Prime Minister

• Main Functions of the Prime Minister


  The prime minister is the head of the executive, cabinet and civil service:

  • leads the government with overall domestic and foreign responsibility.
  • represents the country abroad.
  • being the party leader and the communicator of government policy
  • Chairing Cabinet meetings and heading the civil service.
  • Being the Monarchs first ministers and Primus inter pares with other ministers
• Primus Inter Pares


  The traditional notion is that the prime minister is merely the 'first among equals' among cabinet colleagues. In reality, modern prime ministers have far more power
• Main Powers of the Prime Minister

  PM's main powers and resources:

  • The Royal Prerogative
  • Shaping and deciding English and national policy
  • De Facto Commander in Chief of the armed forces
  • choosing and arranging cabinet
  • high media profile to explain the governments actions
  • commands a working majority in the House of Commons
  • makes use of civil service and SpAds for advice
  • often claims a mandate from winning an election
• The Cabinet

  Key Points:

  • A team of around 20 senior officials
  • can be reshuffled to bring in new talent and remove underperforming peers
  • Proceedings are kept secret and all publicly support its decision under collective responsibility.
• Sofa government 


  An informal method of policy making in government, where the PM uses his closest Special advisers to discuss policy, not cabinet.

  • Tony Blair formulated policy in informal conversations with his advisers, not being formal in a cabinet meeting.
• Cabinet Committees

  Cabinet Committees are groups of ministers that take collective decisions, many of them routine. They can also include subcommittees:

  • The composition and terms of reference are decided by the Prime Minister
  • They tend to comprise ministers from several related departments to enable joined up government e.g. the Social Reform Committee with education, health and social care.
  • Their decision are binding on the cabinet.
  • There was a significant reduction to five main committees in 2017, four chaired by the PM
• cabinet committees

  examples:

  • National Security Council: the main forum for discussion of government objectives for national security, looking strategically.
  • EU Exit and Trade Committee: Oversees the UK's exit negotiations of the EU
  • Cobra: The emergency council for high level decision making in major emergencies
• Reshuffle

  Ministers are moved about the departments, with some promoted, moved sideways or sacked.

  • the most infamous reshuffle was Macmillan's 1962 sacking of 7 cabinet colleagues, known as the 'Night of the Long Knives'
• Collective Cabinet Responsibility

  The principle whereby all members of the cabinet supports decisions in public, even if they disagree with them in private and argued against them. It is seen as vital to the effective functioning of Cabinet Government.
• Inner Cabinet

  A smaller, more informal group of senior ministers who meet outside of regular sessions of the full cabinet. It is often seen as the place of real decision-making.
• Joined-up government

  A policy to make different departments work in the same government work together
• How Policy is made

  Prime Minister

  • most PMs enter no10 with a clear policy agenda often based on personal convictions and principles e.g. Johnson 2019 "Get Brexit Done"
• How Policy is Made

  Cabinet:

  • discusses and debates policy initiatives and "rubber stamp" them; disagreements are resolved in meetings.
  • Considerably significant, especially if the party is divided, a policy is controversial or the Prime Minister is seen as weak.
  • Most of Brexit negotiations were thrashed out in the cabinet.
• How Policy is Made

  Senior Civil Servants:

  • offer unbiased and objective advice, speaking truth to power.
  • offers guidance to ministers in the delivery of policy e.g. the 2012 London Olympics and the National Citizen Service.
  • provide long experience of government and handling different issues and policies across the political spectrum.
  • Increasingly shares responsibility for providing policy advice with civil servants.
• How Policy is Made

  Specials Advisers:

  • Party political figures who are hand picked by the Prime Minister, temporary civil servants who are not required to offer balanced advice.
  • Normally replaced by an incoming Prime Minister
  • Have assumed prominence in recent years such as Alistair Campbell and Dominic Cummings
  • Frequently seen to 'have the ear of the prime minister' and play a major part in policy
  • Can face much criticism over their actions
• How Policy is Made

  Manifesto Pledges:

  • the easiest to decide upon as the party in power will have agreed these already. 'Get Brexit Done' was a clear and simple slogan that helped the conservatives win in 2019.
  • It is more complicated for minority/coalition governments; for example May's deal with the DUP in the 2017 election.
• How Policy is Made

  Collaboration:

  • Many policy decisions and strategies require consultation and co-operation between different ministers and government departments. Although the PM has final say, they are constrained by backbench rebellions and resignations.
  • Prime ministers who are not very collaborative in policy making such as Thatcher and Blair, can find themselves dangerously isolated and vulnerable.
  • Some policy is the result of emergencies, for example the restrictions following the 7/7 attacks, and Covid 19
• Relationship between PM and Cabinet

  In theory, the relationship should be harmonious as the cabinet is selected purely by the PM. In reality, most PMs experience fractious relations:

  • Political parties are broad so contain a variety of views and factions. Prime ministers need to include all to keep their party united.
  • Most Cabinets contain 'big beast' politicians who are too popular but may have egos - Bojo 2018
  • Factions may arise around individuals, and each member is lobbying for their own demands
• Individual (ministerial) responsibility

  Individual Responsibility:

  • says each minister is personally responsible for the actions of their departments.
  • Ministers personal conduct is highly important, breaches lead to resignations.
  • The Ministerial Code is highly important
• Collective (cabinet) responsibility

  Collective responsibility:

  • Convention that all ministers are bound by government policies and therefore must defend the cabinet.
  • A minister who does not agree must resign
  • Collective responsibility can be defended in key important debates , such as the EU
• PM and Cabinet

  Resignations:

  • Cabinet members can influence PM through resigning and challenging government from outside
  • Howe's 1990 resignation and speech against Thatcher
  • Hunt and David against Johnson in 2022
• PM and Cabinet Relationship Case Study

  Tony Blair - New Labour (1997-2007)

  • Blair's relationship with his cabinet members varied depending on the individuals involved and the issues at hand.
  • He had a close-knit inner circle of advisors who shaped policy, including figures such as Gordon Brown, his Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Peter Mandelson, a key strategist and minister.
  • Blair's leadership style also led to tensions, such as the Iraq War: Robin Cook, the former Foreign Secretary, resigned from their positions in protest over the government's direction.
• PM and Cabinet Relationship Case Study 


  Margaret Thatcher - Conservative (1979-1990)

  • 
The Single European Act aimed to create a single market within the EEC, Thatcher's government initially supported the act, seeing it as a way to promote free trade and remove barriers to commerce within Europe.
  • led to divisions within her cabinet, with some ministers, including her Deputy Prime Minister, Sir Geoffrey Howe who resigned from his position in 1990 and delivered a scathing resignation speech in the House of Commons, criticizing Thatcher's leadership style and position, starting her downfall.
• Relationship between government and parliament


  Theory:

  • governments should be checked and answerable to parliament
  • Ministers should be personally accountable to parliament
  • Government should be able to get their business through Westminster easily due to a majority, the power of whips and limitations of lords.
• Relations between government and parliament

  Reality:

  • governments often avoid effective scrutiny due to party loyalties and theatrical nature of questions. `
  • Most effective scrutiny comes from the National Audit office who report the use of public money.
  • Ministers rarely take personal responsibility for failings in their departments, often resigning for personal scandals
  • Growing willingness of backbenchers to rebel means that government policies do not always have a smooth ride.