since 2010 the uk has seen a return to cabinet government Flashcards
PM Still Dominates the Political Narrative
- Boris Johnson’s “personal mandate” in 2019 gave him huge personal authority.
“Get Brexit Done” was a PM-driven slogan, not a collective cabinet message. - More presidential style ‘sofa govt.’ where political advisers
PMs Still Control Cabinet Appointments and Agendas (PM Patronage)
Suella Braverman’s Reappointment by Rishi Sunak (2022)
Boris Johnson’s July 2019 Cabinet Reshuffle immediately conducted a sweeping reshuffle, He filled the Cabinet with loyalists who backed his Brexit position, such as:
Priti Patel (Home Secretary)
Informal Governance Still Exists
- More presidential style ‘sofa govt.’ where political advisers have greater influence than cabinet meeting. Boris Johnson’s decision-making during COVID was heavily influenced by Dominic Cummings, not cabinet consensus.
Bojo chose to work with a smaller group of advisors during COVID, eg Hancock, Gove and Sunak.
Coalition Government Necessitated Collective Decision-Making (2010–15)/ different views need to be represented
- The Lib Dems pushed for electoral reform, resulting in the Alternative Vote referendum(2011) — a policy the Conservatives strongly opposed.
- cameron had to include lib dems during the coalition and May had to balance EU ‘remainers’ and ‘leavers’
Rise in Ministerial Resistance The PM can be defeated in cabinet
- Theresa May’s Cabinet was deeply divided on Brexit, and she had to adapt policy to appease both Leave and Remain factions.
- Cameron defeated over minimum pricing of alcohol in 2013
Bojo defeated over closing schools during COVID in 2021
Frequent Cabinet Changes and PM Weakness
Liz Truss (2022) had a very short premiership after her chancellor’s “mini-budget” collapsed the markets — indicating she couldn’t lead without full cabinet backing.
Short PM tenures (May, Truss) show the need for PMs to work with, not dominate, cabinets. (cannot fill cabinet with only supporters)
