** by appointing 192 Labour peers
* PM’s can nominate life peers with a view to giving them ministerial positions; Brown gave **government portfoilos to 5 prominet public figures who weren’t politians
**

Question 105

Explain the PM’s power in handing out honours system + why its useful

Answer 105

Honours System:
* ‘Cash for Honours’ that **donors for Labour were being bought with peerages which ended in 2007 without criminal chrages being brought
** Nominations are now considered by honours committees made up of** civil servants + people independant of government**
* PM now plays** no role in any judidical appointments** + his only given one name to approve for ecclesiastical appointments

Question 106

Explain the PM’s power in appointing cabinet ministers, give detailed + multiple examples + why its useful

Answer 106

Appointing Cabinet Ministers
* PM’s power to appoint + dismiss ministers gives them a crucial power; they can reward key supporters or penalise disloyal suporters

2O10 Coalition Government required Cameron to appoint 5 Lib Dem ministers but all PM’s have certain constrains they have to make in appointing their cabinet
1. they are unlikely to overlook senior political figures who may be **rivals for thier job; Brown agreed not to stand aganist Blair in the Labour leadership contest if Blair promised to make him Chancellor
* Blair was also required by Labour Party rules to select his 1st cabinet **(1997) from those previously elected to the shadow cabinet **
2. in 2016, 15 ministers who had attended cabinet under Cameron including George Osborne + Michael Gove weren’t appointed to May’s first cabinet ; some saw it as a sign of May’s authority + others saw it as a way of creating potential troublemakers
3. ideological considerations are important when PM’s appoint cabinet postions; a cabinet that contains politicians from one wing of the party may not the full support of the party
Examples of No 3:
* Thatcher included both economic ‘dries’ (Thatcherites) + ‘wets’ (one-nation Conservatives) to her first cabinet but gave key positions to her allies
* New Labour politicians dominated Blair’s cabinet but Old Labour was appeased by the appointment of John Prescott as Deputy PM
* Most minister’s in May’s first cabinet had campaigned to remain in the EU**; but **leave campaigners like Boris Johnson, Liam Fox + David Davis **were put in charge of departments which would deliver Brexit

Question 107

Explain the PM’s power in cabinet reshuffles, give detailed + multiple examples + why its useful

Answer 107

Cabinet Reshuffles
* Allows the PM to promote successful ministers, demote underachievers + freshen up the team
* The PM decides the timings of a cabinet reshuffles but a sudden resignation may force an unwanted reshuffle
* PM’s power in cabinet reshuffles can backfire; it may** raise questions about the PM’s judgement, reveal cabinet divisions + highlight policy failings**

Question 108

Explain the powers of the PM’s position

Answer 108

Powers of the PM’s position
1. chairs cabinet meetings
2. creates cabinet committees + appoints their members
3. appoints senior civil servants
4. determines the cabinet’s agenda; controls issues + papers brought before cabinet
5. holds bilateral meetings (a meeting between the **PM + a departmental minister in which policy is agreed)
6. a PM with a strong interest in an issue can give it a central place in the governemnt’s programme
7. PM takes an interest in economic + foreign policy **
8. Labour + Conservative leaders are elected by their MPs + party members = legitmises their position
9. provides** political leadership at home + represents the UK in international affairs**

Question 109

Explain the limitations of the PM’s position + powers

Answer 109

Limitations on the PM’’s power
1.** senior ministers may ruin the PM’s plans by refusing to change posts;
Brown planned to make Ed Balls Chancellor in 2009 **but the incumbent **Alister Darling let it be publicly known that he would refuse another post
* May lost seats in the 2017 General Election which meant he stopped plans to dismiss ministers
* PM needs backing from senior secretaries of state to implement policy + manage major issues
* needs working majority in Parliament
* PM can be forced out of office in no-confidence votes or complete rebellions**

Question 110

Explain why other ministers can attend Cabinet even if thery aren’t Cabinet ministers, what new cabinet position/department was created in 2016 + why the deputy PM position isn’t always filled

Answer 110

• The PM can invitie other ministers to attend cabinet without meeting them full members without making them full members
• Cameron gave 10 ministers this right, May did it for 5
• **Spin doctors + press secretaries can also attend
• May created the Department for Eisting the European Union** after the 2016 EU referendum; which created a n**ew cabinet position
• A deputy PM position isn’t always filled** + there are** no specific roles or responsibilities associated with the role**

Question 111

Explain how cabinet meetings have changed over time since the 1950s, use examples of how Cabinet meetings ran under different PMs

Answer 111

• Cabinet used to **meet 2x per week now only meet 1x per week **
• Meetings under Blair tended to be an hour with some over in 30 minutes
• Cameron when he first came into power took longer in his Cabinet meetings; took more of a **collegiate style to Cabinet **- later on he preferred to do business out of office (bilateral meetings)
• Major prided himself on running a** consensual cabinet contrast to Thatcher; increased its influence by adding ‘political cabinet’ meeting after the full cabinet without civil servants present**, with cabinet ministers + senior party ministers prioritisn party political business
• Blair alos had a ‘political cabinet’ but they meet before the actual Cabinet meeting suggesting its role was also in managing rather than carrying out decisions
• Blair was an advocate of sofa government with bilateral meetings with meetings taking precedence **over collective cabinet decisions
• Brown’s National Economic Council** was a powerful committee that coordinated the response to the economic crsis
• May **abolished some committees **+ favoured subcommittees+taskforces which Damien Green mainly oversaw

Question 112

Explain what cabinet committes are, what happens in them and why they are important (give a specific example)

Answer 112

• Cabinet committees are where decisions are made
• the PM chairs committees, 3 sub-committes + 3 implementation taskforce
  Types of Cabinet:
  1. standing committtes; permenant for the PM’s term in office
  2. ministerial sub-committees; reports to standing committees
  3. ad hoc committees; temporary committees set up to deal with particular issuess
  4.** implementation meetings**; such as those used by **Cameron + May to track policy progression that cross departmental boundaries **
• Cabinet Committees were given greater prority following criticism of Blair’s preference for informal meetings; seen as important for** discussion + resolution of differences in the Conservative + Lib Dem coalition**

Question 113

Explain what the Cabinet Office and Cabinet Secretaries role is

Answer 113

• Cabinet Office is **responsible for supporting the cabinet system + the PM + managing the civil service **
  * Cabinet Secretariat regulates cabinet business; **calls meetings, circulates papers, prepares agenda, acts as a bridge between departments if they have any disputes **

Question 114

Explain how policy decisions are made

Answer 114

• Policy decisions are considered in** Cabinet Committees** + must receive proir approval from the Treasury + Law Offices
• If a proposal impacts the work of another department the minister propsoing it should **seek approval from the department
• Policy decisions are also reached in bilateral meethings between the PM + departmental minister**; **Blair did a lot of business this way **

Question 115

List the Governments from Blair onwards with the people who held the Great Offices of State with them and for how long

Answer 115

Blair:
Chancellor: Gordon Brown (1997-2007)
Foreign Secretary: Robin Cook (1997-2001); Jack Straw (2001-2006); **Margaret Beckett **(2006-2007)
Home Secretary: Jack Straw (1997-2001); David Blunkett (2001-2004), Charles Clarke (2004-2006); John Raid (2006-2007)

Brown:
* Chancellor: **Alister Darling **(2007-2010)
* Foreign Secretary: David Milliban (2007-2010)
* Home Secretary: Jacqui Smith (2007-2009); Alan Johnson (2009-2010)7

Cameron:
Chancellor: George Osborne (2010-2016)
* Foreign Secretary: William Hauge (2010-2014);** Phillip Hammond **(2014-2016)
* Home Secretary: Theresa May (2016-2015)

May:
* Chancellor: Philip Hammond (2016-2019)
* Foreign Secretary:** Boris Johnson** (2016-2018);** Jeremy Hunt** (2018-2019)
* Home Secretary: Amber Rudd (2016-2018); **Sajid David **(2018-2019)

Johnson:
* Chancellor: Sajid David (2019-2020); Rishi Sunak (2020-2022); Nadhim Zahawi (July 2022-Sep 2022)
* Foreign Secretary: Dominic Rabb (2019-2021); **Liz Truss **(2021-2022)
Home Secretary: Priti Patel (2019-2022)

Question 116

Explain how Callaghan ran his Cabinet + how he made Cabinet policy decisions

Answer 116

• Callaghan had a **more collegiate style of cabinet leadership **
• Callaghan** allowed all points of view within Cabinet + allowed all ministers discuss their views at great length; they would eventually all come to an agreeement which legitimises all the policies; as Callaghan could always say that he allowed ministers to discuss it + that a decision had been made by the whole of cabinet**
• Callaghan would** hold as many Cainet meetings as needed until a consensus emerged that the PM had sought from the beginning**
• Callaghan’s** ‘dream model’ of cabinet **was to let dissenting ministers put their case/propsal forward before asserting his own position + he’d almost always **prevail + get what he wanted **

Question 117

Explain why Callaghan’s style of Cabinet leadership went out of style and was looked down upon

Answer 117

• Callaghan’s collegiate style of Cabinet leadership became seen as ‘weak’ especially in comparison to Thatcher’s dominating style + self-interested assertions which became seen as the** ‘strong’ style of leadership **+ was **imitated by Blair in his Cabinet **

Question 118

Explain the key events of Thatcher’s premiership

Answer 118

1. Increasing unemployment - 2 million by 1980 +** 3 million by 1932 **but inflation did reduce long-term by 1987
2. In 1981 there were ‘race riots’ - Brixton, Handsworth, Leeds + other cities
   3. IRA + INLA prisoners in Northen Ireland went on hunger strike - they wanted to be recogised as political prisoners - elected Sinn Fein MP (Bobby Sands) died during hunger strikes as did others
3. **Argentina invaded the Falklands in 1987 **- Thatcher sent a taskforce to retake the islands + sinking of the General Belgrano (an Argentina ship) even though it was **sailing away from an exclusion zone **
4. In** 1984 the National Union of Miners went on strike opposing the closure of the pits **- strikes were **1 year long - ‘Battle of Orgreave’ **was one of the **key battles between the police + miners **- the government won + the miners eventually went back to work
5. In **1984 the IRA bombed the Grand Hotel in Brighton **during the Conservative party conference - there was an attempted asssination + 5 were killed - Thatcher was the target
6. In 1986 there was a row over helicopters - Westland affair

Question 119

Give evidence of Thatcher being in control as PM

Answer 119

• Had an early standoff with the ‘wets’ - went ahead with radical monetarist - economic policies
• Used powers of patronage to demote ‘wets’ + **promote Thatcherites **(who were entirely dominant in the government)
  *** Power became centralised + local governement power was reduced ** - calls for Scottish nationalism increased
• Thatcher received much of the credit for the government’s successes

Question 120

Give evidence of Thatcher not being in control as PM

Answer 120

• First + only time she lost a vote (1986) - government had a majority of 140 - ‘Shop Bill’ - wanted to allow Sunday trading - 72 Conservative backbenchers voted against it
• There were** disagreements over Europe** caused the cabinet to turn against her -** Sir Geoffrey Howe’s resignation speech **
• Michael Heseltine launched a **leadership bid **

Question 121

Explain Thatcher’s power dynamic + relationship with her cabinet

Answer 121

• First cabinet included one-nation conservatives (‘wets’) **more than it did Thatcherites **
• Thatcher when she had enough **political agency demoted the ‘wets’ **+ promoted her supporters + Thatcherites so that she dominated her cabinet
• Made** little use of her cabinet + often just told them what the cabinet’s policy **was on something
• Senior ministers accused her of valuing her advisiors more than them

Question 122

Explain Thatcher’s ideology + key policies

Answer 122

1. Education - **1988 Education Reform Act **- marketiation of education - SAT tests, league tables + national curriculum + OFSTEAD
2. Tax - **1989 - ‘poll tax’ **individuals paying the same amount of tax not based on the value of the property
3. Home Ownership - **Housing Act 1980 allowed council tenants **to purchase council homes at a discounted price - 1987 - 1 million homes had been sold
4. Privatisation - privatised BT - over 2 million people bought shares + privatised** British Gas in 1986**

Question 123

Explain why there was changing public opinion towards Thatcher

Answer 123

• Falklands War - **public supported Thatcher sending a taskforce **
• IRA prisoners - public were supportive of the government standing up to them +** not caving into terriorism **
• Home Ownership - **won support from ‘aspirational’ working-class voters **
• **Poll Tax **- led to riots (31st March 1990) - **200,000 protestors, 113 injuries + 339 arrests **- seen as unfair to the w/c + a burden to everyone

Question 124

Explain the reasons for Thatcher premiership ending

Answer 124

• Sir Geoffrey Howe’s resignation speech (4th minister to resign over Europe) - he advised** other cabinet ministers** to** question remaining in cabinet **
• Michael Heseltine launched a leadership bid - Thatcher won the** 1st round - but the rules meant she needed a 15% margin to prevent a 2nd round **but she **only had 14%
• Labour put up a motion of no confindence** + demanded a general election (which wouldn’t happen)
• Thatcher’s **cabinet ministers spoke to her + encourage her to stand down - Thatcher resigned **
• Thatcher initially said she would fight it out but her** Cabinet colleagues one by one told her that she should resign **
• Stating that even though they **would vote for her they didn’t think she would win **- Thatcher saw it as a betrayal of loyalty + never got over their actions

Question 125

What does Richards write was one of the most significant consequences of Thatcher’s time in power?

Answer 125

Local government had been abolished or reduced to cranky irrelevance - even in **London there was nobody to represent the people **or run essential services such as public transport

Question 126

How was Thatcher clever with her use of patronage and management of the cabinet when she first became leader and PM?

Answer 126

• Thatcher knew that she had many internal doubters + relative inexperience so she appointed many of Heath’s (her predecessor) **allies to her first Cabinet **
• Thatcher was aware that it **wasn’t smart to make ideological appointments at the time **- made Willie Whitelaw her deputy + other ‘wets’ Jim Prior, Peter Walker + Ian Gimor were all appointed to senior positions

Question 127

What does Thatcher’s 1979 manifesto say about her ideology?

Answer 127

• Her ideology beliefs matched with populism + her main vision was to **relinquish state control with was stifling people’s freedom **
• Thatcher had space for her ideological populism + used it ceaselessly - was able to communicate them well + gain **appeal from many voters as nobody was opposed to more power + freedom **
• In terms of policy her manifesto was cautious she selected policies to illustrate her anti-state lessons - a switch from ‘taxes on earnings’ to ‘taxes on spending’
• There needed to be** ‘responsible pay bargaining, a promise to allow tenants to buy their council homes**
• Privately Thatcher was** opposed to income policies but in public she used ambiguous language to cover this up **+ she was also opposed to devolution but in her manifesto promised to review the options

Question 128

Why did Thatcher go to war with Argentina over the Falklands?

Answer 128

• **Argentina had attacked the Falklands **+ were looking to regain control
• Thatcher had no other choice than to go to war - to not go she would have been widely regarded as ‘weak’ + she would have had to resign even by the Labour leader (who wanted the removal of nuclear weapons in the UK)
• Richards argues against the common perception that the Falklands War gave Thatcher the political space and support to move the country to the right.

Question 129

How does Richards use the sale of council houses to argue that Thatcher was interested in introducing radical policies without thinking about their consequences?

Answer 129

• **Tenants overnight became homeowners + many sold their homes + grew their wealth **
• Thatcher overlooked the fact that their was now a great reduction in affordable housing + has caused a housing crisis ever since then - when it comes it affordable rental accommodation
• The shortage led to soaring housing benefit bills - the state was having to pay for those who couldn’t find rented accommodation in the** public sector to stay in expensive private accommodation **

Question 130

How does Richards use the defeat of the miners in 1985 to also argue this point – that Thatcher did not think about consequences?

Answer 130

• The government argued that the ‘uneconomic pits’ should close - the miners argued that the price of imported energy would fluctuate + it was important to** produce home-grown energy**
• Thatcher portrayed the** miners as reckless + unpatriotic for striking** - describe them as the “enemy within”
• Thatcher put little effort into rebuilding communities that had been dependant on mining - local authorities had little funding to do anything - it led to vibrant communities hollowing out + **jobs being lost due to the lack of follow through **

Question 131

How does Richards use Thatcher’s abolition of some local governments to again argue that her policies were not always thought through?

Answer 131

• Thatcher’s decision to abolish the Greater London Council + the other big metropolitan authorities in England without replacing them - Thatcher believed there were too many tiers of government
• Thatcher thus **abolished all of the metropolitan authorities which happened to all be Labour-led **
• Thatcher had in effect nationalised parts of London’s services that were run by the GLC - vaguely accountable Quangos became responsible for **running increasingly dysfunctional transport systems **
• Cities including London had **no one accountable for them + had no leadership **- Thatcher had in effect given more power to the state by scrapping metropolitan councils + left people living in cities powerless whilst facing declining public services
• Thatcher never understood that democratically accountable mediating agencies can empower users of public services

Question 132

How did the poll tax cause Thatcher’s downfall?

Answer 132

• The poll tax (Community Charge) - was the abolition of rates + replacing them with a flat-rate tax which unlike when she originally proposed it in the mid 1970s was **not based on the ability to pay **
• Thatcher** first implemented it in Scotland + it was so unpopular that the Conservatives were wiped out** as a political force + seen as unforgivable by Westminster - led to the growth of the SNP
• When introduced in England it was **both unpopular in Labour areas as well as Conservative ones **- particularly Conservative leaders in **local gov who were usually loyal to national leadership **
• To hold on to power Thatcher implemented revisions - excluding large numbers of voter from paying it + imposing caps on the amount local authorities could charge - undermined the principle in the first place - changes were too late to have any impact

Question 133

Explain the key events of Blair’s premierships

Answer 133

1. Death of Princess Diana - Blair spoke for the nation when he mentioned the “people’s princess”
2. Labour were** accused of exempting Formula 1 from a ban on tobacco advertising** + sponsorship in exchange for 1 million (from Bernie Ecclestone)
3. Terrorist atrocities by dissident groups in Northern Ireland - **Omagh bombing which killed 29 people in 1998 **
   4. Wars - bombing campaign in Iraq 1998 - intervention in Kosovo in 1999, Sierra Leone (2000),** air strikes + invasion of Afghanistan** (2001-) + Iraq War (2003)
4. Protests by lorry drivers + farmers over the cost of fuel
5. Blair pledged to stand **“shoulder to shoulder” with George Bush **
6. Backbench rebellions on issues - lone-parent benefits (1997) + introduction of** tuition fees + raising them to £3000**
   8.** 7/7 London bombings in 2005 **
7. ‘Cash for Honours’ scandal

Question 134

Give evidence of Blair being in control

Answer 134

• Blair took a **presidental approach to leadership **- was personally associated with the government’s image - made lots of high profile speeches
• **Good Friday agreement - Blair relied on press officer Alistair Campbell **rather on cabinet meetings - also had **one-on-one meetings with the ministers **
• Some potential dissidents were sent out to publicly defend a policy they don’t like - so they were **publicly associated with it **
• Showed** MPs intelligence to back Iraq War** (for the vote in Parliament - to ensure they voted for him) - had a 66 majority without Conservative support

Question 135

Give evidence of Blair not being in control

Answer 135

• Blair was accused of** lying about intelligence reports **- Robin Cook (FS) + Claire Short publicly criticised the policy
• Blair would have demanded for resignation before but it would have been a** threat (her having seen the intelligence + still criticisng Blair** )
• Blair was seen as weak for keeping Short in the Cabinet + not firing her
• **High profile defeat **- proposal for all terrorists to be held without charge for 90 days from 14 days at the time - **49 Labour MPs rebelled **- the backup of 60 days didn’t go through but **28 days did **
• Biggest backbench rebellion - 139 MPs didn’t vote for him when voting for invasion of Iraq - still won the **vote due to his large majority **
• In 2005 his majority dropped from 167 to 66

Question 136

Explain Blair’s power dynamic + relationship with his cabinet

Answer 136

• Ruled with an** iron will battling to impose his own choice of candidates** in the London mayoral elections
• Wanted to ensure ministers remained on message
• Centralised power in Downing Street + made **decisions with trusted advisiors not through formal Cabinet procedures **
• Promopted accusations of “cronyism”

Question 137

Explain Blair’s ideology + key policies

Answer 137

1. Making the **Bank of England independant - so it can set interest rates independantly + without political interference **
2. **Devolution for Scotland + Wales -
3. Good Friday Agreement - supported** by **71% in NI + 94% in Republic of Ireland **
4. **National Minimum Wage **
5. **Lords Reform **- removing hereditary peers all but 92
6. Freedom of Information Act
7. Tution fees being introduced - to be increased to £3000 per year

Question 138

Explain why there was changing public opinion of Blair

Answer 138

1.** Party Funding Scandals** - offered **£1 million to Formua 1 boss - took to the airwaves pleading he was a straight shooter **(appealed for the public’s trust) + **gave the money back
2. Reliance on focus groups was replaced with more decisive leadership
3. Angered left talking about “scars on his back” **about efforts to make public services more efficient **
4. Reasoned that unions couldn’t complain about market reform **with **record amounts being spent on education + health **

Question 139

Explain why there was a changing public opinion of Blair due to Iraq War

Answer 139

• Iraq War - invaded** without a UN mandate **+ toured advocating for Britain to support America
• Failure to find WMDs in Iraq confirmed to people that Blair relied too much on spin + wasn’t to be trusted
• Opinion polls registered a sharp decline in public trust of Blair
• The 2004 report by Lord Butler noted that although the cabinet was briefed on Iraq on 24 occasions - ministers were denied access to key papers
• The **2016 Chilcot Report concluded that other policy options hadn’t been properly explored **+ Blair had disregared warnings about the intelligence + potential consequences of military action + that cabinet hadn’t considered the legal advice closely enough - highlighted importance of collective ministerial discussions in future
• Blair considered resigning but was persuaded not to
• When he eventually announced his departure he was branded as a “lame duck”

Question 140

Explain the reasons for Blair’s premiership ending

Answer 140

• For the **2005 General Election campaign Campbell **devised the **“mashochism strategy” **allowing voters to vent their anger towards Blair about issues - especially Iraq
• Over 1 period he flew to Sigapore to help London get the 2012 Olympics + then back to Scotland to unveil a debt relief package for Africa
• 7 July Attacks - first suicide attacks in mainland Britain - o**pinion poll ratings imporved as he dealt with the crisis - but when the bomb tape was released + it was about anger due to Iraq War + Blair’s refusal to apolgise for it - made him deeply unpopular **

Question 141

How did Blair try to ensure that he was trusted by voters?

Answer 141

• Blair published annual reports to show that the government had delivered what it had promised, they pledged that ministers in a Labour government would be pure
• If any protests occurred, Blair sent a minister to **join them as a show of sympathy **
  Michael Meacher the Environment Minister of the first Blair government was told to join the march of the **Countryside Alliance even though it was a protest against the government **

Question 142

Why was Blair ideologically ‘timid’ when Leader of the Opposition?

Answer 142

• Blair was ideologically ‘timid’ even though he believed that he represented the **‘radical centre’ **- his focus on policy detail were forensic
• Blair’s ‘Third Way’ combined free market economics (privatisation, efficiency savings in the public sectors, low taxes + control of inflation) with social justice (the national minimum wage, reduction in child poverty, increased welfare spending, allowing **LGBTQ people to be part of the armed services **+ introduced civil partnerships for same-sex couples)

Question 143

Over which issues was Blair indecisive in the build-up to 1997?

Answer 143

1. Blair** wasn’t clear** about whether he wanted to be** in or outside of the single currency **which was a huge issue in British politics at the time - at first they **couldn’t agree to have a referendum **on the issue
2. **Electoral reform **- Blair was **forming a close relationship with the Lib Dems Paddy Ashdown **- he knew that electoral reform was the policy made a relationship possible + viewed the actual policy warily
3. Blair was personally keen on electoral reform but as Labour Party leader he may have had to **work with the Lib Dems in a coalition so Blair conveyed guarded enthusiasm**
4. Blair spoke of wanting to** modernise welfare policies **- without a clear sense of how to do that
5. Blair was also confused about how sticking to Conservatives’ spending plans for 2 years + not raising income tax would still give them the room to greatly improve public services
6. Blair had proclaimed his three priorities as ‘Education, Education, Education’ but there were similar + equally vague commitments to ‘save’ the NHS

Question 144

In what ways was the New Labour government a change maker?

Answer 144

• New Labour introduced the minimum wage, the Scottish Parliament + Welsh Assembly, the introduction of the **London Mayor **was significant in liberating the City + reviving the City with no destabilising consequences
• Pledge to** increase investment in the NHS to the EU average** - introduction of** Sure Start children’s centres** integrated previously fragmented services aimed at **helping poorer families **
• New tax credits helped to make** low earners better off **- even if many of the voters who benefited had no idea that they came from government policy
• Robin Cook noted that** constituents in Scotland** assumed the extra money came from a technical adjustment by Inland Revenue - urged Blair to proclaim what they were doing
  Good Friday Agreement - Blair was pivotal in his willingness to keep on negotiating the deal - particularly with some unyielding opponents - Blair made the two countries far more connected + gave power to all sides

Question 145

Why did Blair announce increased NHS spending and what problems did this cause in the cabinet?

Answer 145

• Blair wanted to increase NHS spending to please the medium - even the Daily Mail was demanding more pay for nurses + it was an **overdue spending commitment **
• Blair didn’t discuss the announcement with the** chancellor - Brown** + didn’t have any sense of how the commitment would be met
• Blair also** promised to cut taxes** at the same time + that lower taxes ‘were the way the world was going’ - made Brown furious with Blair over these contradictions to increase public spending whilst decreasing taxes

Question 146

What were the problems with Blair’s NHS reforms?

Answer 146

• The money to pay for the increase in NHS spending came from an increase in National Insurance
• Blair had no other choice + so had to go against his pledge to not ‘tax and spend’ as previous Labour governments had done
• Blair promised to **‘empower patients’ **by given them choice, create foundation hospitals that would be largely self-governing + have the private sector play a larger role
• Blair didn’t give much thought to how patients would ‘choose’ their own hospital without some hospitals being over run with too many patients + some with **empty beds + spare staff **
• Blair didn’t effectively focus on how to spend every additional bit of money on the NHS well - the project got lost in a huge internal row of how to structure the NHS, how much internal competition there should be + how much involvement from the private sector

Question 147

What political motives were behind Blair’s decision to join the US in the invasion of Iraq?
Why was Blair ‘trapped’ into support for the Iraq War, even though he did not get UN approval as he hoped for?

Answer 147

• Blair wanted to prove that a Labour PM could work closely with a US Republican President
• Blair also felt that there was a strong case for the removal of Saddam Hussein - but it was the fact that a US President was making the case for removal that triggered him to support the war
• Blair didn’t want to be perceived as weak in relation to defence policy
• Blair needed** UN support **to ensure that he gained much wider backing for the war from both his party + his electorate
• Blair became trapped when he had already given his backing to Bush + didn’t receive any UN backing - the **UN regarded the conflict as against international law **
• Blair was being **praised from the right-wing media including the Sunday Times who said that he was principled and a ‘brave leader’ **
• Blair even** ignored accurate intelligence** which said that war would heighten the risk of terrorism
• Blair’s use of intelligence wasn’t an act of criminality but Blair was unable to accurately interpret the intelligence - as he **hadn’t ever held a post in government before only shadow government **

Question 148

Explain the key events of Cameron’s premiership

Answer 148

1. Referendum on the electoral system (AV-demanded by Lib Dems) - Cameron won - AV rejected
2. Cameron promised devolution to Scotland if the ‘Yes’ vote was secured in independance referendum
   3.** More competition between school** - introduction of academies - wanted it to be **compulsory for all schools - had to U-turn after backlash from MP**
3. 2011 - UK + US overthrew Lbiyan dicator to prevent genocide - caused civil war + Obama accused him of being **‘distracted’ **
4. Cameron wanted to** strike Syria** (due to its chemical weapons attack) - blocked in 2013 - international agreement met later in the year to remove Syria’s chemical weapons - Parliament approved strike in 2015 (stop growth of ISIS)
5. Raised personal allowance + introduced National Living Wage - at a higher rate
   7.** Marriage (Same-Sex) Act 2013 **- less than 50% of Conservatives backed it
6. Health + Social Care Act 2012 - **more competition + marketisation **of the NHS - led to lack of efficent running of the NHS
7. Welfare Reform Act - **replaced 6 seperate benefits with ‘Universal Credit’ + limited** payment to a maximum annual increase of 1% rather than **in line with inflation **- Osborne cut UC budget by £3.2 bn a year from 2015
8. Austerity Cuts - £100 bn - public spending was cut drastically
9. **EU referendum - faced pressure to give cabinet memebers a free vote **- campaigned with Remain - Britain voted 52% to 48% to leave the EU

Question 149

Give evidence of Cameron being in control

Answer 149

• Making** key decisions** in the **‘Quad’ **- Cameron, Clegg Oborne + Danny Alexander
• Led a **coalition government for 5 years **- which was thought to not be able to last very long
• Preserved the commitment that Britain should devote at **least 0.7% of income on overseas aid **
• Cut deficit in half - significant
• Succeeded introducing gay marriage despite **opposition from most his party **

Question 150

Give evidence of Cameron losing control

Answer 150

• **Parliament blocked **motion to **strike 5 years after chemical weapons attack **
• Cameron had to **U-turn on cutting disability benefits **
• Lost 35-40% of party membership - Same-Sex Marriage Act
• U-turn on making **academisation of schools compulsory **
• Found to suspend collective cabinet responsibility for Brexit vote - 52% voted to Leave - Cameron had **lost + resigned **

Question 151

Explain Cameron’s ideology + key policies

Answer 151

1. Marriage (Same-Sex) Act 2013 - fewer than 50% of Conervatives backed it
2. Health + Social Care Act 2012 - more competition in NHS
3. Welfare Reform Act - replaced 6 benefits with ‘Universal Credit’ -** Chancellor cut the UC budget by £3.2 billion** a year from 2015
4. Austerity - state spending was **cut by about £100 billion **

Question 152

Explain Cameron’s power dynamic and relationship with his cabinet

Answer 152

• Cameron **couldn’t lead in a presidential manner **+ key decisions were made by the ‘Quad’ - Cameron, Clegg, George Osborne + Danny Alexander
• Cameron couldn’t dismiss or reshuffle Lib Dem ministers without Clegg’s approval
• **Coalition grew tense **when Lords reform failed to go through due to opposition on from Tory backbenchers - Clegg said the **Tories had broken the agreement **

Question 153

Explain why there was a changing public opinion of Cameron

Answer 153

1. Cameron was **mistrusted by his party for his Liberal Conservatism **
2. Boris Johnson + Micheal Gove dealt him an early blow by campaigning for Leave
3. Threat of rebellion from Conservative MPs after** Iain Duncan Smith resignation** after plans to **cut disability benefit **
4. Premiership was defined by referendums - AV, Scottish independance + Brexit referendum - the first 2 helped in but Brexit ended his career

Question 154

Explain how and why Cameron’s premiership ended

Answer 154

• Cameron promised a referendum on the EU + campaigned to Remain (after negotiating a new deal with the EU)
• Cameron faced pressure to allow his** cabinet a free vote + suspend collective responsibility **
• Micheal Gove + Boris Johnson were among Leave leaders
• When Britian voted 52% - 48% to Leave the **EU he resigned the next day **

Question 155

In what ways was Cameron’s coalition government more radical than New Labour had been after its 1997 landslide? Provide a list.

Answer 155

• Con/Lib government implemented radical policies very quickly despite his lack of a secure majority as **policy detail didn’t interest Cameron **he was more concerned with **strategy + projection
  Conservatives were able to implement;
  1. a pledge to wipe out the UK’s large deficit by the end of the parliamentary term by introducing real-term spending cuts**
  2.** sweeping reforms of the NHS**
  3. pledged referendums on all future EU treaties
  4. a Fixed-Term Parliaments Act
  5. new rules on school + further fragmenting the structures governing education
  6. trebling tuition fees (essentially making universities private)
  7. overhauling welfare provisions + **holding the AV referendum **

Question 156

What was the impact of the economic policy of austerity?

Answer 156

• The deficit had not been wiped out by the end of the parliamentary term (had only been done by 50%)
• ‘Austerity’ was key in the Brexit referendum -** Leave voters felt that the cuts** had meant they were left behind + sought control as outside cities like London they had been left alone to deal with the **consequences of globalisation **
• In **October 2018 May established the ‘end of austerity’ **with the deficit far from being wiped out as some public services, welfare reform + local government services were in crisis due to lack of funding

Question 157

What were the Coalition’s NHS reforms under Andrew Lansley, and what were the undesirable and unanticipated outcomes of this?

Answer 157

• Lansley’s NHS reforms led to **more fragmentation of the NHS **
• Lansley proposed removing formal responsibility for the health provision from the Health Secretaries job - the aim was to make local providers much more accountable + **increase competition = better patient outcomes **
• This led to many mediating agencies often competing with each other + none of them taking responsibility as the lines of accountability became very blurred
• Cameron dodged responsibility for the reforms - saying he was unaware of what Lansley was up to + put a ‘pause’ on it
• It was never clear if the quango NHS England was **running the NHS or if it was the Health Secretary **
• Cameron himself made a parliamentary statement - saying he took **personal responsibility to ensure hospital improvement **

Question 158

Why was the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act introduced, and how has it negatively impacted the working of the UK political system?

Answer 158

• The Fixed-Term Parliaments Act was implemented to due short-term consequences - in a hung parliament Cameron wanted to be prime minister for a full term
• If a **PM is popular there isn’t much of a need for an election **- popularity = stability but when a PM is well ahead in the polls the Act makes an early election possible - the **MPs from a governing party **will only vote for an election if they are **confident they will win **
• When a government is in** trouble + unpopular + Parliament is close to paralysis an election becomes nearly impossible** - MPs from a governing party are unlikely to back a dissolution that will lead to their parties + their own political demise
• May called an early election in 2017 when she was 20 points ahead in the polls - her subsequent minority government struggled to stay afloat in a near-paralysed hung parliament + her **senior colleagues thus had no desire for an election **

Question 159

Richards writes that Cameron’s leadership is ‘defined by referendums’. Why did he win the 2011 AV referendum with ease? Explain all the reasons.

Answer 159

• Cameron was able to outmanoeuvre Clegg with charm + his fascination with the game of politics than the politically naive Clegg - his offer of an AV referendum cinched the deal in the coalition negotiations
• The referendum would be on whether or not to implement AV - different to FPTP which wasn’t proportional + hadn’t been advocated by the Lib Dems prior - in the **brutal campaign against Clegg, Cameron argued that voters couldn’t trust Clegg **due to how he had betrayed his own supporters in the coalition negotiations
• The referendum campaign on electoral reform was** highly deceptive, dull + soporific **the status quo was maintained

Question 160

Why did Cameron hold a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014, and what were the political consequences of this?

Answer 160

• Cameron wanted to **answer the question of Scottish independence once and for all **
• The victory of 55% not wanting Scottish independence was whilst modest a victory
• Cameron then announced** ‘English Votes for English Laws’ to appease some MPs** who believed in trying to secure a win for the referendum he had devolved too much power (in trying to appease right-wing MPs he actually ended up in more trouble)
• In Scotland,** EVEL was seen as a betrayal from Cameron** as he was acting differently once he had won - support for the SNP ended up soaring - this led to a near wipe-out of Labour in Scotland in the 2015 GE enabling Cameron to win with an overall majority

Question 161

Why did Cameron promise to hold a referendum on the EU?

Answer 161

• Cameron feared defections from the Conservative party to UKIP who were** campaigning for a referendum on leaving the EU**
• Cameron believed that a referendum would be a winning card when campaigning in the next GE
• UKIP leader Nigel Farage claimed that he was speaking to several **Conservative MPs who planned to defect **- Cameron’s press sectary (Sir Craig Oliver) revealed that they believed up to 20 Conservative MPs could defect

Question 162

Explain the key events of May’s primership

Answer 162

1. May pledged to cap energy prices - some Tories were unhappy but she passed the legislation
2. Sep 2016 pledged to end ban on opening new grammer schools - **couldn’t pursue it after the 2017 GE when she lost her majority **
3. 14th June 2017 - fire in Grenfell Tower - 72 dead - May visited the site but** only spoke to the emergency servies**. She was critiqued for this and so went back the next day to **speek to the survivours **
4. 4th March 2018 - former Russian military officer + his daughter were poisoned by Russia - May ejected 23 Russian diplomats from the UK
5. Councils paid for social care if a person’s assests were less than £23,250 - May wanted this to change to £100,000 + to include people’s houses if they still lived in it - Labour named it the ‘dementia tax’

Question 163

Give evidence of May being in control

Answer 163

1. Sailsbury posinings - former Russian military officer was poisoned - **ejected 23 Russian diplomats **
2. May pledged to cap energy prices in her 2017 manifesto - depsite some Tories being unhappy with this intervention in the economy - they **passed it
3. Reorganisation of the cabint** system - PM charing key cabinet committes + strengthing the PM’s office

Question 164

Give evidence of May not being in control

Answer 164

1. May pledged the end of bans on opening new grammer schools - after 2017 GE she didn’t have enough parliamentary support
2. May called an election - **Labour gained 30 seats **- May lost her majority + was dependant on the support of the DUP in a confidence + supply agreement
3. Biggest defeat for a government ever - a vote on her Brexit Withdrawal Deal was rejected by 230 votes - a **second slightly revised version was rejected by 149 votes **
4. May experienced 38 ministerial resignations (shortest time of any PM)
5. **311-293 vote on May’s government **was found to be in contempt of Parliament - first time ever that an entire government had been found in **contempt of Parliament and not just a minister **

Question 165

Explain May’s power dynamic and relationship with her cabinet

Answer 165

• The longer her premiership lasted the less control she had over cabinet
• In July 2018 when she said that her Cabinet fully backed her Brexit confidence deal - Boris Johnson + David Davis resigned soon after
• Labour called a **no confidence vote - won 200 to 117 **
• By the end junior ministers resigned so often (it didn’t make the news) - May suffered 38 ministerial resignations in the shortest time by a modern day PM

Question 166

Explain May’s ideology + key policies

Answer 166

1. 2017 manifesto - promised to** fix the funding problems for social care** - councils paid if assets were below £23,250 - May wanted to** increase the threshold to £100,000** + for it to include people’s homes if they were living in them - Labour called it the ‘dementia tax’ + it alienated older voters
2. May planned to allow Huawei (Chinese company) to help build the UK’s 5G network - people thought this was a security risk + May had to sack Defense Secretary Gavin Wiliamson for **leaking confidental info from Cabinet **

Question 167

Explain why there changin public opinion about May

Answer 167

1. When May lost the 2017 GE - demonstrated the increased **unpopulairty towards both her + the Conservative party **
2. UK participated in the 2019 European Parliamentary elections (May promised that the UK wouldn’t participate in these)
   3.** Local elections in 2017 - Conservatives lot control of 44 councils **+ more than 1,300 council seats - approval rating fell to -49% in May 2019

Question 168

Explain how and why May’s premierhsip ended

Answer 168

• 5th January 2019 May experienced the **biggest defeat in parliamentary history **- Brexit deal rejected by 230 votes
• 12th March a second version (slightly revised) was rejected by 149 votes
• 29th March a **third Brexit deal was defeated due to backbench rebellions **
• May offered to step down immediately if MPs voted for the deal - failed + it was clear she had **no authority as PM so she resigned **

Question 169

Explain the similarites between US + UK Presidents and PM

Answer 169

Similarities
* US President has informal powers which have developed like the PM’s powers - not in statue laws
* Legislatures can remove the president/PM from office - harder to impeach in the US
* Both the **president + PM have cabinets
* Both act as national leaders** in times of crisis

Question 170

Explain the differences between US + UK Presidents and PM

Answer 170

Differences
* The US President is both head of state + government
* US President’s powers are codified in the constitution **
* The US President is directly elected with their own mandate (every 4 years) - PM isn’t elected + must lead the largest party
* President cannot enforce bills through Congress** but the PM dominates the legislature
* US Cabinet serves the President - cabinet is more powerful in the UK

Question 171

Explain how the PM has become more presidential based on personalised leadership

Answer 171

• The PM is a **dominant political personality **- put their own personal imprint on government
• **Blair + Cameron modernised the party **- was their specific brand
• Personalisation = **election campaign **+ party organisation
• Election victory = personal mandate for PM
• Intro of **televised debates in 2010 GE campaign **

Question 172

Explain how the PM has become more presidential based on public outreach

Answer 172

• Political leaders have become** public commodities** - media spotlight is on the PM
• Expected to** connect with popular mood **
• Represent public interest + takes their **message directly to the public **- TV interviews

Question 173

Explain how the PM has become more presidential based on spatial leadership

Answer 173

• Sense of **distance between the PM + their government/party **
• PM relies on their inner circle of advisors more than their cabinet - Blair ‘sofa’ government, Johnson + Cummings
• Focus on leaders has strengthened PM’s position - get credit for policy success but also personally blamed for policy **
  1. Blair’s position weakened due tot Iraq
  2. Brown criticised for inability to connect with public
  3. Cameron criticised due to EU refernedum **
  4. Johnson + Covid - **Partygate Scandal **
  5. Truss + **Budget which lost the economy £30 billion **
  6. Sunak - NHS waiting lists + **increase in illegal migration **