The Executive

The PM, Ministers,

What are roles of the Prime Minister?

• leader of majority party in the House of Commons

• appoints and dismisses members of governments

• chairman of cabinet: meets every Tuesday, PM decides agenda and directs government policy

• has wide powers of patronage

• represents the gov domestically and internationally- in Europe, G8, G20, Nato etc

• Minister of Civil Service- appoints permanent secretaries etc

What are the constraints on the PM?

The PM’s power is dependent on:

• Personality and leadership style dictate influence

• success of the PM’s policies 

• Unity of government and governing party

• Effectiveness of opposition and parties challenging PM’s policies

• Media role: check on power

• Loyalty of cabinet and backbenchers- need to keep ministers onside

• External events: will be judged on response to national crises

Name the last 10 PMs with their serving years

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 (2016-19)

Boris Johnson, Conservative (2019-2022)

Liz Truss, Conservative (2022)

Rishi Sunak, Conservative (2022-24)

Keir Starmer, Labour (2024-)

Outline the number and roles of ministers

• 20+ Cabinet Ministers + 100 Other Ministers + PM = around 120 Total Ministers

• Chosen by PM from Commons and House of Lords to run departments.

• Appointed by monarch

Types of Minister:

• Secretary of State – political head of a gov department and member of cabinet

  • Shapes policy, determines new legislation, gives Ev to select committees, answers Qs at Question time, debates, does speeches and interviews

• Minister of State – responsible for running of a gov department/helping frame policy

• Parliamentary Under-Secretary – lowest ministerial rank – Junior Ministers

• Parliamentary Private Secretary - unpaid work experience, eyes and ears – junior minister

Describe the structure of a coalition government

• A government/executive model made up of two or more parties

• Usually formed where no one party has an outright majority after a general election

• Ministerial posts are allocated to parties in the coalition, the larger party having most • 2010 was first peacetime coalition in 100 years

• 2017 saw the Tories lose their slim majority in the June snap election, forcing them to work closely with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party to achieve a working majority

Describe the role of the Cabinet

• Takes general decision on policy

• Takes detailed decisions on politically sensitive matters

• Acts as forum to solve disputes between ministers

What is collective responsibility?

Convention – all ministers must publicly support and defend policies decided in cabinet whether or not they personally agree with them.

If they resign, they remain an MP or Lord but give up ministerial post and salary.

What is the Ministerial Code?

• Ministers of the Crown expected to uphold the highest standards of propriety

• Bound by collective + individual ministerial responsibility

What is individual ministerial responsibility?

Convention - Ministers responsible for all actions of their department.

If a serious error occurs, the minister must take responsibility and resign from government (even if the error was by a civil servant without the minister’s knowledge)

2021: Matt Hancock resigning as health secretary for kissing colleague

What is the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) ?

An independent authority established in 2010 that is responsible for MP’s expenses and recommending MP’s pay

• currently £91,346 from April 2024

What are the rules dictated by the IPSA?

• MPs can no longer buy second homes on expenses and restricted to claiming rent equivalent to a one-bedroom flat

• MPs in London can’t claim for second homes as expected to commute

• Travel expenses limited to standard class

• MPs can only employ one family member on staff – and from 2020 MPs are not allowed to hire relatives.

Individual payments to MPs published every two months on IPSA website.

Who are spin doctors and special advisers?

• Vital role but not strictly civil servants so not strictly bound by their code

• Thatcher’s Press Secretary Bernard Ingham – original spin artist

• Jo Moore – 9/11 “It’s a good day to bury bad news” email. Resigned 2002

• Alastair Campbell – ‘King of spin’

• Andy Coulson – former NOTW editor

• Number increasing – grew to about 70 from 38 under Major

• Dominic Cummings – resigned Nov 2020 and later savaged the prime minister

Who are civil servants?

Full time paid officials – serve all governments

What are the roles of civil servants?

• Permanent Secretary – Most senior, of which cabinet secretary is most senior

  • Advises minister on procedure and policies

  • Directs/supervises work of department

  • Assumes responsibility for department’s finances

  • Have extensive knowledge of dept. – often arguably in charge more than ministers

• Appointments made on merit & fair and open competition for advertised posts essential

• Rules governing extent to which members can engage in political activity. Three groups:

  • Politically free – Industrial and non-office grades – can stand freely, even as MP/MEP

  • Politically restricted – senior civil service staff expressly forbidden from taking part in national political activities. All others can apply for permission to engage in political activity