UK Executive

MANAGE DEPT. Some senior ministers will have a dual role of observing a departmental select committee and being a member of the cabinet, the senior decision-making body Most ministers have to manage a government department, being responsible for its policies and...

REFERENDUMS Occasionally done to prevent ministerial resignations. g. in 2016 Cameron allowed ministers to campaign to leave the EU – they were, however denied access to the civil service – 5 ministers did this. COALITION The 2010 coalition identified 4 issues on...

LEAKS Disgruntled ministers may leak cabinet info to the media. g. Ed Balls and Nick Clegg revealed cabinet discussions in their books. DISSENT/NON-RESIGNATION Cabinet members that oppose important parts of gov policy have survived in office even when their concerns...

MISTAKES Rare – ministers often survive e.g. reports into arms sales to Iraq in 1996 and BSE in 2000 uncovered mistakes but ministers survived. Estella Morris, education secretary resigned over not reaching the numeracy targets promised in 2002. POLICY FAILURE Foreign...

PM HAS MORE POWER The powers on the PM have expanded significantly since the 1970s - this is due to an increasing focus of the media upon the PM at the expense of other cabinet ministers and the public tends to approve of strong decisive leadership. Therefore, the...

NATIONAL LEADER PM is seen as a national leader in the UK and abroad. Represents the UK in the EU, G8 and the UN. The PM is expected to be a dominant political personality. Election victory is treated as a personal mandate for the Pm. Introduction of TV debated in...

RETURN TO CABINET GOVERNMENT The need for both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties to negotiate policy strengthened the role of cabinet under the Coalition. The cabinet met much more regularly than under the previous Labour government, meeting every Tuesday...

DECREASED USE OF THE CABINET Under the Coalition, the media regularly talked about formal and informal meetings of the ‘Quad’, which consisted of the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Deputy Prime Minister and Chief Secretary to the Treasury. As key leaders...

RETURN TO CABINET GOVERNMENT The need for both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties to negotiate policy strengthened the role of cabinet under the Coalition. The cabinet met much more regularly than under the previous Labour government, meeting every Tuesday...

SPECIAL ADVISORS Ministers have access to resources other than the civil service, such as their own special advisers. Special advisers (spads) are temporary political appointees who work for ministers, writing speeches, helping with policy ideas and corresponding with...

HELD ACCOUNTABLE The convention of individual ministerial responsibility places significant pressure on ministers. The 2010-15 coalition had multiple ministers resign over their personal behaviour. In 2012, the Chief Conservative whip Andrew Mitchell resigned after it...

COMMITTEES Much of the day-to-day work of devising and agreeing policy is done in committees. Each committee is chaired by a particular minister and is usually composed of cabinet ministers with portfolios connected to the committee’s area of responsibility. In...

REORGANISATION PMs have the ability to reorganise the structure. May streamlined the committee system she inherited from David Cameron - decided to scrap a number of long-standing committees, like the constitutional affairs and public expenditure committees, and has...

COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY Under normal circumstances, the convention of collective responsibility can strengthen the prime minister, as they can rely upon government ministers to support government policy in public. However, due to coalition government, David Cameron...

COALITION USE OF CABINET INFLUENCE

REGISTERING DECISIONS It formalises and legitimises official government policies; this is because all legislation needs the cabinet’s stamp of approval in order for it to be generally recognised. Although cabinet carries out this function, it does not make the...

PREROGATIVE Set of powers exercised by ministers/monarch that don’t require parliamentary approval. Most PPs are exercised by ministers on behalf of crown e.g. ratifying treaties, deploying AFs overseas and PM’s patronage powers – apt imp positions and rec dissolution...

PATRONAGE PM can appoint life peers to the lords – enables PM to alter party balance within Lords. Blair appointed 162 Labour peers.  There was a police inquiry in 2006 which questioned whether Labour party donors were being rewarded with peerages – no charges but led...

PARTY SUPPORT The PM must maintain the support of their party; if the party turns against the prime minister then they will lose a great deal of power and possibly could lose office. Margaret Thatcher lost the support of the Conservatives in 1989 for the unpopular...