Prime Minister and the Executive

• Main Roles of Executive

  • Proposing legislation
  • Making policy decisions
  • Proposing the budget
  • Income tax, VAT, corporation tax
• Main powers of the executive

  • Royal prerogative powers: signs treaties, award honours, grant pardons. (right for PM to determine election date and for PM to undertake action have been abolished)
  • Initiation of legislation
  • Secondary legislation: laws created by ministers using powers given to them by an Act of Parliament
  • Power of patronage: PM appoints hundreds of ministers, peers, and head of state bodies
• Individual Ministerial Responsibility

  'Ministers have a duty to hold parliament to account, and be held to account for the policies, decisions and actions of their departments and agencies'. This means that they are expected to be truthful, if they knowingly mislead parliament they are expected to resign
• Cabinet Government


  Emphasises that power is collective and located in the cabinet. All ministers are equal and have chance to influence government policy. E.g. Cameron gave ministers lots of freedoms over their departments, in 2020 when Johnson went into intensive care deputy PM Raab stepped in as PM stating "I am not the PM, I am the first among equals"
• Presidentialism


  The PM dominates the cabinet and cabinet is only seen as a rubber stamp. E.g. Thatcher's cabinet from 1983 after she purged the 'wets'
• Strengths of Presidentialism 


  + PM chairs all cabinet meetings controlling the agenda and managing discussions

  + PM decides when and how long meetings will last

  + PM decides the numbers and natures of the committees
• Weaknesses of Presidentialism


  - Cabinet support is conditional on popularity of PM

  - Cabinet resignations make the PM look weak and can derail them (5th-6th July 2022 36 MPs resigned from government roles due to Johnson's lack of honesty and integrity)

  - Cabinet resignations relating to important issues embarrass the PM (Robert Jenrick immigration minister resigning over Rwanda Bill 2023)
• Strength of PM over party

  - The PM has considerable power when they have a majority as they can pass almost any legislation (Blair undefeated 1997-2005, Rwanda bill 2023 with 44 majority)

  - Party fortunes are closely linked to PMs standing (Johnson's 80 seat majority helped him pass Brexit deal)

  - PM and cabinet are also MPs who vote in commons, gives them a head start as they already know who will vote in favour
• Weaknesses of PM over party

  - PM begins to be seen as electoral volatility they will be removed as unpopular PM is problematic

  - PMs with weak majority are easily defeated by backbench rebellions (Cameron slim majority in 2015 led to many U-turns and compromises but still lost in Sunday Trading by 31 with 27 being rebels (2016))

  - The commons can remove PMs by votes of no confidence
• Importance of party unity

  - Fall of Thatcher: unable to win sufficient support in leadership election after her support was reduced by divisions over Europe and unpopularity of Poll Tax

  - Major was harmed by divisions over Europe

  - Sunak lost authority over party over divisions over Rwanda bill

  - Johnson lost lots of control over scandals
• Thatcher (Policies)

  • The Housing Act (1980): allowed tenants to buy council homes at a discounted price
  • 1984 British telecom was privatised as was British Gas in 1986
  • Harsh with trade unions and 1980 Employment Act outlawed secondary action
  • 1982 Employment Act limited the powers of trade unions to strike
  • Introduced poll tax to Scotland in 1988
• Thatcher (Leadership)


  Dominant, strong, determined, decisive
• Thatcher (Events)

  • 1982: Argentina invaded Falklands and Thatcher led the country to victory - earned 'Iron Lady' nickname and got 144 majority victory in 1983
  • 1984-5: miner strike
• Blair (Policies)

  • Introduced national minimum wage
  • Cut NHS waiting list
  • Cut class sizes
  • 250,000 under 25s in school
• Blair (Leadership)


  Pragmatic, communication, confidence. Used 'sofa' cabinets
• Blair (Events)

  • Ecclestone had to be given back the donation
  • Iraq: went to war without approval (2003)
  • Large backbench rebellions
  • Air strikes and invasion of Afghanistan (2001)
  • The 2005 amendment to Terrorism Bill to allow terrorist suspects to be held without charge for 90 days was defeated 291-322, when 49 labour MPs rebelled