The Prime Minister’s Sources of Power

Appointment and Patronage

The prime minister is responsible for the selection of cabinet and non-cabinet minister. As mentioned above, this is one of the first tasks that the prime minister has to undertake. Furthermore, throughout their time in office prime ministers periodically promote and dismiss ministers, as well as dealing with vacancies arising from ministerial resignations. This power is significant in the sense that ambitious backbench MPs know that their careers will depend to a large extent on their loyalty to the government and ultimately to the prime minister. Within government, ministers appreciate that future promotion may also depend on the loyalty they display. The prime minister also has the power to appoint people outside the government. The appointment of the chair of the BBC is subject to the ultimate agreement of the prime minister. In addition, hundreds of places on government-appointed quangos are, ultimately, in the gift of the prime minister. Until recently, the prime minister was also responsible for the appointment of new members of the House of Lords. At the moment an independent appointments body oversees this process, but the prime minister still has some control over a number of appointments, as well as appointments to the body itself.

The Royal Prerogative

Most of the powers that are exercised by the prime minister derive from the royal prerogative – powers that have traditionally been dispensed by the monarch. As time has gone by, these powers have effectively moved into the hands of the prime minister. Officially, it is the monarch who dissolves Parliament, which then forces a general election. In practice, however, the prime minister asks for a dissolution of Parliament when he or she wants a general election to be held. Another power derived from the royal prerogative is the power to declare war. Although it is done in the name of the monarch, this decision is usually taken by the prime minister. Interestingly, in the case of the war in Iraq in 2003, Tony Blair took the issue to a debate in the House of Commons for a decision to be made. Even before he became prime minister, Gordon Brown indicated that Parliament should be consulted before any future commitment to go to war.

Majority

The prime minister commands a majority of MPs in the House of Commons. It may be argued that the bigger the majority, the greater the power. It is interesting to contrast the premiership of John Major, who for most of his time in office had a small or no Commons majority, with that of his predecessor Margaret Thatcher, or his successor Tony Blair. A majority in Parliament enables the prime minister to get most if not all legislation through the Commons. Despite the numerous backbench revolts, Tony Blair did not suffer a single Commons defeat between 1997 and 2005.

Party

Since the mid-1960s, all prime ministers have been elected leaders of their political parties. The parties have different systems for choosing their leaders, but ultimately it is the party that can get rid of them. Parties normally remain loyal to their leaders, but if events dictate, this loyalty can disappear. Margaret thatcher was forced out because the Parliamentary Conservative Party, who at that time decided the leadership issue, failed to support her in sufficient numbers when she was challenged for the position by Michael Heseltine.

Personality

In an age when the media concentrate heavily on the personalities of politicians, the focus of attention is often on the leaders of the major political parties, and in particular on the prime minister. During the general election campaigns of 1997 and 2001, much emphasis was placed on Tony Blair himself. His face appeared prominently on the cover of Labour party manifesto in both of these general elections. A leader who can display a strong and popular personality, coupled with the other factors mentioned above, can prove to be a powerful holder of the office. It could be argued that one of the main problems faced by Gordon Brown has been hi inability to project a media image that is attractive to the public.