PM's powers

• PM's roles

  De facto head of government, chief policy maker, nation's chief diplomat, appointing cabinet and chairing its meetings
• PM is the head of the executive so exercises royal prerogative powers, which the government shares in
• Determines the makeup of the government

  Hire and fire power

  • 2017 - May created a department for exiting the EU
  • 2023 - Sunak sacked Braverman and appointed Cleverly to Home Sec and Cameron to Foreign Sec
• Makes senior appointments to the civil service
• Appoints life peers to HoL

  Sunak made Cameron a Lord to allow him to serve as Foreign Secretary, similar to Johnson in 2021 who made Nicky Morgan a peer so she could continue to be Culture Secretary

  Cronyism - Johnson appointed his brother Joe, and plans to promote father Stanley
• Appoints life peers to HoL - Cash for honours scandal (2006)

  2006 Chai Patel nominated by Blair for a peerage after donating £100,000 to Labour and making a secret loan of 1.5 million

  2021 15/16 of the Conservative Party’ treasurers offered a seat in the HoL, after each donating more than 3m to the Tories
• Negotiates foreign treaties

  Johnson in April 2022 promises Zelensky more military equipment

  President Zelensky calls Sunak his “friend” in a May 2023 tweet, saying they will have “substantive negotiations” regarding the war in Ukraine
• Directs military forces in combat

  1982 - Thatcher sent a task force to liberate the Falkland Islands from Argentine occupation

  1999 - Blair committed British ground troops to intervene in the Kosovo war

  2000 - Blair sent troops to Sierra Leone to save the elected government from an armed insurgence
• Directs military forces in combat - Parliament consent

  2001 - Blair asked for consent to advance in Iraq so now Parliament EXPECTS to be asked BUT in 2018 May did not ask to allow bombing raids in Syria
• PM decides whether to launch Trident missiles
• PM casts the narrative of their government

  Thatcher defined free-market principles and the uncompromising spirit of her government

  Under Cameron, the Conservatives became increasingly socially liberal, legislation in favour of same-sex marriage