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The Prime Minister and the Cabinet - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Under the parliamntary system, the PM is the leader of the majority or largest party.
    - - If an election result is not clear (2017), not winning an overall majority, the monarch must abide by convention.
      - Theresa May the leader of the largest party offered the first chance to form a governemnt
        
        Able to agree a ‘confidence and supply’ arrangement with the Democratic Unionist Party and remained PM.
        
        Confidence and Supply arrangements whereby one party agrees to support the governing party on key votes such as budgets and votes of no confidence, but differs to a coalition as they do not share ministerial roles.
  - - - Many parts of the core executive are political and reflect governing party, civil service remains neutral.
    - - Sets poltiical priorities then decide on policy often at cabinet meetings or committees.
      - The civil service has the job of implementing these and running the state on a day to day basis.
    - - Major acts are discussed and approved at cabinet level before requiring parliament approval.
    - - Make decision on taxation and government spending, normally announced in the annual budget (Chancellor and Treasury)
      - Discussion and negotiation over where this is spent across departments.
    - - Times of national emergency (COVID 19) emergency measures are required to deal with the threats s best it can and reassure public fear.
      - Covid required input from many departments such as health, education, the police and social security.
    - - Patronage powers
        
        Deployment of UK armed forces overseas
        
        Relations with international pwoers and international diplomacy.
        
        Making and ratify treaties
        
        Issuing directives and statements during national crises.
      - A PM cannot simply command and demand total obedience.
      - Sometimes PMs have to work hard to persuade cabinet
  - - - Blair government accused of preferring a sofa government opposed to full length cabinet discussions, favouring informal chats with few ministers.
      - Thatcher’s style was said to be overbearing and intolerant
      - Even during the coalition, ’The Quad’ of the two PMs, the Chancellor and the Lib Dem Chief secretary tot he Treasury, power was concentrated.
        
        Spatial leadership: sense of distance is created between the PM and the rest of the party (PM relies on inner cabinet)
    - - They are poltiical and personal appointments, wielding much power over the PM in place of cabinet minsters.
      - December 2019- number of special advisers appointed to Johnson’s government was 108, compared with May’s 99.
      - Argued significance by Dominic Cummings departure in November 2022 that he had become too powerful on th ePM and a focus of constant criticism.
    - - Strong governemnts of Blair, Thatcher, and arguably Boris Johnson is not the overall picture.
      - PMs with weak or no majorities are in a different position.
        
        May became reliant on DUP as her own party was so divided.
        
        David Davis and Boris Johnson did not like the proposed Brexit deal who initially reluctantly agreed to the deal, swiftly resigned.
        
        Even with a majority, they can be imperilled.
        
        Blair and Thatcher were forced out to controversial polices and consequent criticism and divides (Iraq War and Poll Tax)
        
        Loyalty on backbenches are not guaranteed and always conditional.
      - Powers of special advisers is questioned as a tendency to appoint them and listen could be a result of civil servants too set in their ways with their won agendas.
      - No formal changes to the powers, if anything they have been reduced (easily calling an election)
      - Media means PMs are more likely to want to be image-aware presenting themselves as collegiate and collaborative and accountable.
- - - - Manifesto pledges and promises
        
        Extending free healthcare- Operation Sept 2017
        2017 Conservative promise to offer working parents double hours of free childcare a week to increase number of parents in work. As well as young children benefitting from socialisation.
      - Outcomes of Referendums
        
        David Cameron 2015 promise Brexit 2016
        Although May voted Remain, she nonetheless upheld the vote
        
        Opposition of conviction , largely democratic duty, although she failed.
      - Results of deals with minor parties
        
        2011 AV referendum
        2010 election produced a hung parliament, thus the coalition. Compromises of both parties’ policies for stabilisation following global economic crisis.
        
        Turnout of 41%, 67.9% against.
      - Response to national crises
        
        Coronavirus Pandemic
        Early stages of governemnt response were limited as times were so uncertain as to how deadly the virus was.
        
        Advised against overseas travel, and recommended more rigours hand-washing routines.
        
        Then governemtn policy became more extensive, Coronavirus Act 2020.
      - Mounting pressure from the public and media
        
        Climate Change policy
        Pressure groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Greta Thunberg school strike. Signatory to international agreements as well as domestic policy by pledging almost zero emissions by 2050, in 2019.
- - - - Patronage
        Taking over from Cameron in 2016, May removed 15 ministers including the chancellor George Osborne.
        
        Improtant to maintain balance in terms of diversity but policy positions (Theresa May Leave and Remainers)
        
        Too many reshuffles make the leader look difficult to work with.
        
        Ex-ministers can be damaging on the backbenches or their esignation speeches (Howe on Thatcher- ‘Sending opening batsmen tot he crease, only to find… their bats have been broken by the team captain’ comparing attitudes to negotiating Europe.)
        
        Thatcher demoted Howe in 1989, with subsequent resignation triggering a leadership challenge, leading to her downfall.
        
        Coalition government, Cameron conceded five posts to the Lib Dems.
      - Authority over Cabinet
        
        Dictate when and where they meet.
        DEcide the agenda and formally chair the meetings.
        
        Agreement is not automatic.
        
        Depends on personalities, issues and wider poltiical context.
        
        Tony Blair could never convince Gordon Brown to adopt the euro.
        
        All members of cabinet need to support decisions or must resign (collective responsibility)
      - Cabinet Committees
        Most decisions made formerly by cabinet are effectively made in advance by cabinet committees, reducing th burden on cabinet, with groups of ministers take on specific policy area.
        
        Johnson created four more implementation committees in response to the pandemic.
        
        Effectiveness down to ministers. Often,committees are created bot reflect current concerns.
        
        Just because they exist does not mean they are important.
        Helpful during coalition to ensure government-wide consensus, but not economic committees as George Osbounre ‘did not really believe in cabinet committees’
      - DIctating Policy Priorities
        
        Especially the for those with strong majorities, such as Blair’s modernisation of institutions, and Thatcher’s privatisation and reducing power of trade unions.
        
        Still bound by manifesto and unfolding events.
    - - Momentum ad poltiical capital from previous election
        Effective communicator and national leader
        Ability to unite their party
      - Thatcher- Falkland War
        Poltiical courage to undertake major military operation, with a large task force quickly assembled and dispatched, resulting in victory, contributing to Thatcher’s own landslide election victory in 1983.
      - Promotes loyalists and marginalises more critical voters in the attempt for poltiical capital.
    - - Opinion poll ratings
        Personalities in their cabinet.
        Potential leadership
        Threat and strength of opposition.
- - - - Boris Johnson on the Northern Irish border and gloomy economic forecasts being overdramatised.
      - My decided not to discipline as he would be more troublesome as a backbencher.
  - - - Integrity
        
        Selflessness
        
        Objectivity
        
        Accountability
        
        Openness
        
        Honesty
        
        Leadership
      - Conservative MP Brooks Newmark left after being exposed as sending explicit images to an undercover reporter.
        
        Not as much having an affair or making unwanted sexual advances but caught outlying or abusing their position of seniority.
      - Priti Patel and Unauthorised meetings
        Forced to quit in 2017 after 14 unofficial meetings with Israeli ministers, businesspeople and a senior lobbyist.
        However, not fully excluded as she was appointed as Home Secretary by Johnson in 2019.