The PMs power to appoint and dismiss government ministers, particularly at cabinet level, provides a crucial advantage over colleagues.

The governing party gives its leader a free hand in appointing cabinet ministers.

In theory, PMs can create a cabinet in their own image.

The PM has many powers and roles in the cabinet.

The PM: Chairs cabinet meetings; Manages the agenda of cabinet meetings; Directs and sums up cabinet decisions; Creates cabinet committees and appoints their members; Holds bilateral meetings; Appoints senior civil servants; and Organising the structure of government.

Controlling information presented to ministers by determining which issues and papers should be brought before the cabinet.

The leader of the largest party in the HoC is the PM.

The PM is the main spokesperson for the nation and in many contexts such as international meetings act on behalf of the head of state.

As such he has unique access to the media. The PM's press office holds a key position.

Major acts are first discussed and approved at cabinet level and then sent to parliament for debate and the final decision.

Most of the time this is relatively straightforward due to the PM's party having a Commons majority, but on occasion it is more problematic.

There is usually much discussion and negotiation between different ministers and departments over where and how taxpayers' money is spent.

These decisions are normally announced in the annual budget.

Cabinet can be the forum where arbitration takes place, overseen by the PM.

In times of national emergency the executive is requires quickly and efficiently to put together emergency measures to deal with the threat as best it can, and reassure the public and calm fears.

Many of these situations require swift and crucial cooperation between departments and ministers. For example, the handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

Blair government often accused of preferring a 'sofa government' which is informal chats with 2 or 3 ministers.
Thatcher's styles was often criticised for being intolerant and overbearing; her cabinet was often depicted as being comprised of 'wets' and 'dries', dissenters and supporters, with the wets increasingly marginalised from positions of real influence.
These are examples of how the office of the PM has become more presidential.

Following a growing impatience with their styles of leadership, both Thatcher and Blair were forced out of office due to criticism and divides within their own party.
Loyalty on the backbenches is never guaranteed.
These are both examples of how the role of the PM has not become more presidential.

Recent PMs relying too much on SpAds.
Often colourful figures: Blair's chief of staff and press secretary Alastair Campbell, who said "we don't do God" when Blair was questioned about his Christian faith in an interview.
Clare Short’s resignation speech 2003 said Labour’s problems in their 2nd term of office were partly down to the “centralisation of power in the hands of the Prime Minister and an increasingly small number of advisers who make decisions in private without proper discussion”
Examples of the Pm becoming more presidential.

The power of special advisers remains unclear. The tendency to appoint and listen to them can be the result of a feeling that the civil service is too set in its ways, and often has its own agenda.
The best way for ministers to get along is to work alongside others, listen and liaise, and refuse to be captive of small clique.

For example: Manifesto pledge - Extending free childcare, Theresa May 2017. Conservatives promised to offer working parents of 3 and 4 years olds 30 hours of free childcare a week instead of 15 hours. To increase the number of parents in work who might otherwise not be able to afford the cost of additional childcare. The scheme was rolled out and in operation by September 2017, but only those earning less than £100,000 would be eligible.

For example: Outcome of a referendum - Brexit, David Cameron, 2016. David Cameron promised in 2015 to hold a referendum on the UK’s continued membership of the EU.
This went ahead in 2016, resulting in a 52%-48% victory for those who wanted to leave the EU.
Cameron duly resigned and Theresa May was left with the challenge of implementing this decision.
The referendum result was very unusual as the outcome represented support for a policy that was personally opposed by the PM and a large majority of the MPs.
May pledged to uphold the referendum result.
Her policy-making was the opposite of a ‘conviction’ approach, and largely about democratic duty.

Blair justified Uk involvement on the moral grounds of the removal of weapons of mass destruction and discredited intelligence reports that these could be launched within 45 minutes.

A series of official reports after the war, such as the 2004 report by Lord Butler and the 2016 Chilcot Report, were highly critical of government actions, especially those taken by Blair personally.

The legacy of this successful military venture can be seen in the reluctance of subsequent UK governments to deploy rounds forces in further Middle East conflicts, such as Syria.

Blair's preference for informal 'sofa government' meant there was little by way of informed collective discussion and decision-making.

May reversed her promise not to call a snap election on 18 April 2017, when she announced that she would e calling an early election, effectively challenging Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

May was convinced that she needed her own mandate to push through Britain's exit from the EU following the 2016 referendum.

The outcome of this fatally flawed decision was that although she remained in No.10, the rest of May's premiership was undertaken in straitened circumstances,

The momentum and political capital that comes from leading their party to victory in the previous election, which enables them to persuade and lead more effectively.

Effective management of colleagues both in cabinet and on the backbenches.

Personal qualities as an effective communicator and national leader.

The ability (or otherwise) to unite and rally their own party.

Skill in managing the economy and handling unexpected challenges faced in office.

Opinion poll ratings, and the results of more recent elections such as by-elections and local council elections.

The strength and threat posed by the main opposition party.

Limitations of patronage powers, PMs need to be careful to maintain a balance within the cabinet. E.g. Theresa May had to include both Leave and Remain supporters in her cabinets.
PMs must be careful who and how many they sack from their cabinets. An ex-minister on the backbenches can result in damaging consequences. E.g. Thatcher's demotion of former foreign secretary Geoffrey Howe in 1989 and his subsequent resignation a year later triggered a leadership challenge from another ex-cabinet minister, Michael Heseltine, which would lead to her downfall.

The ability to appoint individuals to key offices. It is arguably one of the most important prerogative powers.

They decide the agenda and formally chair proceedings.

Collective responsibility - Requirement that all members of the cabinet and government must support the PM and government policy in public, enabling a united common front to be presented to the public and the media.

PMs are at liberty to order and structure cabinet committees at whim.

They are partly designed to reduce the burden on the full cabinet by allowing smaller groups of ministers to take decisions on specific policy areas.

A parliamentary majority is vital for a PM to dictate policies.

Manifesto pledges and constrained by unfolding developments.
An economic recession, for example, can easily derail plans to boost public spending or lower taxes.

The Cabinet Office was created in 1916 to provide support for the cabinet system.
Around 2,050 civil servants work in the department. Its role is defined as its 'support the PM and ensure the effective running of government'.

Individual prime ministers often tweak the priorities and roles of the Cabinet Office to reflect current issues. For example, during the coronavirus pandemic, the Cabinet Office set up the Rapid Response Unit to deal with misinformation about the virus by working with social media platforms such as Facebook to block ‘false narratives’.

The PM enjoys additional resources. This usually guarantees that their policies and legislation get through parliament, given the governing party's overall majority.
The leader is elected by their MPs and party members, which confess a strong degree of legitimacy to their authority.

The party can also influence a leader's policy - Conservative rebellions over Europe led David Cameron to promise an in/out referendum on continued EU membership.

As part of their prerogative powers, PMs can award life peerages to former MPs or party supporters. This is often used as a means of altering the balance of the HoL for party advantage.

The practise of awarding honours is a way to reward the loyal and generous but used unwisely can lead to accusations of cronyism and 'cash for honours'.

They are important in helping the leader to dominate their cabinet and government, if only for a limited amount of time.

Enhanced political capital also enables PMs to shift the balance of power and policy positions within their cabinets over time, promoting loyalists and marginalising more critical voices. They must always be careful, though, to avert the creation of an 'echo chamber' in the Cabinet Room and to stay in touch with wider sections of the party.