Prime Minister & Executive (Edexcel A Level Politics): Flashcards
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Define the executive.
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Cards in this collection (69)
Define the executive.
The executive is the branch of government responsible for running the country and making policy.
Who heads the UK executive as Head of Government?
The Prime Minister heads the executive as Head of Government, responsible for its overall direction.
Define junior ministers.
Junior ministers ensure departments function daily, manage detailed policy work, answer questions in Parliament and support Cabinet ministers.
Senior ministers in charge of major government departments are known as .
Senior ministers in charge of major government departments are known as Cabinet ministers.
What does the Public Order Act 2023 show about the executive's role in legislation?
It shows that the executive proposes most legislation and controls the parliamentary timetable, as when the Sunak government passed the Public Order Act 2023.
Who presents the annual Budget to Parliament?
The Chancellor presents the annual Budget, outlining spending, taxation and borrowing plans.
Define royal prerogative powers.
Royal prerogative powers are historic powers exercised by ministers on behalf of the Monarch, allowing the executive to act without parliamentary approval.
In 2021, the UK deployed forces for the Afghanistan evacuation under PM Johnson without , using royal prerogative powers.
In 2021, the UK deployed forces for the Afghanistan evacuation under PM Johnson without a prior parliamentary vote, using royal prerogative powers.
True or False?
The executive can create policy only by passing new legislation.
False.
The executive can also make policy within departments, such as Johnson's Covid-19 furlough scheme.
Which executive power did Sunak exercise by signing the Windsor Framework?
He exercised the executive's power over foreign affairs, negotiating international agreements such as the Windsor Framework with the EU.
Which executive role did Johnson's COBRA meetings during Covid-19 demonstrate?
They demonstrated the executive's crisis management role, coordinating rapid national responses such as lockdowns during Covid-19.
Define patronage as an executive power.
Patronage is the Prime Minister's power to reward loyalty with promotions, as seen in Johnson's 2021 promotion of Nadine Dorries.
Define ministerial responsibility.
Ministerial responsibility refers to the constitutional conventions that make ministers accountable to Parliament for their actions and decisions.
What are the two forms of ministerial responsibility?
The two forms are Individual Ministerial Responsibility (IMR) and Collective Ministerial Responsibility (CMR).
Define Individual Ministerial Responsibility (IMR).
IMR is the convention that ministers are accountable for their personal conduct and for the actions and performance of their department.
Define Collective Ministerial Responsibility (CMR).
CMR is the convention that all ministers must publicly support government decisions, which are binding on every member of the government.
Which principles of public life are ministers expected to uphold under IMR?
Ministers are expected to uphold the Nolan Principles, including integrity and accountability.
The seven Nolan Principles are selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and .
The seven Nolan Principles are selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
Why did Matt Hancock resign in 2021?
Hancock resigned after CCTV showed him breaching his department's Covid-19 social distancing rules, an act of personal misconduct.
What convention did Sunak enforce by dismissing Suella Braverman in 2023?
He enforced Collective Ministerial Responsibility, dismissing Braverman after she publicly contradicted government policy in an unauthorised article.
True or False?
Gavin Williamson resigned over the 2020 exam algorithm that downgraded students.
False.
Williamson did not resign over the 2020 departmental failure; he resigned in 2022 following allegations of personal misconduct.
True or False?
CMR tends to be enforced more consistently than IMR.
True.
CMR tends to be enforced more consistently than IMR, which is applied inconsistently.
Under CMR, what are ministers who cannot support a Cabinet decision expected to do?
They are expected to resign rather than publicly oppose the decision.
Define the Cabinet.
The Cabinet is a committee of senior ministers, usually around 20–25, chaired by the Prime Minister, and is the central decision-making body of the UK executive.
The Cabinet usually contains around senior ministers, chaired by the Prime Minister.
The Cabinet usually contains around 20–25 senior ministers, chaired by the Prime Minister.
Name one way the Prime Minister controls the Cabinet.
The Prime Minister appoints and dismisses ministers, chairs meetings, sets the agenda and determines Cabinet committees.
Why did Sunak appoint Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor in 2022?
Sunak appointed Hunt as a stabilising and loyal figure.
Define balancing party factions in Cabinet selection.
Balancing party factions means appointing ministers from different ideological strands of the governing party to prevent rebellions and leadership challenges.
Why do Prime Ministers consider representational diversity when choosing the Cabinet?
PMs aim to make the Cabinet appear representative in gender, ethnicity and background, e.g. Heidi Alexander's 2024 appointment made it entirely state-school educated for the first time.
Define a presidential style of prime ministerial leadership.
A presidential style is where the Prime Minister relies on informal decision-making and advisers rather than full Cabinet discussion, as with Blair's sofa government.
The PM's power of makes Cabinet ministers reluctant to challenge decisions, since they depend on the PM to appoint and dismiss them.
The PM's power of patronage makes Cabinet ministers reluctant to challenge decisions, since they depend on the PM to appoint and dismiss them.
What can an external crisis do to a Prime Minister's control of the Cabinet?
An external crisis can cause Cabinet breakdown and erode a Prime Minister's authority, as Truss's 2022 mini-budget did.
True or False?
A united party and large majority strengthen the Prime Minister's dominance over the Cabinet.
True.
Party unity and a large majority strengthen PM dominance, while division or minority status increases Cabinet influence.
Give one example of the Cabinet forcing a change of policy.
Cameron dropped disability benefit cuts (2016) and Starmer modified the two-child benefit cap (2025) after Cabinet opposition.
True or False?
PMs never bypass the Cabinet, so it always makes the key decisions.
False.
PMs can bypass the Cabinet using informal groups or advisers, such as Blair's sofa government and Johnson's reliance on Dominic Cummings.
What do the Prime Minister case studies illustrate?
They illustrate how prime ministerial power varies in practice, depending on leadership style, political context, party unity and external events.
What was the overall aim of Margaret Thatcher's economic approach?
Thatcher aimed to roll back the state and promote market-based economics, privatising industries such as gas and telecoms and cutting income tax.
Define the Right to Buy scheme.
Right to Buy was a scheme Thatcher used to promote home ownership.
Thatcher pursued economics, cutting the basic rate of income tax from 33% to 25%.
Thatcher pursued supply-side economics, cutting the basic rate of income tax from 33% to 25%.
Name one industry Thatcher privatised.
Thatcher privatised major industries including gas, telecoms and steel.
Define the poll tax.
The poll tax (1989–90) was a flat-rate local tax charged regardless of income, which proved deeply unpopular and sparked mass protests.
What was Thatcher's 1989 'night of the long knives'?
It was a reshuffle Thatcher used to remove dissenters from her Cabinet.
True or False?
Thatcher governed through a consensual, collective Cabinet style.
False.
Thatcher exercised strong centralised control and a presidential style, pushing policies through despite Cabinet opposition.
What ultimately contributed to Thatcher's removal from office?
Cabinet opposition ultimately contributed to her removal.
Thatcher's handling of the 1984–85 strike led to violent clashes, arrests and prosecutions.
Thatcher's handling of the 1984–85 miners' strike led to violent clashes, arrests and prosecutions.
True or False?
Under Thatcher, inflation fell compared with the 1970s.
True.
Inflation fell compared with the 1970s, one of the achievements of her governments.
Define New Labour.
New Labour was the modernised Labour movement led by Tony Blair, who updated the role of the Prime Minister.
What impact did the 2003 Iraq War have on Tony Blair's party?
It divided the Labour Party and damaged Blair's authority, with 139 Labour MPs opposing the war.
True or False?
Blair often bypassed full Cabinet discussion in favour of a centralised core executive.
True.
Blair often bypassed full Cabinet, relying on a centralised core executive, bilateral meetings, advisers and media spin.
Define austerity as used by the Cameron government.
Austerity was Cameron's policy of cutting public spending in response to the financial crisis.
Under Cameron, cut the budget deficit from 10% of GDP in 2010 to 4% in 2015.
Under Cameron, austerity cut the budget deficit from 10% of GDP in 2010 to 4% in 2015.
What does Cameron's reliance on The Quad reveal about coalition government?
It reveals that coalition government weakened prime ministerial power, forcing reliance on informal groups such as The Quad rather than the full Cabinet.
Name one of Sunak's five priorities as Prime Minister.
One priority was halving inflation, alongside growing the economy, cutting debt, reducing NHS waiting lists and stopping the boats.
Why did Sunak bring back David Cameron as Foreign Secretary?
Sunak used reshuffles to restore stability, bringing back experienced figures such as David Cameron as Foreign Secretary.
True or False?
Sunak led the Conservatives to victory in the 2024 general election.
False.
The Conservatives suffered a landslide defeat in the 2024 general election.
What leadership style has Keir Starmer adopted since becoming PM in 2024?
Starmer has adopted a moderate, collective style, making greater use of traditional Cabinet channels rather than sofa government.
Starmer's Act, creating a publicly owned energy company, received royal assent in May 2025.
Starmer's Great British Energy Act, creating a publicly owned energy company, received royal assent in May 2025.
Give one failure of Starmer's government up to the end of 2025.
Failures included U-turns on winter fuel payments, Cabinet resignations and 2025 Budget controversy.
Define prime ministerial power.
Prime ministerial power is the Prime Minister's ability to dominate decision-making, control the Cabinet and executive, shape policy outcomes and act independently of constraints.
Do all Prime Ministers hold the same formal powers?
All Prime Ministers hold the same formal powers, but the extent of that power varies with political context and leadership style.
Define patronage powers.
Patronage powers allow the Prime Minister to appoint and dismiss ministers, reshuffle the Cabinet and create or abolish departments, enforcing loyalty.
Can a Prime Minister bypass the full Cabinet when making key decisions?
Yes. Modern PMs increasingly rely on informal decision-making rather than full Cabinet discussion, as when lockdown decisions were taken by the Cabinet Committee COVID-O.
In 2024, Sunak used royal prerogative powers to authorise air strikes on Yemen without .
In 2024, Sunak used royal prerogative powers to authorise air strikes on Yemen without parliamentary approval.
Define royal prerogative powers.
Royal prerogative powers are historic executive powers that let the Prime Minister deploy armed forces, sign treaties and exercise authority without parliamentary approval.
True or False?
The Prime Minister's power is absolute rather than conditional.
False.
Prime ministerial power is conditional rather than absolute, constrained by the Cabinet, party unity, Parliament, public opinion, elections and external events.
What forced Boris Johnson to resign in 2022?
Johnson resigned after mass ministerial resignations, showing that the Cabinet can constrain the Prime Minister.
Define sofa government.
Sofa government is informal decision-making by the Prime Minister and close advisers rather than full Cabinet discussion, a style associated with Tony Blair.
Which constraint on the Prime Minister did Sunak's struggle to pass the Rwanda Bill illustrate?
It illustrated parliamentary sovereignty, as legislation must still pass through Parliament, limiting the Prime Minister's ability to act unilaterally.
True or False?
Cameron's coalition government strengthened his prime ministerial power.
False.
The coalition reduced Cameron's power, forcing negotiation with the Liberal Democrats and reliance on The Quad.
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