Start Here – PM & Cabinet

The Prime Minister is the most visible and well known politician in the UK. The powers of the Prime Minister have evolved over time, much like the office itself. Whilst in our constitutional monarchy and parliamentary government the monarch retains powers in theory, it is the Prime Minister who exercises them in practice. The Prime Minister has inherited the powers of the monarch, known as the royal prerogative (for example, the power to declare war, make treaties, control the armed forces, and the use of emergency powers). He also has the power to appoint (the power of patronage) within the Church of England, senior judges, civil servants and cabinet ministers – an incredibly powerful tool, and one that allows him to also remove those he, or a previous PM, has appointed. In addition to this, the Prime Minister has certain powers that are as a result of him being the leader of the majority party in the Commons including a legislative majority (most of the time!) making key appointments within government, a degree of party loyalty from his members and control of the parliamentary timetable to allow him to pursue a programme outlined in the Queen’s Speech, or his party’s manifesto.

Whilst the Prime Minister appears powerful due to the wide range of powers he is able to exercise there are limitations to these powers, namely his cabinet and party – if there are divisions and disagreements, these will undermine the Prime Minister, and in extreme cases can result in him losing his job – this happened in 1979 when PM James Callaghan lost a vote of no confidence in his government which forced a general election, that was eventually won by Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher was later a victim of a lack of confidence in her abilities when she was challenged for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 1989 by the little-known 69-year-old backbencher MP Sir Anthony Meyer. Although Thatcher won the election – it served as a reminder that Prime Ministers rely on the support of their cabinet and their party, and therefore relationships with both are extremely important.

Traditionally, commentators and political scientists have focused on the relationship between the Prime Minister and the Cabinet in UK politics. This relationship is highlighted regularly in the newspaper headlines and by political analysts on radio and television. It is indisputable that this relationship is important, and therefore that you need to understand the roles and powers of both the PM and cabinet ministers, as well as the dynamics of the relationship between them.

However, the relationships of the executive branch are more complex than they may first appear. The executive branch is not made up of the Prime Minister can cabinet alone but it is, in fact, a network of individuals, offices and even process that are constantly evolving and changing – this is known as the core executive. For example, some of the main bodies that make up the core executive would be the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Cabinet, the Cabinet Office, cabinet committees, security and intelligence services, the Treasury, the Foreign Office, bilateral meetings between ministers, or the PM and a minister, certain civil servants, in addition to a variety of less formal ministerial ‘clubs’ or meetings. It is only when we identify the broad range of actors within the executive that we can begin to understand the roles, powers and complex relationships between them.