Lecture 6 Prime Minister, Cabinet and Core Executive

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Lecture 6Prime Minister, Cabinetand Core
Executive

• Dr Tom Quinn
• GV204 The New British Politics
• 11 November 2008

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Executive-Legislative Relations in the UK (1)

• Dominance of UK executive over legislature
• Govt emerges from responsible to parliament
• Govt members sit in parliament (MPs Peers)
• Govt ( executive) PM/Cabinet junior
  ministers
• Fusion of executive and legislative power
• NB Presidential systems separation of executive
  legislature
• 2-party system single party majority Govt,
  strong party cohesion ? strong executive

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Executive-Legislative Relations in the UK (2)

• Cabinet efficient secret of British
  constitution (Bagehot)
• Buckle between executive legislature
• Efficient (functional) vs dignified (symbolic)
  parts of constitution
• Bagehot Monarchy dignified Cabinet
  efficient
• Key relationship between Govt Front Bench Govt
  Backbench MPs
• Opposition ignored if Govt has a majority
• Opposition important if Govt Backbench rebels
  vote with it

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The Prime Minister

• No constitutionally enshrined role
• Head of Govt national leader (not Head of State)
• Usually leader of largest party in Commons
• Appointed by Monarch (convention)
• Appoints Govt (patronage powers)
• Formally primus inter pares
• Decides policy direction of Govt (but intra-party
  constraints)
• Held to account in Commons at PMQ

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The Cabinet

• 20-23 members (mainly MPs, some Peers)
• Head Dept or Ministry officially responsible
• 3 main ministries Treasury, FCO, Home Office
• Not a voting body no majority rule
• Overview of policy no longer decision-making
  body
• Meetings lasted 30-45 mins under Blair
• Cabinet now a dignified part of constitution?
• Collective responsibility
• 1975 EEC Referendum
• Cabinet committees
• More reliance now on bilateral meetings and task
  forces

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The PMs Office

• Source of advice separate from civil service
• c.100 staff (1/3 senior officials and advisors)
• Policy Directorate
• Coordinates with Depts to implement policy let
  them know what No 10 wants
• Delivery Unit (in Cabinet Office)
• Ensures Depts deliver on Govt pledges
• Oversees Public Service Agreements with Depts
• Directorate of Communications and Strategy
• Spin doctors media relations (e.g. A. Campbell)

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The Cabinet Office

• Headed by Cabinet Secretary
• Coordinates work of Depts
• Important units in Cabinet Office
• Delivery Unit, Performance Innovation Unit
  (efficiencies)
• Cabinet Office coordinates with PMs Office
• Together a PMs Dept in all but name?
• Cabinet Office not powerful unless backed by PM
• Little bargaining power with Depts
  persuades/coordinates
• Less power over Depts than Treasury
• Chancellor bilateral meetings with ministers
• Institutionalised in Comprehensive Spending
  Review 3-year forward planned spending
  commitments drawn up with Depts

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Classic Debate Cabinet Govt vs Prime Ministerial
Govt (1)

• Prime Ministerial Government
• Power of patronage
• No constitutional limits to PMs power
• Control of cabinet agenda
• PM represents UK in internat. meetings
• Govts links with media go through No 10
• New debate Presidential Govt?

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Classic Debate Cabinet Govt vs Prime Ministerial
Govt (2)

• Cabinet Government
• One person cant control everything in Govt
• Factional balance in party
• Big beasts powerful rivals
• Power of ministerial resignation
• Can harm PM undermine his/her authority
• Thatcher Lawson (1989) Howe (1990)
• PM must have support of senior colleagues
• Thatcher lost ministerial support in 1990

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Prime Ministerial Style (1)

• Post of PM often what incumbent makes it
• Thatcher domineering, strong leadership
• But sought left/right balance (early on)
• Allowed big beasts in Cabinet
• Bounced into ERM decision by Chancellor Lawson
• Major consensual, collegial ? ditherer?
• Constrained by small parliamentary majority
• Forced to balance Europhiles and Eurosceptics
• Clarke/Heseltine vs Portillo/Redwood

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Prime Ministerial Style (2)

• PM Blair strong leadership, sofa Govt
• More emphasis on media relations
• Blair presidential but checks balances
• Chancellor Brown powerful Treasury
• EU single currency
• Public-service reform
• Deputy PM Prescott

• PM Brown
• Initially few constraints
• No powerful Treasury
• Kitchen cabinet
• Damaged by events
• Election that never was
• 10p tax row
• Plummeting poll figures
• Constrained by Blairites
• E.g. David Miliband

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New Debate The Core Executive

• Collegial executive in UK
• Core executive coordinates, directs, implements
  Govt policy and strategy
• the UK core executive may be defined as
  Cabinet (incl. the Prime Minister), Cabinet
  committees, the Cabinet Office, the Prime
  Ministers Office, parts of the Treasury, the
  major government law offices and those central
  elements engaged in managing the governing
  partys parliamentary support base. Ian
  Holliday, in Dunleavy et al., Developments in
  British Politics 6, p.89
• Core executive goes beyond PM Cabinet
• Recent research focuses on power relations within
  core executive rather than old debates about PM
  or Cabinet dominance

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The Core Executive in the UK
Core Executive Centre (black dark grey
inner circles)
Governing party in parliament
Media
Senior military security
chiefs
Executive agencies
Whips, House Leaders
PMs Office
Law officers
Cabinet Office
PM Cabinet
Special advisors
Treasury
Cabinet Committees
Permanent Secretaries
Secretaries of State, Ministers
Local Govt
Interest groups
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Core Executive Resources Exchange

• PM just one powerful actor among many
• E.g. importance of Treasury
• Process of political exchange (bargaining)
• PM mobilises support to implement major decisions
• PM uses resources (authority, patronage, etc.) to
  bargain with ministers, who have their own
  resources (authority, support, policy networks)
• Political context important
• PM more powerful if Govt popular, policy
  successes, strong economy, big majority in House
• Reading M. J. Smith, The Core Executive in
  Britain (Palgrave, 1999), ch. 4

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Conclusion

• Old debates about PM vs Cabinet Govt unresolved
• Core executive debate more promising
  acknowledges that power fluctuates
• Realisation that PM (and ministers) cant just
  make things happen on their own
• Need support of other actors (more on this point
  next week)