Overview
This lecture covers everything A Level Politics students need to know about the UK Prime Minister and cabinet, focusing on their selection, balance of power, key debates (e.g., presidentialization), and case studies of Thatcher, Blair, and Cameron.
Exam Topics & Key Debates
- Topics include the power of the Prime Minister and the cabinet, selection of ministers, and recent PM case studies.
- Key debates: Is the PM presidential? Can the PM dominate the cabinet? What influences minister selection? What affects the PM–cabinet power balance?
- Essay questions often focus on these debates, requiring detailed examples and analysis.
Selection of Cabinet Ministers
- PM selects an initial cabinet and reshuffles to maintain authority and refresh the team.
- Factors affecting selection: individual competence/experience, authority establishment, loyalty, ideological balance, and diversity.
- Competence example: Jeremy Hunt kept as Chancellor for stability.
- Authority: PMs remove rivals or former ministers to assert control.
- Loyalty: Allies rewarded, but sometimes at cost of expertise.
- Ideological balance: Inclusive cabinets (e.g., May included Brexiteers and Remainers); less emphasis under more dominant PMs.
- Diversity: Increasing attention to gender/ethnic representation, but cabinets remain mostly white and male.
Power Balance: PM and Cabinet Relationship
- Effective PMs manage cabinet using patronage, agenda-setting, and meeting control.
- Use of cabinet committees, bilateral meetings, and special advisers (spads) centralizes power (e.g., Dominic Cummings under Johnson).
- Growth of Downing Street resources gives PM more policy control.
- Large parliamentary majorities strengthen PM’s power; small majorities make the PM more reliant on cabinet factions.
- PM popularity boosts authority; unpopularity often leads to cabinet revolt (e.g., end of Thatcher, Johnson, Truss).
- Party unity and wider events (crises, economy) can strengthen or weaken PM control.
Presidentialization of the Prime Minister
- PMs increasingly act like heads of state, especially in foreign affairs or crises (e.g., Blair in Iraq, Johnson during COVID).
- Growth of media use builds personal image and direct public appeal.
- Increasing use of advisers and Downing Street staff resembles US presidential systems.
- Counter-arguments: PMs remain accountable to Parliament and party; need cabinet support for policy and survival; events and party division limit presidential tendencies.
Can the PM Dominate Cabinet?
- Arguments for: PMs use media, advisers, and committees to centralize power and reduce cabinet’s role.
- Arguments against: Cabinet can remove PMs, is crucial in crises, and retains power when PM is weak or lacks majority.
Case Studies
Margaret Thatcher
- Achievements: Weakened trade unions, privatized industries, "Iron Lady" stance.
- Weaknesses: Became unpopular and isolated; forced out by her cabinet after the poll tax riots.
Tony Blair
- Achievements: Good Friday Agreement, constitutional reform, strong media management, centralized policy through Downing Street.
- Weaknesses: Marginalized cabinet (especially over Iraq), reliant on Gordon Brown who retained significant autonomy.
David Cameron
- Achievements: Managed Coalition, implemented austerity, social reforms.
- Weaknesses: Never secured a large majority, constrained by Coalition/party divisions, downfall after Brexit referendum loss.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Cabinet — Senior government ministers chosen by the PM to run departments and advise on policy.
- Patronage — PM’s power to appoint/dismiss ministers.
- Special Adviser (Spad) — Unelected policy/political advisers hired by ministers, especially the PM.
- Cabinet Committees — Subgroups of ministers handling specific issues, often used to bypass full cabinet.
- Presidentialization — Trend where PMs act more like presidents, centralizing power and focusing on personal leadership.
- Collective Ministerial Responsibility — Principle requiring all cabinet members to publicly support government decisions.
- Core Executive Model — View that power in UK government is shared across the PM, cabinet, and officials, not only the PM.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Prepare essay plans for debates on PM power, presidentialization, minister selection, and cabinet dominance.
- Review the case studies of Thatcher, Blair, and Cameron for use in exam answers.
- Compare factors influencing cabinet selection: loyalty, ideology, competence, diversity.
- Read class notes and provided resources for more detail.