Paper 2- The Prime Minister and the Cabinet

List some factors affecting cabinet appointments:

Party unity, experience, ability, allies & advisers, external pressure, coalition agreement and diversity.

How does Party unity influence prime ministerial selection?

A PM may want to make sure their cabinet is balanced and reflects different political wings within their party. The more divided the party, the more difficult this becomes.

How does experience influence prime ministerial selection?

A PM must decide whether to have a senior, experienced, heavyweight figures in their cabinet. These can be hard to control but can add weight and standing to the cabinet and they could give better advice to the PM.

How does diversity influence prime ministerial selection?

A PM may wish to make their cabinet more reflective of the nation in order to get a wider range of opinions- this involves appointing people from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Give an example of party unity.

Theresa May appointed a mixture of hard and soft Brexit supporters in her cabinet. However, Boris Johnson removed any soft Brexiteers from his cabinet.

Give an example of experience within cabinet appointments.

David Cameron appointed former Conservative leader William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith to his coalition Cabinet in defence to their standing in party.

Rishi Sunak brought back David Cameron (former Conservative leader) into his cabinet.

Give an example of diversity within cabinet appointments.

It is notable that since 1997 there has been something of an increase in the number of female and BAME cabinet ministers.

Give an example of a time of rule when the cabinet essentially had more power than the PM and why.

2010-19 particularly during the Lib Dem, Conservative coalition government. This meant that within the cabinet, collective responsibility applied to all policies, however this made the cabinet seem more important again.

Give an example of a time of rule when the PM was definitely more powerful than the cabinet.

Sunak returned to being the dominant force in British politics and the cabinet seem to have been increasingly marginalised.

Give an example of the PM having the upper hand over the cabinet.

The PM chairs the cabinet and controls its agenda, which means they can control the governing process.

Give an example of the cabinet having an upper hand over the PM.

Ultimately the cabinet can remove the PM from office, as happened to Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.

List a few factors affecting the balance between the PM and Cabinet.

Having a large majority in the House of Commons, securing an electoral mandate for manifesto commitments, having lots of new MPs, having prime ministerial coattails…etc

Describe how having a large majority in the House of Commons affects the balance between the PM and Cabinet.

A PM with a large majority in the House of Commons can afford to dismiss rebels and MPs who disagree with their view because they can afford to lose a number of their own MPs in a vote and still win.

PMs with little or no majority in the House of Commons are more likely to come under pressure from rebellious MPs.

Describe how securing an electoral mandate for manifesto commitments affects the balance between the PM and Cabinet.

A PM who can claim a clear mandate from the British public through a general election will be in a stronger position when it comes to developing policy and passing legislation.

MPs are less likely to rebel against manifesto commitments that have a secured mandate.

Describe how having lots of new MPs affects the balance between the PM and Cabinet.

Having lots of new MPs will help a PM maintain authority as new MPs will be more dependent on guidance and support for how to work as an effective MP. This means that they will depend on the support and influence of whips.

Give an example of how having lots of new MPs has an influence on different PMs

New intake MPs from 2019 proved difficult for Boris Johnson to manage, particularly those from the ‘red wall’ who voiced objections in 2020.

Give an example of how having a large majority in the House of Commons has an influence on different PMs

Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair suffered only four defeats in House of Commons votes in their respective 11 and 10 years as PM.

Give an example of how securing an electoral mandate for manifesto commitments has an influence on different PMs

David Cameron faced problems from the lords and both sets of MPs as neither the Conservative or Liberal Democrat manifesto in 2010 had secured a mandate.

What can the Cabinet be described as and why?

The ‘rubberstamp’ because it confirms decisions that have already been made by the PM.

How many people does the cabinet consist of?

Between twenty and twenty five senior government ministers.

What are the four great officers of state?

• PM

• Chancellor of the Exchequer

• First secretary of state and secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs.

• Home Secretary.

Why did Robin Cook resign under the rule of Tony Blair?

He didn’t want to take military action in Iraq, and didn’t agree with Blair’s style of leadership when it came to the Iraq war.

Why did Sir Geoffrey Howe resign under the rule of Thatcher?

The main reason for leaving the cabinet was due to Thatcher’s style of rule. Even though he called Thatcher his ‘friend’, he suggested that she didn’t handle money related issues very well. He also didn’t like how Thatcher wasn’t willing to make compromises or changes that could improve the country for the better. He thought that she didn’t have the nations best interests at heart.