PM and cabinet case studies

• Prime Minister


  The head of the government in the UK
• Cabinet


  The group of senior ministers who advise and support the Prime Minister
• This video is looking at the power of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet
• The video will use case studies of Thatcher, Blair and Cameron to exemplify the power or lack of power of Prime Ministers
• Margaret Thatcher


  • Became Conservative leader in 1975
  • Won 1979 election with a majority of 43
  • Majority rose to 144 in 1983
  • Majority of 102 in 1987 election
  • Resigned in 1990
  • Prime Minister for 11 years
  • Reputation as the 'Iron Lady'
  • Ideology was 'new right' - a mix of neo-conservatism and neo-liberalism
• Thatcher's foreign policy


  • Close relationship with US President Ronald Reagan
  • Seen as hard-line during the Cold War period
• Controversial issues during Thatcher's time

  • Falklands War
  • Miners' strike
  • Section 28 education policy
  • Europe
  • Troubles in Northern Ireland
  • Poll tax riots
• Monetarism


  Thatcher's economic policy based on strictly controlling inflation by reducing government spending, restricting money supply and using high interest rates
• Thatcher's monetarist budget in 1981


  Was seen as the most unpopular budget at the time
• Thatcher was seen to use her Cabinet less than previous Prime Ministers
• Thatcher was able to overcome early opposition in her Cabinet and achieve a big election victory in 1982
• Britain experienced an economic boom in the 1980s under Thatcher
• Thatcher fundamentally changed the UK's economic landscape through policies like privatisation and deregulation
• Thatcher clashed with and defeated the trade union movement
• Industries privatised under Thatcher

  • BP, BT, British Gas, Jaguar, British Airways, Rolls Royce, steel industry, water industry, electricity industry
• Thatcher's 'right to buy' policy allowed many people to buy their council houses for the first time
• North Sea oil and gas coming online in the early 1980s helped the UK economy
• The Falklands War in 1982 boosted Thatcher's popularity and united her party
• Thatcher faced strong criticism and opposition throughout her time as Prime Minister, including riots, the miners' strike, and issues in Northern Ireland
• Thatcher was not able to maintain full control over all issues, particularly those involving Northern Ireland
• Thatcher's power and control started to decline towards the end of her time as Prime Minister
• Issues of racial inequality and poverty were very prominent
• The miners' strike in 1984-85 showed the government was not in full control
• Thatcher faced strong criticism throughout her time in office
• Thatcher did not maintain control over issues involving Ireland, as illustrated by the bombing campaigns in the 1980s
• The Brighton bomb in 1984, where the party conference was attacked, was closest to home for Thatcher and the Conservative government
• Thatcher gained control of the cabinet early on and centralised power, but this did not last forever
• Divisions emerged within the Conservative Party in the 1980s, exemplified by the Westland affair
• Thatcher's obstinate and stubborn personality damaged her legacy and position as Prime Minister
• Thatcher faced significant public opposition and disturbances, including over Section 28 and the poll tax protests
• The economic success of the mid-1980s collapsed towards the end of the decade, with high inflation by 1990
• Tensions within the Conservative Party over Europe led to the resignation of Thatcher's longest-serving cabinet member, Geoffrey Howe
• Thatcher's abrasive and overbearing style of government ultimately contributed to her downfall
• Tony Blair became Labour Party leader in 1994 and Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007
• Blair won elections in 1997, 2001 and 2005 with large majorities
• Blair had a reputation as a centrist political moderate, but his legacy was severely damaged by the Iraq War
• Blair's government kept conservative spending plans and low taxes initially, before increasing investment in public services
• Blair was able to maintain a highly united party and reduce the independence of cabinet members due to his large majorities
• Blair centralised power, with key figures like Jonathan Powell and Alastair Campbell playing important roles
• Blair's government brought in constitutional reforms and the Good Friday Agreement, and oversaw economic success