2. Prime Minister and Cabinet

3. Powers of the PM The Prime Minister is the head of the Executive in the UK. On paper, at least, he has a formidable array of roles and resources with which to fulfil these roles. Roles include: –Head of the Executive –Head of Government –Party Leader –Chief Appointments Officer –Represent the UK abroad.

4. Sources of Support for the PM In theory the biggest source of support for the PM should be the Cabinet. Other important sources of support include the PM’s Party in Parliament. Although sometimes double edged the media can also provide valuable support. In recent years there has been a growth in the Office of the PM. This currently consists of a number of separate parts. They are: –The Private Office –The Political Unit –The Press Office –The Policy Unit –The Strategic Communications Unit

5. Primeministerial Styles On the surface it would seem as if the style of leadership of an individual PM should be important. It may be, however, that differences in style and impact can be exaggerated. Norton defined 4 Primeministerial styles. These were: –Innovators –Reformers –Egoists –Balancers There are problems with using these categorisations. For instance what if a PM does not fit into any one style? Do they tell us much about PM power?

6. Margaret Thatcher Thatcher was a conviction politician. She had an authoritarian style. Thatcher often aimed to dominate her Cabinet or bypass it altogether. However her style was not static. It changed over time and according to events. Thatcher did not lead to the death of Cabinet Government. By 1990 her style, which had won her so many admirers in the 80s was seen as a burden. Margaret Thatcher

7. John Major John Major is usually described as a consensus politician. He had a collegiate style of government. It could be argued that this was what was required after Thatcher. This style also reflected John Major’s personality and the fact that he had to work with potential heavyweight opponents within his Cabinet. Major looked to use Cabinet to discuss and make many more important decisions. Unlike Thatcher he was not a fan of bilateral meetings or of using kitchen cabinets.

8. Tony Blair????

9. Role of Cabinet Cabinet is the meeting of the Heads of Departments of Government. The seniority of its members can give it massive importance but this often varies depending on issues and circumstances. Cabinet has a number of roles. –It is the committee of government in which the most important decisions are made. –It oversees and coordinates government business. –It is a forum for the discussion of contentious issues. –It plans the business of Parliament. –It provides Party Leadership.

10. Membership of Cabinet Usually Cabinet has between 20 and 22 members. Members are, by convention, Members of Parliament drawn from either the Commons or the Lords. Factors that may determine who a PM chooses to be in Cabinet include: –Seniority within the Party –Parliamentary ability –Reward loyalty/ stamp out dissent –Represent different factions within a Party

11. Cabinet Committees It is argued that government is not by Cabinet but rather by Cabinet Committees. This leads to decisions made by small groups of Ministers and has an impact on the concept of collective responsibility. The number of Cabinet Committees varies from PM to PM. They can be either standing or ad hoc. Alternatively the PM can deal with Ministers in bilaterals or through task forces. Issues raised include have Cabinet Committees led to the demise of Cabinet Government or are they essential to the smooth running of modern government?

12. Collective Responsibility Collective Responsibility is the convention which binds Ministers together so that Government presents a united front. Collective Responsibility means that Ministers can voice their opinions freely in the privacy of a Cabinet meeting but once a decision is made they must all support it. Collective Responsibility is not the same as collective decision making. Until 1997 trends have been for Collective Responsibility to apply to a wider range of MPs etc. but for it to be less rigorously enforced. Tony Blair, however, has been keen to enforce the doctrine so that Government presents a strong, united front.