3. Executive

• what is the executive

  the decision making branch of government, centred on the P< and cabinet and its committees, sometimes just referred to as government
• what is the role of the PM

  • head of the executive who chairs the cabinet meetings and its agenda
  • they appoint cabinet members and junior ministers and decide who can sit in on committees
  • they organise the structure of parliament
• who is the current PM

  rishi sunak
• what is the role of the cabinet

  • they act as an administrative support in delivering the cabinet offices policy
  • they often deal with particular areas of policy such as national security
• how many senior ministers are in cabinet

  • 20-23 senior ministers
  • many of these aren't the cabinet members but they attend meetings
• who is the current home secretary 


  james cleverly
• what is the role of government departments

  • each one is responsible for one area of policy
  • each has a cabinet minister as the head
  • they are supported by junior ministers who are tasked with specific areas of policy
  • technically this makes it more specialised and makes parliament more manageable
• what is the role of executive agencies

  • they are semi-independent bodies
  • they carry out some of the functions of government departments
  • rewarding MPs with being party of the executive as bait for loyalty as they should vote in line with the executive they are in in hopes of promotion
  • they are supposed to be impartial, permanent and ensure more stability and continuity between handovers
• give some examples of executive agencies

  • civil service
  • ofsted
  • dlva
  • nhs
• what are the roles of the executive

  • proposing legislation
  • proposing the budget
  • making policy decisions
• what is Walter Badgehot's view of the PM from 1867

  the PM is "first among equals"
• why does Bagehot's view of the PM no longer seem relevant

  • the power the PM has in terms of cabinet reshuffles has been displayed far more recently suggesting they have a far more senior position
  • PMs are often now elected based on personality and very much a personal mandate rather than for the party - especially with Blair and Boris
  • foreign policy -PMs often attend international conferenced almost merging into a head of state kind of role as their presence is valued as a representative of the UK
• explain how governments are made

  • PM has substantial control over its party's MPs due to the power to "hire and fire" as it extends to cabinet and other ministers
  • formally PMs are appointed by the monarch, it is them who appoint all other government members
• explain how government policy is directed

  • the PM as the central figure of the core executive sets the overall direction of government policy and outlines its strategic goals
  • thus they can interfere in any aspect of the policy, although economic and foreign policy tend to be the PMs major concerns
• how is the cabinet system managed

  • meetings are chaired by the PM as they determine their numbers, length and the staff of cabinet committees
  • the relationship between the PM and cabinet is a major determinant of the PMs power
• how are government departments organised

  • prime ministers are responsible for the structure and organisation of government
  • this includes setting up, reorganising and abolishing government departments
  • the PM is also responsible for the civil service
• how is parliament controlled

  • as leader of the largest party in the commons the PM effectively controls the lower chamber and through it, parliament itself
  • however this control is limited in the event of a 'hung parliament'
• how is national leadership provided at times of crisis

  • PM gets authority from being elected by the people which is strengthened by the medias relentless focus on the office
  • national leadership is crucial at times of national crisis, war or in response to major events as seen with Boris and his response to Covid 19
• to what extent is prime ministerial power a myth


  prime ministerial power is dependent on how large their majority in the commons is. It is not so much a myth as it is conditional, since, May was unable to implement policy due to a lack of support in the commons wheres Rishi has recently pushed through the Rwanda Bill alongside other legislation due to a stronger majority.
• what is a hung parliament

  no party has an absolute majority in the commons
• who makes up cabinet

  • 20-23 formal members although they may not all be able to attend
  • most members are secretaries of state responsible for running Whitehall departments
• what is the hierarchy in the cabinet

  • chancellor of the exchequer
  • foreign secretary
  • home secretary
  • deputy PM
  • these are all awarded the 'best' jobs in cabinet
• what is a kitchen cabinet

  Ministers from an inner circle which the PM calls on for advice more often
• how many times a week does cabinet ,eet

  • since thatcher, cabinet has met once a week
• how much influence does cabinet have

  • Divergence between theoretical importance of the cabinet in comparison to reality
  • Constitutional theory would state the cabinet is the top body in the UK system, the highest decision making forum cabinet government
• arguments for cabinet still being an important body in UK government

  • PM recognises the need for cabinet support on major issues as they are the ones who approve government decisions and confirm legitimacy
  • the UK doesn't have a presidential system really
  • the fall of Thatcher and May demonstrated the importance of maintaining cabinet support
• arguments against Cabinet still being an important body in the UK

  • decisions are commonly taken by cabinet committees which are hand picked by the PM on bilateral meetings
  • PM controls the length, agenda and style of cabinet meetings and most ministers feel under-qualified to offer informed views outside their department in case the PM dismisses or demotes them
  • the media focus is on the PM - shown by televised leadership debates in 2010/15
  • modern PMs are also national leaders separate from institutions of government and with their own personal mandate from the people to take action
• example of cabinet being important during national crisis

  the falklands war in 1982 - day to day decisions were made by a smaller 'war cabinet'
• example of a minister who couldn't accept party line

  Robin Cook resigned as foreign secretary in protest of the invasion of Iraq
• define individual responsibility

  the principle by which ministers are responsible for their personal conduct and their departments
• examples of resignations from individual responsibility

  • Matt Hancock - having an affair
  • Boris Johnson - partygate enquiries
  • Robin Cook - resigned on principle regarding military action in Iraq
• what limits individual responsibility

  • many government functions are delegated to executive agencies under a general director which raises doubt over the extent and location of accountability
  • these blurred lines have also led civil servants to often come under fire which reverses their traditionally anonymous roles
  • personal misconduct is generally the most common case of resignations
• example of limits to individual responsibility

  1. Nadine Dorries - wasn't given peerage and threatened to quit but it took 11 weeks as that was when her book was released
  2. Matt Hancock - waited a long time to resign after his affair was publicised
• who was Chris Pincher

  • in June 2022 he resigned as deputy chief conservative whip after allegations of him groping two men while drunk were released to the press
• define collective responsibility

  the principle by which ministers must support cabinet decisions or else leave the executive which should maintain the unity of government
• limitations to collective responsibility

  • during the coalition, there were several occasions where these rules were relaxed to account for natural differences in opinion
  • 4 issues were agreed on from the outset - nuclear power, trident, tax allowances for married couples and higher education funding
  • in these, Lib Dem cabinet members were allowed to abstain from parliamentary votes
  • In the case of the brexit referendum, Cameron allowed ministers to campaign “leave” allowing again for a difference in opinion
• role of secretaries of state

  cabinet ministers in charge of a government department
• role of ministers of state


  junior to the secretaries but senior to other ministers. they are not usually in the cabinet except from the treasury.
• role of parliamentary under-secretaries of state

  junior to ministers and not a member of cabinet but may serve on committees
• role of parliamentary private secretaries

  the unpaid eyes and ears for senior ministers who are not officially government members