PM and executive

ETV political loyalty is most important factor governing PM’s selection of ministers

1. Political loyalty vs ideological balance

2. Competence and experience vs political loyalty

3. Direct representation and diversity

Ideological balance

Reward loyalty of key allies and bring in ministers who will accept collective responsibility and support gov policy

• 2020 Cabinet reshuffle Johnson sacked Northern Ireland Secretary (Julian Smith) and replaced him with his ally - Julian had spoken against no deal Brexit → despite good at job and popular

• Starmer’s first cabinet: Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden = close allies and members of shadow cabinet

• Liz Truss - Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng - key politically ally → despite limited experience

Keep party opposition on side to keep unity - forced into collective responsibility

• Theresa May appointed Johnson and Davis (Brexiteers) and Hammond and Hunt (Remainers)

Offer failed opponents of leadership elections role in cabinet

• Johnson gave roles to Hancock, Gove, Raab and Javid

COUNTER:

PM’s with large majority feel safe less likely to go for balance

• Johnson appointed Patel and Raab as Home Sec and Foreign Sec (key Brexiteers)

• Truss didn’t give Sunak role in her cabinet after 2022 leadership election

• Starmer - no left faction Labour Party members - closest was Angela Rayner

Competence and experience

Effective at running a department and communicating with press

• Hunt made cabinet member by Truss and Sunak - served in Cabinet for 9 years previous

• Reeves worked for Bank of England and was Shadow Chancellor - Chancellor of Exequer

• Cooper served as minister in Blair government and Cabinet under Brown - Home Sec

• Timpson made peer to be Prisons Minister - 10% of his workforce were former prisoners

Effective future

• Liz Truss made junior minister by Cameron in 2012

Selected ministers with limited experience but political loyalty

• ‘Failing Grayling’ - gave ferry contract to company with no ferries as Transport Sec

• Liz Truss appointed Kwasi Kwarteng and James Cleverly - limited experience

  • Her cabinet = least experienced - average 17month of top level experience

Direct representation and diversity

Women:

Blair appointed Becket as Britain’s first female Foreign Sec

Brown appoint Smith as first female Home Sec

Minorities:

• Johnson appointed 6 BME to cabinet - incl. Patel, Raab and Sunak

Starmer:

• 11/21 members of cabinet women

• First Chancellor - Reeves

• 3 ethnic minorities - drop from sunak and Johnson

Little consideration

• Coalition criticised for lack of gender balance - only 4 women

• More focused on political loyalty

Recent improvements given greater broader representation

ETV PMs dominate cabinet

1. Patronage vs big beasts (control over parliament)

2. Bypass cabinet vs cabinet still important (decision making)

3. Personal popularity vs support of the cabinet (popularity)

The Prime Ministers Power Of Patronage vs Big Beasts

Patronage - control of hire and fire

• Liz Truss removed important members of Johnson Cabinet - Patel and Raab

• Political loyalty - most Starmer first Cabinet were from shadow cabinet + very few big beasts

PM sack ministers breaking ministerial responsibility - threat

• 2023 Sunak fired Braverman for publishing opinion piece in Times on Met Police handing of pro-Palestinian protests - challenged Sunak’s authority

Big beasts for sake of unity

• May appointed Johnson and Davis (Brexiteers) and Hammond and Hunt (Remainers)

• Blair ceded to Brown as Chancellor (Brownite wing)

  • Brown denied wish to join European Single Currency by devising 5 economic tests

  • Rayner in Starmer’s government

Weak governments

• Johnson constantly leaked dissatisfaction with gov policy during May PM

  • Weekly critical articles in Daily Telegraph

The Prime Minister Can Bypass The Cabinet vs The Cabinet Remain Important In Decision Making

Small forums to undermine Cabinet

• Blair sofa government - bi-lateral meetings with ministers → persuade them to his view

• Johnson COVID-19 Strategy Committee = bi-lateral meetings

  • Heath Sec Hancock and Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster Gove important figures

Use of SPADs

• Major = 8 SPADs

• Blair had 30 by 2005 - Alastair Campbell

• Starmer: 20 SPADs - key advisor Morgan McSweeney - great deal of power

UK core-executive model - PM cannot control all policy

• PM reliant on ministers to run departments

• May wanted to introduce Brexit deal - headliners in cabinet (and DUP) forced May into harder Brexit deal

Minority and coalition governments

• Coalition 2010 - shared power between Lib Dem and Conservative

Present united front

• During COVID relied on government ministers e.g. Hancock Health Secretary

The Prime Minister Can Develop Personal Popularity vs The Prime Minister Needs The Support Of The Cabinet

Blairite and Thatcherite factions (Spatial leadership)

• Johnson distanced himself from Conservative Party - personal popularity won over former Labour Red Wal voters

Use of media to reach public

• Blair won over right-wing media - Sun supported Labour for first time

Need support of Party and Cabinet - cannot be too distanced

Unpopular leadership - Cabinet removal

• May, Johnson and Truss removed by Cabinet

• Thatcher removed by Cabinet for pursuing Poll Tax despite opposition from all

Lack of support - destroys unity

• Wes Streeting resigned from Starmer’s cabinet to launch leadership contest 2026

ETV conventions of individual ministerial responsibility and collective ministerial responsibility are both still important

1. Collective ministerial responsibility

2. Individual ministerial responsibility - personal conduct

3. Individual ministerial responsibility - department

Collective responsibility

Had to be relaxed for government to function effectively

Important referendums:

• Suspended during 1975 European Communities Referendum

• Cameron allowed freedom on Brexit referendum 2016

Coalition government 2010:

• Lib-Dems allowed to abstain on nuclear power stations, tax allowances for married couples, higher education funding and renewal of trident

Contentious issues:

• Sunak held 2 free votes - Privileges Committee report 2023 recommended 90 day suspension (Badenoch and Mordaunt) & Tobacco and Vapes Bill 2024 (Badenoch and Baker)

• Starmer free vote on Private Members Bill on Assisted Dying (2024)

Theresa May’s government

• Johnson leaked dissatisfaction about May’s government in weekly Daily Telegraph articles - not sacked

Liz Truss government:

• 2022 - Mordaunt and Buckland opposed Liz Truss’s policy that benefits shouldn’t rise with inflation - not sacked

Strong PM

• 2023 Sunak sacked Braverman for opinion piece in The Times about met police at pro-Palestinian protests

Agreement in public

• Sunak as Chancellor in Johnson government publicly supported Northern Ireland Protocol BUT 2023 as PM he criticised it & replaced with Windsor Framework

Resignations

• 2025 Dodds resigned as International Development Minister after Starmer cut international aid by 50%

Individual Minister Responsibility - personal conduct

Bullying, discrimination or inappropriate behaviour

• 2021 Matt Hancock resigned after extramarital affair breached own department’s COVID regulations

• 2025 Labour Health Minister Gwynne fired and lost Whip for offensive messages - pensioners would did not vote Labour die

• 2025 - Treasury Minister Siddiq resigned over anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh

  • Took herself to PM’s watchdog - had not breached code but resigned for serious conflict of interests

Starmer high standards

• Remove PM status as judge, jury and executioner

• Allow Magnus his independent Advisor on Minister’s interests to initiate his own investigations

Dependent on PM

• Matt Hancock only resigned due to media backlash - Johnson was willing to accept apology

• 2022 Partygate scandal - breached COVID lockdown rules - Johnson and other senior officials did not resign

  • Johnson revised Ministerial Code 2022 - weakened IMR but only apologise and accept pay reduction

• Starmer appointed Haigh as Sec of State for Transport 2024 despite knowing since 2020 of 2010 fraud convictions

• Johnson did not make Patel resign after bullying allegations in 2020 - big beasts

Individual Ministerial Responsibility - department

Obliged to give accurate information

• Amber Rudd resigned as Home Sec in 2018 for misleading the Home Affairs SC + pressure from media scrutiny over Windrush Scandal

Effectively run department:

• 2002 Morris resigned as Sec State for Education for not meeting literacy and numeracy targets set

Civil servants taking the blame:

• 2020 Education Minister Williamson failed GCSE and A level results

  • Head of Ofqual forced to resign

• 2026 Keir Starmer appointment of Lord Mandelson

  • Morgan McSweeney forced to resign

Massive failings:

• 2023 - RAAC discovered Education Secretary Keegan blamed school administrators and local authorities for lack of action

  • Blamed Conservative Party cuts to capital budgets