Evaluate The View That The Popularity Of The Prime Minister Is The Most Important Factor Influencing The Balance Of Power Between The Cabinet and Prime Minister

Introduction

Paragraph Focus

• Para 1 = Unified Party

• Para 2 = Management Skilla

• Para 3 = Cabinet

Para 1 - Weaker Argument = Most Important

• PM's popularity is a highly important factor in influencing whether they are able to exercise control over their cabinet and party.

• If a PM is popular with the electorate, their cabinet and MPs will support them

• Blair's extreme popularity meant cabinet was not a problem for him, and he was able to implement legislation effectively eg. Human Rights Act 1998

• If a PM is unpopular they will be seen as an electoral liability and their party and cabinet will often turn on them and seek to remove them.

• After Partygate and his declining popularity, the cabinet sweeped in and took the power off Johnson and kicked him out No10

Para 1 - Stronger Argument = Not Important

• How united/divided a party is more important in influencing the balance of power between the cabinet and Prime Minister.

• A Popular PM with the public can also still struggle to control their party and cabinet if they are fundamentally divided over key policies.

• May struggled to unite the one- nation conservatives and hard Brexiteers in the European Research Group (ERG) in particular.

• Her cabinet forced her towards a hard Brexit and she struggled to maintain collective ministerial responsibility eg. with Johnson

Para 2 - Weaker Argument = Most Important

Para 2 - Stronger Argument = Not Important

• management skills of the Prime Minister is highly important in influencing the balance of power between cabinet and PM

• An effective Prime Minister can use their powers of patronage in a way that enhances their power and enables them to promote their policy priorities .

• This can allow Prime Ministers to maintain their authority and marginalise the power of factions/individuals in their party who may want to challenge them

• Blair managed his cabinet perfectly, by giving Brown the Treasury so he wont contest his leadership, and to calm the conflict between brownites and Blairites

Para 3 - Weaker Argument = Most Important

• Popularity of PM is far more individual as PM is unable to bypass cabinet if they are deeply unpopular, as Cabinet can simply remove them if they are no longer an electoral assest to them

• May removed by cabinet after she wasn't pursuing a hard brexit and became unpopular
  

Para 3 - Stronger Argument = Not Important