The Executive

• Prime Minister does act like a President


  -Fusion of executive and legislative branches gives PM significant power

  -PMs regularly rely on meetings with individual ministers

  -PMs can reshape their party’s agenda to suit their own agendas

  -power of patronage

  -prerogative power gives considerable amount of power

  -the media spotlights and the personal appeal can be indispensable to the party
• PM not act like a president


  -Parliament is increasingly rebellious and collective responsibility can come under strain

  -arguably been a return to cabinet in recent years

  -recent events suggest that ministers and voters can still influence agenda

  -There are political limits to patronage powers and party has power to remove Prime Minister

  -Use of prerogative powers has been weakened by statute and conventions

  -this power can be very unreliable and can decline quickly when problems arise
• PM and Cabinet

  • Tony Blair -Sofa Politics
  • Theresa May- Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill
• Prime Ministerial power

  • Royal prerogative power
  • PM head of gov
  • Selecting ministers
  • Directing gov policy + provide national leadership
  • They are chair of Cabinet
  • Responsible for setting up, reorganising + abolishing gov departments
  • Main figure in Commons
  • International role in negotiating with foreign states
• Individual ministerial responsibility


  • Ministers are responsible for their personal conduct and for their departments
  • They will usually resign if: Something goes wrong in their department
  • Something gets into the media about their private Life
• Collective ministerial responsibility


  • Ministers must support decisions or leave the executive
  • They will usually resign if they disagree with the PM over something fundamental and it cannot be resolved in private
• Function of Selecting key cabinet ministers


  • Importance of including individuals with ability and experience
  • Establishing a PM's authority
  • Rewarding loyalty and including key allies
  • Maintaining a balance between different factions within a governing party
  • Meeting expectations of diversity
• Role of the executive

  • Proposing legislation– introduces proposals for new laws or amendments, doesn’t can find it self to measures proposed in a party manifesto
  • Proposing the budget– government needs to raise revenue in order to find public services. Budget is created by Chancellor of the Exchequer in consultation with the prime minister.
  • Making policy decisions– the executive has to decide how to give effect to its aims for the future direction of the country
• Structure of the executive

  • The PM is head of executive and holds final decision making power
  • Cabinet is formed by PM + senior ministers of gov appointed by the PM
  • Senior ministers in the cabinet lead the gov departments
  • Junior ministers are appointed by PM + have responsibilities within specific gov departments
  • Government department has responsibility for an area of policy which the executive pursues
• Powers of the executive

  • Royal Prerogative powers
  • Initiation of legislation
  • Secondary legislation
• Relationship between PM and Cabinet

  -more popular PM with voters and cabinet ministers is likely to have greater control over their cabinet

  -less popular PM has less support from cabinet can lead to cabinet ministers choosing to resign. This damages the public impression of the PM and Government