What is the role of
the Prime Minister?
DO NOW
Read through the editorial from this
Sunday’s Observer newspaper on the
near-term consequences of the
Scottish Referendum. Try to identify:
• any issues relating to democratic
accountability;
• any issues relating to the powers of
Parliament or the Prime Minister.
Highlight or write down any terms
you don’t recognise and/or
understand.
Written tasks to-date
• ‘The parliamentary system in the UK is
significantly undemocratic.’ Discuss. (25)
• Using your own knowledge as well as the
extract, identify and explain two ways in which
MPs in Parliament ‘articulate the interests of
different groups in society to government’.
(10)
Feedback on your first essay
• Read the question – ‘Discuss’ implies
engagement with both sides of a debate
• Key terms should be defined in a way that is
not simply descriptive
• Points should be rather more specific than
they are general and more developed than
superficial
• Use evidence rather than speculation to
support your key points
Feedback on your first essay
• Read the question – ‘Discuss’ implies
engagement with both sides of a debate
• Key terms should be defined in a way that is
not simply descriptive
• Points should be rather more specific than
they are general and more developed than
superficial
• Use evidence rather than speculation to
support your key points
Where we (mostly) are . . .
One thing that makes the UK undemocratic is declining
political participation. The general public has declined its
involvement in politics through elections, etc. Perhaps this
is because the public only gets to vote every four or five
years in the UK while in other countries the public’s
opinion is expressed more often through referendums.
Between 1956 and 2010 voting turnout fell by around
20% from around 85% to around 65%. This could be due
to a number of reasons, but the common reason seems to
be that people don’t feel that their votes or opinions
count. Some people believe it is because politicians have a
‘lack of vision’ and don’t take their jobs seriously. The
media is also to blame for telling the public that politics is
all about ‘hype’.
Where we want to be . . .
Declining political participation is often seen as a evidence of the
UK’s flawed democracy. Voter turnout in general elections has been
in decline since the 1950s. And membership of political parties has
reached a historic low: less than one percent of the population now
belongs to one of the three main national political parties. On both
measures, engagement with politics is closely related to social and
economic status and to age. Wealthier voters, ‘A’ and ‘B’ type
voters, are significantly more likely to vote and—outside of the
Labour Party’s link with the unions—to join a political party. The
same is true of older voters, people over the age of 35. This
suggests that political engagement is a function of people’s level of
investment in society—those that have more of a stake in the social
order, such as middle-aged, middle-class voters, take a more active
role in politics. By contrast, the less well off and the young appear
to see mainstream politics as less relevant to their wellbeing.
Feedback on your first essay
• Read the question – ‘Discuss’ implies
engagement with both sides of a debate
• Key terms should be defined in a way that is
not simply descriptive
• Points should be rather more specific than
they are general and more developed than
superficial
• Use evidence rather than speculation to
support your key points
Learning objectives
• To describe the multiple roles of the British
Prime Minister
• To explain the sources of and limits to the
Prime Minister’s powers
• To evaluate when and why Prime Ministers
have struggled to implement their policies
The UK model of parliamentary
government
Accountability
Executive
(Prime minister &
Cabinet)
Personnel
House of
Commons
Electorate
Legitimacy & Accountability
Accountability
House of
Lords
Supreme
Court
The UK model of parliamentary
government
Accountability
Executive
(Prime minister &
Cabinet)
Personnel
House of
Commons
Electorate
Legitimacy & Accountability
Accountability
House of
Lords
Supreme
Court
The core executive
“The term ‘core executive’ refers to all those organizations and
procedures which coordinate central government politics, and
act as final arbiters of conflict between different parts of the
government. In brief, the core executive is the heart of the
machine, covering the complex web of institutions networks
and practices surrounding the prime minister, cabinet, cabinet
committees and their official counterparts, less formalised
ministerial ‘clubs’ or meetings, bilateral negotiations and
interdepartmental committees. It also includes coordinating
departments, chiefly the Cabinet Office, the Treasury, the
Foreign Office, the law officers and the security and
intelligence services.”
R.A.W. Rhodes (1995)
By Friday, you must . . .
• Read the overview of how civil servants
support government ministers (pp.242-246)
• Research the staffing and key functions of any
one of the following units:
‒ The Prime Minister’s Private Office
‒ The Cabinet Office
‒ The Downing Street Policy Unit
‒ The Treasury
Examination questions, 2011-14
• ‘In theory, but not in practice, the powers of modern
prime ministers are unlimited.’ Discuss. (25)
• ‘In modern times the prime minister, not the Cabinet,
dominates the core executive.’ Discuss. (25)
• Evaluate the factors that can give the prime minister
power over other cabinet members. (25)
• ‘Ministers have considerable power and opportunity to
restrain a prime minister.’ Discuss. (25)
Spot the difference
Prime ministers are . . .
Presidents are . . .
• Heads of government
• Primus inter pares in
Cabinet
• Elected members of
Parliament
• Leaders of the legislature
• Not heads of department
• Heads of government and
heads of state
• Run the Cabinet
• Directly elected
• Outside of the legislature
• Have a personal
department
Has there always been
a Prime Minster?
• Historians generally agree that the first
politician who can be called a prime
minister was Sir Robert Walpole (later the
Earl of Oxford).
• Walpole held office from 1721 to 1742,
under the Hanoverian kings George I and
George II.
• Prior to Walpole’s appointment, monarchs
had generally ruled directly, with a variety
of ministers and other courtiers competing
for their patronage.
• Robert Peel (1841-46) is regarded as the
first politician to function as a modern
prime minster.
• Benjamin Disraeli was the first politician to
use the title Prime Minister (in 1878).
The Prime Minister: roles, responsibilities
and key powers
Role
Description
Key powers
Limitations
Chairperson
The Prime Minister sets the agenda for the Cabinet and, by extension, for
the wider government. (S)He dictates the order or policy meetings and
decides what issues are discussed and when.
• Setting the policy
agenda
• Party
• Public opinion
Chief executive
The Prime Minister appoints ministers, including to Cabinet posts, and
determines how government departments should be organised. They are
also the head of the Civil Service, which implements Government policy.
• Patronage
• Managing the
machinery &
personnel of
government
• Cabinet
• Party
Chief
communicator
The Prime Minister is the face of the Government--particularly in times of
crisis. On issues such as Terrorism or Disasters they are the lead
communicator on behalf of the Government.
• Influencing the
National mood
• Public opinion
Chief legislator
The Prime Minister is the official overall spokesperson for the Government
in Parliament. They answer questions in Parliament and can be decisive in
pushing through legislation.
• Setting the
legislative agenda
• Parliament
• Party
Chief diplomat
As the head of the Government it is the Prime Minister that acts as the face
of Britain Internationally, whether this is at the EU, NATO, UN or other
organisations.
• Declare war
• Sign treaties
• Britain’s
geopolitical and
economic position
What are the sources of Prime
ministerial power?
The PM’s power has evolved gradually as the result of the ASSIMILATION of
the ROYAL PREROGATIVE POWERS. As the Monarch’s power declined, the role
of prime minister developed to fill the vacuum.
Powers exercised
by the PM on
behalf of the
monarch, e.g. to
declare war, make
treaties, control
the civil service,
etc.
Powers that
have emerged
through
convention
Powers based
upon the PM’s
role as leader
of the largest
party in the
HOC.
Case studies in prime ministerial power
. . . and its limits
1) Margaret Thatcher’s attempt to introduce a Community Charge or ‘poll tax’ (1990)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/historic_moments/newsid_8186000/8186443
.stm
2) John Major’s forcing through of the Maastricht Treaty on European Union (1993)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maastricht_Rebels
3) Tony Blair’s attempt to introduce university ‘top-up’ fees (2004)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3434329.stm
4) Gordon Brown’s attempt to impose discipline on his bank benchers in the run-up to the
2010 election
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/6466127/Gordon-Brown-suffers-backbenchrebellions-as-he-struggles-to-control-party.html
5) David Cameron’s attempt to build support for House of Lords’ reform (2012)
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/91-tory-mps-defy-david-cameron-inrebellion-over-house-of-lords-reform-7935694.html
Key questions
1) What ‘role’ was the Prime Minister playing?
2) What were the sources of power (s)he drew
upon?
3) What were the limitations on Prime
Ministerial power?
4) What was the outcome?
5) What lesson can we learn from this case
study?
OTHER RESOURCES
How can MPs articulate the interests
•
•
•
•
•
Asking parliamentary questions
Speaking in the legislative process
Serving on select committees
Lobbying ministers
Becoming recognised spokespeople for
particular causes