Prime Minister and the Executive

What is the composition of the executive branch?

• The Prime Minister (head of the executive branch)

• The Cabinet (heads of each govt dept, e.g. the Home Secretary, the Chancellor, the Education Secretary and other senior ministers)

• Junior ministers and aides (each work within govt department)

What are the roles of the executive?

• Formulating policy: proposing legislation in the form of bills to Parliament - easier if exec has large majority in HoC

• International relations: negotiating and signing treaties + trade agreements, exec can shape UK foreign and econ. policy by agreeing to international treaties + trade deals without consulting Parliament

• Military defence: deploying troops + declaring war, ordering military action e.g. drone strikes, although recent PMs have opted to hold a vote in the Commons first

• Setting the annual budget: proposing a formal budget to the HoC, done by the Chancellor of Exchequer

What are prerogative powers?

• Powers that the PM has inherited from the monarch, includes patronage, negotiating treaties and trade agreements, troop deployment, dissolving Parliament

• Can be exercised without Parliamentary scrutiny/permission, PM has significant amount of unchecked power

What is the extent of the PM’s power dependent on?

• Whether they have a majority, but they usually do due to FPTP system + fusion of powers

• However exceptions include Cameron’s coalition govt of Tories and Lib Dems from 2010-2015

• Theresa May (2017-19) and BJ (2019) each led minority govts

Why is prime ministerial power elastic?

• It is dependent on a range of factors:

• The size of their party’s majority in HOC

• State of the economy

• International affairs

• Domestic crises

• Scandals involving themselves, their ministers, or backbenchers

• Strength of opposition parties

• Public opinion and media coverage

James Callaghan (PM case study)

• Inherited difficult circumstances in 1976

• Economy was in a state of long-term decline, culminating in the Winter of Discontent (1979)

• Labour lost its tiny majority, leading to them signing a pact with the Liberal Party (1977) in an attempt to pass legislation

• After this pact collapsed, Callaghan struggled to achieve his legislative goals, suffering a defeat on a Finance Bill (1978) then losing a confidence vote (1979)

• Led to a 1979 general election, won by Thatcher’s Tory party

• In total, Callaghan’s govt was defeated 34 times in three years in the HoC

Margaret Thatcher (PM case study)

• Thatcher reshuffled her cabinet (sept 1981) sacking/demoting prominent One Nation ‘wet’ ministers + replacing them with right-wing ‘dry’ allies

• Faced less opposition from within cabinet after that, allowing speed up of supply-side reforms

• Forced through the poll tax despite backbench/Cabinet opposition, policy on Europe led to Cabinet revolt leading to her resignation in 1990

Tony Blair (PM case study)

• After Labour’s landslide victory (1997) Blair had a period of unparalleled executive dominance in the HoC - govt undefeated for its first 8 years (until 2005) but simultaneously suffered over 300 defeats in the HoL

• Nevertheless, during his 10 years, a new law was passed every 3 hours on average

• Instead of using his prerogative powers to deploy British troops in Iraq (2003) chose to seek HoC approval due to controversial nature of invasion, won vote comfortably (by 412-149)

• Blair faced allegations that his public justification for the invasion did not represent whole truth

• Resigned in 2007 after 10 years, amid speculation of a leadership challenge from his Chancellor Gordon Brown

David Cameron (PM case study)

• Conservatives formed a coalition govt with Nick Clegg’s Lib Dems from 2010-2015

• Successfully implemented economic programme of austerity with Chancellor Greg Osborne

• Dominated most negotiations with Clegg but Tory backbench rebellion (2012) prevented him from passing their plan for HoL reform through the Commons

• Cameron also defeated in HoC over plan to launch air strikes against Syrian govt in 2013

• 2015-16 Cameron faced significant legislative defeats in HoC

• 2016 Brexit referendum, Brits voted to leave EU despite Cameron campaigning to remain, resigned the following day

Theresa May (PM case study)

• Govt undefeated in the HoC from 2016-2017 and economy showed signs of growth

• Exercised prerogative powers to authorise air strikes in Syria

• Formed minority govt in 2017, giving huge influence to Tory backbenchers, May failed three times to pass Brexit deal

• Narrowly survived vote of no confidence in 2019, suffered record number of defeats in HoC before being forced to resign by Tory rebels

Boris Johnson (PM case study)

• Due to difficulties in passing Brexit legislation through HoC (July 2019) he prorogued Parliament under claim that it would give time to draft new Brexit legislation

• When prorogued, Parliament unable to debate Brexit deal in the lead up to the deadline

• SC ruled in Sept 2019 that Johnson acted beyond his power, declared prorogation null and void

• Passed flagship Brexit legislation after securing large majority for Tories (dec 2019) but then had to lead UK response to COVID 19

• Passed Coronavirus Act (2020) granted govt ability to make large policy changes and spending plans (e.g. implementing lockdowns and furlough scheme) without first consulting HoC/HoL

• Resigned in July 2022 (after Partygate scandal and failure to dismiss minister accused of sexual assault)

Rishi Sunak (PM case study)

• Initially focused on stabilising economy, but soon began to prioritise reducing illegal migration

• Attempt to drive through Rwanda plan when SC declared it unlawful (Dec 2023)

• After months of parliamentary ping pong, Sunak successfully passed the Safety of Rwanda Act (2024) effectively overruling SC decision by declaring Rwanda as safe country for migration

• Inflation gradually decreased, but Sunak + tories continued to trail Starmer’s Labour party in the polls throughout 2023

• Sunak govt suffered its first COmmons defeat in Dec 2023 in a vote on compensation for victims of the infected blood scandal

• Sunak used prerogative power to call snap general election in May 2024, suffered worst-ever general election defeat