1. Prime Minister, Cabinet and Core Executive

2. A Background
The Cabinet is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom,
Cabinet Ministers are heads of government departments, mostly with the office of "Secretary of State for [function, e.g. Defence]".
Since the reign of King George I the Cabinet has been the principal executive group of British government. Both he and George II made use of the system, as both were non-native English speakers, unfamiliar with British politics, and thus relied heavily on selected groups of advisers.
The modern Cabinet system was set up by Prime Minister David Lloyd George during his premiership 1916–1922 (War Cabinet / subsequent crises)
Pro’s and Con’s of a smaller cabinet?

4. Executive-Legislative Relations in the UK (1)
Dominance of UK executive over legislature
Govt emerges from & responsible to parliament
Govt members sit in parliament (MPs & Peers)
Govt (= executive) = PM/Cabinet + junior ministers
Fusion of executive and legislative power
NB: Presidential systems: separation of executive & legislature
2-party system: single party majority Govt, strong party cohesion  strong executive

5. Executive-Legislative Relations in the UK (2)
Cabinet = ‘efficient secret’ of British constitution (Bagehot)
Buckle between executive & legislature
Efficient (functional) vs dignified (symbolic) parts of constitution
Bagehot: Monarchy = dignified; Cabinet = efficient
Key relationship between Govt Front Bench & Govt Backbench MPs
Opposition ignored if Govt has a majority
Opposition important if Govt Backbench rebels vote with it

6. The Prime Minister No constitutionally enshrined role
Head of Govt; national leader (not Head of State)
Usually leader of largest party in Commons
Appointed by Monarch (convention)
Appoints Govt (patronage powers)
Formally ‘primus inter pares’
Decides policy direction of Govt (but intra-party constraints)
Held to account in Commons at PMQ

7. The Cabinet 20-23 members (mainly MPs, some Peers)
Head Dept or Ministry – officially responsible
3 main ministries: Treasury, FCO, Home Office
Not a voting body – no ‘majority rule’
Overview of policy – no longer decision-making body
Meetings lasted mins under Blair
Cabinet now a ‘dignified’ part of constitution?
Collective responsibility
Iraq War 2003 (Robin Cook)
Cabinet committees
More reliance now on bilateral / kitchen / inner meetings and task forces

8. Classic Debate: Cabinet Govt vs Prime Ministerial Govt (1)
Prime Ministerial Government
Power of patronage
No constitutional limits to PM’s power
Control of cabinet agenda
PM represents UK in internat. meetings
Govt’s links with media go through No 10
New debate: ‘Presidential’ Govt?

9. Classic Debate: Cabinet Govt vs Prime Ministerial Govt (2)
Cabinet Government
One person can’t control everything in Govt
Factional balance in party
‘Big beasts’ – powerful rivals
Power of ministerial resignation
Can harm PM – undermine his/her authority
Thatcher: Lawson (1989); Howe (1990)
PM must have support of senior colleagues
Thatcher lost ministerial support in 1990

10. Prime Ministerial Style (1)
Post of PM often what incumbent makes it (Asquith 1928)
Thatcher – domineering, strong leadership
But sought left/right balance (early on)
Allowed ‘big beasts’ in Cabinet
‘Bounced’ into ERM decision by Chancellor Lawson
Major – consensual, collegial  ditherer?
Constrained by small parliamentary majority
Forced to balance Europhiles and Eurosceptics
Clarke/Heseltine vs Portillo/Redwood

11. Prime Ministerial Style (2)
PM Blair – strong leadership, ‘sofa Govt’
More emphasis on media relations
‘Blair presidential’ – but checks & balances
Chancellor Brown & powerful Treasury
EU single currency
Public-service reform
Deputy PM Prescott
PM Brown
Initially few constraints
No powerful Treasury
‘Kitchen cabinet’
Damaged by events
‘Election that never was’
10p tax row
Plummeting poll figures
Constrained by Blairites
E.g. David Miliband

12. The Cabinet Office Headed by Cabinet Secretary
Coordinates work of Depts
Important units in Cabinet Office
Delivery Unit, Performance & Innovation Unit (efficiencies)
Cabinet Office coordinates with PM’s Office
Together a PM’s Dept in all but name?
Cabinet Office not powerful unless backed by PM
Little bargaining power with Depts – persuades/coordinates
Less power over Depts than Treasury
Chancellor – bilateral meetings with ministers
Institutionalised in Comprehensive Spending Review – 3-year forward planned spending commitments drawn up with Depts

13. Core Executive: Resources & ‘Exchange’
PM just one powerful actor among many
E.g. importance of Treasury / Parliament / Events / Hostile Media
Process of political ‘exchange’ (bargaining)
PM mobilises support to implement major decisions
PM uses resources (authority, patronage, etc.) to bargain with ministers, who have their own resources (authority, support, policy networks)
Political context important
PM more powerful if Govt popular, policy successes, strong economy, big majority in House
Reading: M. J. Smith, The Core Executive in Britain (Palgrave, 1999), ch. 4

14. Conclusion Old debates about PM vs Cabinet Govt unresolved
Core executive debate more promising – acknowledges that power fluctuates
Realisation that PM (and ministers) can’t just make things happen on their own
Need support of other actors (more on this point next lesson)

15. The Core Executive in the UK
Core Executive = ‘Centre’ (black & dark grey inner circles)
Governing party in parliament
Media
Senior
military &
security
chiefs
Executive agencies
Whips, House Leaders
PM’s Office
Law officers
Cabinet Office
PM & Cabinet
Special advisors
Treasury
Cabinet Committees
Permanent Secretaries
Secretaries of State, Ministers
Local Govt
Interest groups

16. New Debate: The Core Executive
Collegial executive in UK
Core executive coordinates, directs, implements Govt policy and strategy
‘… the UK core executive may be defined as Cabinet (incl. the Prime Minister), Cabinet committees, the Cabinet Office, the Prime Minister’s Office, parts of the Treasury, the major government law offices and those central elements engaged in managing the governing party’s parliamentary support base.’ Ian Holliday, in Dunleavy et al., Developments in British Politics 6, p.89
Core executive goes beyond PM & Cabinet
Recent research focuses on power relations within core executive rather than old debates about PM or Cabinet dominance