Limits to PM abilities to act as presidents

• Personalised election campaigns damage the credibility of leaders if they lack campaigning skills and popular support

  Public faith in

  Theresa May's claim to be 'strong and stable' was weakened after the U-turn on the party's policy on health and social care (dubbed the 'dementia tax')
• Spatial leadership is not possible due to the fusion of cabinet, preferred self as a locating powers; prime ministers are 'reined in' by the forces of constraint

  Theresa May lost control of the payroll vote, accepting in March 2019 that junior ministers could vote with their consciences on the indicative vote process over Brexit
• Over-reliance on advisors

  Can damage the credibility of prime ministers

  
  

  After the poorly received manifesto and the loss of majority after the 2017 general election, Theresa May was forced to sack senior advisors Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill
• Since the Iraq War

  Parliament has become far more assertive

  In 2013 David Cameron failed to persuade Parliament to vote in favour of military action against the Assad regime in Syria