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Summary Notes for PM and the Cabinet
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Glossary of key terms, Detailed case studies, AO1 Knowledge - key statistics and figures
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04/09/21Hung Parliament - A parliament in which no political party has enough seats to secure an overall
majority
Special Advisors, employees of the individual directly or through the party. (Boris Johnson’s - Dominic
Cummings)
Cabinet - Prime Minister and senior ministers, most of whom are heads of government departments.
Formally the key decision-making body in British government
Executive - The branch of government responsible for policy making and policy implementation. UK,
the executive comprises the prime minister, cabinet and junior ministers who make up the government
Government department - Administratie unit of the executive that is usually responsible for a
particular area of policy
Voter turnout - Percentage of eligible voters who participated in an election
Minister - An MP or member of the House of Lords who is appointed to a specific position in the
government by the prime minister
Prime Minister - Head of the government and of the executive branch. Prime minister chairs the
cabinet
What are the roles of the core executive?
● Making Policy - cabinet set political priorities
● Passing Legislation – All major acts/laws first approved by cabinet before moving to the
House of Common
● Financing - Decisions on taxation
● National Responder - Cabinet works collaboratively to deal with national emergencies
What are the powers of the core executive?
● Patronage
● Deployment of Armed Forces
● International Relations
● Making/Ratifying treaties
● Organisation and structure of Civil Service
● Issuing directives in times of national crises
What gives Boris Johnson power?
● The Ruling Party - PM has the support of his party both in parliament and in the country in
the form of ordinary members
● Royal Prerogative - Reigning monarchs retain power to carry out the functions of the head of
state. Democracy doesn’t allow an unelected monarch to exercise Queen’s power,
prerogative powers is passed onto the Prime Minister - signing of International treaties
● Popular mandate - Voters are conscious that they are electing a PM. Research suggests that
the leader of the party is becoming more and more important when it comes to deciding who
to vote for at an election
● Parliament - PM is the parliamentary leader and as long as he supports the majority of the
House of Commons he can claim parliamentary authority.
, Advantages of the Power of Patronage for the PM
● Appoints ministers
● Allocates cabinet posts
● Reshuffles cabinet
● Dismisses ministers
Constraints of the Power of Patronage
● Claims of senior colleagues for inclusion and specific posts
● Labour PM required to appoint first cabinet from elected shadow cabinet
● Ideological balance
● Unintended consequences of botched reshuffles
● Possibility of sacked ministers emerging as rivals for leadership
Advantages of Authority in the Cabinet System for the PM
● Chairs cabinet meetings
● Manages the cabinet agenda
● Steers, sums up and determines outcome of cabinet discussions
● Holds bilateral and informal meetings with key ministers
● Appoints chairs and members of cabinet committees
Constraints of Authority in the Cabinet Systems
● Requires cabinet support on major controversial issues
● Senior ministers have authority and may challenge the PMs preferred policy
● Problems may arise if senior ministers feel they are being ignored
● Not involved in detailed policy making in cabinet committees
Advantages of Party Leadership for the PM
● Authority as the leader of a political party
● Elected by MPs and party members
● Enjoys a majority in the House of Commons
05/10/21
Constraints of Party Leadership
● Supports of party is not unconditional
● Possibility of backbench rebellions
Advantages of Public Standing
● High public-profile
● Communication-in-chief for the government
● Represents country in international affairs
● Political leaders in times of crisis
Constraints of Public Standing
● Unpopularity with the electorate undermines authority
● May become the focus of media criticism
Advantages of Policy Making Role
● Directs government policy and sets the agenda
● Authority to become involved in policy areas of choosing
● Tasks the key role in terms of crisis
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