UK Prime Minister and the Executive notes - Edexcel A Level Politics
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UK Government (9PLO)
Institution
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This document is for people who study Politics with Edexcel and it's a comprehensive guide for everything you need to know condensed: it has examples, arguments, counterpoints, recent information, debates and lots of explanations. For my A Levels this is all I used to revise and I have packs like t...
Structure, role and powers of the executive
ministerial responsibility
The PM and cabinet
STRUCTURE, ROLE AND POWERS OF THE EXECUTIVE
ROLES OF THE EXECUTIVE
PROPOSING LEGISLATION
- announces the new programme at the start of each parliamentary session in the
King's speech (written by govt)
- May 2015 Queen's speech reflected the priorities of the Conservative govt
under Cameron including a Brexit referendum, and protection for essential
public services against strikes
- can introduce legislation not proposed in their manifesto eg. in emergencies eg.
control orders, or to bring the UK into line with international law - 'DOCTORS
MANDATE'
- ministers often consult with pressure groups and professional bodies before
introducing legislation
PROPOSING THE BUDGET
- created by chancellor of the Exchequer in consultation with the PM; revealed to
Cabinet shortly before it is delivered
- annual statement of the govts plans for tac and public spending changes
- each govt presents its own budget eg. In June 2010 an 'emergency budget' was
presented by the coalition even though labour's previous one was only 90 days
before
MAKING POLICY DECISIONS
- how the exec is going to give effect to its aims eg. coalition policy decisions:
- allowing the set up of 'free schools' (independent of local councils)
- Universal credit to streamline the welfare system
POWERS OF THE EXECUTIVE
PREROGATIVE POWERS
- appoint ministers/senior office holders
- grant legal pardons
- declare war/authorise the use of armed forces
- sign treaties
- take action to maintain order in cases of emergency
, - Brown's labour govt and the coalition govt wanted to place some prerogative powers
under parliamentary authority and 2 powers have been abolished/reformed:
- 2011 Fixed Term Parliaments Act - removed the right of the PM to determine general
election dates (since abolished)
- govts have conventionally accepted that military action requires parliamentary
approval (since Iraq War 2003 and Syria air strikes 2013)
INITIATION OF LEGISLATION
- Executive controls most of the parliamentary time for legislation except 20 opposition
days, 13 days for private members bills and variable timings for debates chosen by
the backbench business committee
- if a govt has a majority it can usually rely on the whips and the power of patronage to
push through its programme although this can trigger rebellions (however it is rare for
govts to be defeated on the second/third reading of a bill)
- the guillotine ('allocation of time' motion) → allows the govt to curtail debate on
individual clauses of a bill (In the commons)
- the programming motion (blair govt) → executive can set the time limits for each
stage in the passive of a bill
SECONDARY LEGISLATION
- (law made without passing a new act of parliament - govt uses powers created by an
earlier act)
- statutory instruments - enable a govt to modify/repeal existing legislation without
introducing a new bill (would be time-consuming to enact new legislation every time
the govt needs to amend or update details of existing legislation)
- growing use of these to make controversial changes eg. 2016 used to abolish
maintenance grants for uni students and to allow fracking in national parks
- opposition politicians argue that the govt are sneaking these changes through the
back door
- sometimes called 'Henry VIII' clauses because they evade parliamentary scrutiny
- ⅔ are not put before MPs before they become law
MINISTERIAL RESPONSIBILITY
according to the MINISTERIAL CODE, a minister can 'only remain in office for so long as
they retain the confidence of the Prime Minister'
individual: ministers are responsible for their personal conduct/departments
- Edwina Currie was the Minister for Health in 1988 but resigned over
controversy about her comments on salmonella in eggs
- Alastair Campbell who served as Blair's press secretary said the 'golden rule' was
that a Minister would have to go if they were at the centre of a media storm for a
given length of time (only relevant if criticism is made in the media)
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