prime minister and the executive
-prime minister - Head of Government and chair of the cabinet
-the cabinet - the committee of secreataries of state, which makes policy and receives support from the cabinet office. various cabinet committees make important decisions about key policy areas
-government departments - each one is responsible for an area of policy .Each headed by a cabinet minister
-executive agencies- semi-independent bodies which carry out some of the functions of a government department
government and cabinet
all 650 MPs of all parties are elected to Parliament ( the legislature)
90 MPs and 25 peers are chosen by the prime minister to serve ministers within ‘the government’ ( the front benches)
22 or 23 of these Government Ministers are selected to be part of the cabinet ( the executive). Some senior figures may observe, but are not members
secretaries of state ( ministers with large departments, such as Health, Education, the treasury)-p
formal powers of the the prime minister
-party leadership #
-media access
-head of civil service
-chairing cabinet meeting
royal prerogative powers
commanding the armed forces- declare war -1982 thatcher falkan islands - without consulting off parliament
maintaining national security
conducting foreign relations- sign treaties
appointing senior judges and bishops ( award honours’0
granting honours and peerages ( HoL)
granting legal pardons
appointment and dismissal if Cabinet ministers
-example of David Cameron using his formal powers during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum campaign. Cameron was a prominent figure in the "Better Together" campaign, which sought to keep Scotland within the United Kingdom. This helped form public opiniom
-Gordon Brown- when he removed Ruth Kelly from her position as Secretary of State for Transport in October 2008
an example of lizz truss using her formaal powers on the 18th of october 2022 and called a cabinet meeting after jeremy hunt’s mini budget u-turn where he reversed the tax cuts proposed by kwasi kwateng.
Informal and formal power examples
Liz Truss used her formal powers in the form of a cabinet meeting in October 2022. MPs joined Truss for a cabinet meeting at No 10 for after Jeremy Hunt’s mini-Budget U-turn. Where he reversed Kwasi Kwarteng proposed tax cuts. Liz Tuss also used her informal powers to reassure the public of her intentions when becoming prime minister in September 2022” I will take bold action to get all of us through these tough times, grow our economy, and unleash the United Kingdom’s potential.”
Gordon Brown used his formal power as he held a press conference on October 8, 2008, alongside Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling and Business Secretary Peter Mandelson. This press conference was a response to the worsening global financial crisis and the government's efforts to stabilise the UK's financial system. Brown also got involved on TV using his informal powers where he met climbers who climbed mount Kilimanjaro while on comic relief in 2009.
Cameron used his formal prime ministerial powers in 2014 “ cabinet reshuffle” where he replaced Owen Patterson with Liz Truss showing his formal power to appoint and dismiss government ministers. Cameron’s government also exercised informal powers when they introduced the “ big society” which aimed to encourage greater social responsibility and community involvement . It showed Cameron’s interest in promoting community involvement.
informal powers include the ability to persuade and influence
-Party- members, chairs, activists, grassroots
-Media- TV, twitter, etc
-Cabinet - PM relationship with individuals and Depts.
where does the PM get their power from?
prerogative powers from monarch
leader of the largest group of MPs from mps party
senior minister in the cabinet - cabinet
personal mandate through press briefings etc from media
ideas from think tanks & civil service from advisors
a democratic - the electorate
one example of patronage being used to good effect was during Clement Atlee’s tenure, where he appointed Aneurin Bevan who spearheaded the formation of the British National Health Service (NHS) however patronage may no always be seen as successful as seen in Tony’s Blair’s reign as prime minister where he was seen as appointing his friends into powerful roles they were referred to as “ Tony’s cronies " and figures like Peter Mandleson were put into high up positions such as secretary of state for trade and industry.
one example of collective responsibility was during Churchill’s coalition government during WWII that included members from various political parties. Despite differences of opinion among his cabinet members, Churchill maintained a united front in public. This demonstrated strength in a time of turmoil in Britain. However collective responsibility is not always as successful as seen in Theresa May’s reign as prime minister where ministers had differing views on Brexit, ranging from "soft Brexit" to "hard Brexit." This led to high-profile resignations, such as that of Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary, and public divisions within the cabinet over Brexit-related policies
one example of statutory legislation being used effectively was by Margaret Thatcher who privatised state-owned industries, such as British Telecom, British Gas, and British Airways. These legislative actions transformed key sectors of the British economy. An example where statutory legislation has not been effectively passed by UK prime ministers was John Major's Dangerous Dogs Act in 1991 The Dangerous Dogs Act introduced to deal with dangerous dog breeds. However, it faced criticism for being rushed and poorly defined, The act did not effectively address the issue of dangerous dogs.
One example of UK prime ministers using media access efficiently was during Boris Johnson’s tenure , during the hectic , confusing period of COVID and quarantine and social distancing, Johnson informed the public daily on television, on how his government would conquer the virus and keep the public safe. Despite the benefits of media the media can also negatively effect prime ministers such as Gordon Brown’s “Bigotgate” incident where he was caught making derogatory remarks about a voter , therefore taking a hit to his public image.
TONY BLAIR
backed Margaret Thatcher
first term in downing street 1997- 2001
national minimum wage act
human rights act
house of lords act
referendums of devolution for scotland , Wales and northern ireland
freedom of information act
second term in downing street
wars in afganistan
prime minister’s delivery unit
dominated by rift between blair and brown
third term in downing street
7/7 bombings
educational and inspections act 2006
scandals
resignations5
The prime minister is primus inter pares -a first among equals; the senior or representative member of a group.
spatial leadership - PM stands separately to the herd
JOHN MAJOR
more collegial, in contrast with Thatcher
lack of ideological commitment, attractive to votes
nicknamed “ red john”
tory party rocked by scandal such as sexual misconduct, Major called 3 of his own cabinet ministers “ bastards” in an outburst 1995
“ put up or shut up” in regards to party discipline and people standing against him, stood down as leadership and faced election with John
well known for back to basics campaign- restored traditional values to UK
Gordon Brown
relied on cabinet members for input on policy
sought to involve different voices, collegial collaborative approach
rebellions on votes, backbench revolts on renewal of trident nuclear deterrents
issues on party funding and critique of his leadership at conferences
formal power decision to appoint Alistair Darling 2007 chancellor of exechequer who played crucial role in financial crisis
informal power influence internal decision making process rally support from key figure to not run for leadership in 2008 following speculation over poten
boundary review - designed to keep seats relative
chairman - conservative party , greg hands
party whips usually around 17 aim to keep party in irder
david cameron in opposition set up policy units pre 2010