Prime Minister & Cabinet: Case Studies
Political Studies: Edexcel A Level, topic 10.3.7
Pre-1997 Prime Ministers
The power of the prime minister and cabinet, and their relationship, changes depending on the prime minister at the time, as seen through studies into Margaret Thatcher and John Major.
Margaret Thatcher and cabinet
- Thatcher had power for much of her time as PM when she had a large majority from the electorate and was popular among voters meaning she was a powerful PM with influence over the cabinet.
- Thatcher targeted ministers she viewed as weak, calling them ‘wet’ and choosing to sack many ministers who opposed her.
- Francis Pym, the Foreign Secretary, was sacked in 1983.
- A lack of support from cabinet colleagues weakened Thatcher’s power and brought an end to her time as prime minister.
Thatcher's policy control
- Margaret Thatcher’s ministers were consulted far less on policy, with ministers not knowing about certain policies until they read about them in newspapers.
- Thatcher had a strong influence over many government policies, such as the ‘poll tax’ and laws over industrial relations.
- Thatcher chose to bypass the cabinet by using cabinet committees to discuss policies.
John Major and cabinet
- John Major had less power and control over his cabinet as prime minister from 1990-1997.
- His power was limited by a small party majority in Parliament after the 1992 general election.
- The cabinet had more power under John Major because he ran the cabinet by seeking cabinet consensus when making important decisions.
Major's weaker policy control
- John Major was seen as slow to make decisions as a leader and unable to make up his mind over key policy issues.
- Cabinet ministers under John Major were able to have greater control over policy than under other prime ministers.
Post-1997 Prime Ministers
The power of the prime minister and cabinet, and their relationship, changes depending on the prime minister at the time, as seen through studies into Tony Blair and David Cameron.
Tony Blair and cabinet meetings
- Tony Blair downgraded cabinet meetings, choosing to take part in smaller meetings with ministers outside of the cabinet and meetings with his special advisers.
- Tony Blair reduced the length of meetings from two hours to 45 minutes.
Blair's policy control
- Tony Blair made policy decisions on key issues without consulting his cabinet.
- Blair informed the cabinet over the decision to transfer exchange rates to the Bank of England.
- Blair took personal control over departmental parliament affairs.
- Tony Blair took control over the Northern Ireland peace process.
Blair's personal leadership
- Tony Blair aimed to create more focus on his personality and personal leadership than on cabinet.
- Tony Blair focused heavily on using the media, particularly for strong communication as part of the campaign.
- Blair insisted that all contact with media by ministers was cleared with his office in advance.
David Cameron's coalition
- David Cameron's coalition government saw more power for the cabinet, as Cameron had to seek Liberal Democrat agreement over key policies.
- David Cameron was prevented from introducing tougher policies on people cheating the welfare benefits system because he required consensus from the Liberal Democrats in his cabinet.
- The 2010 cabinet after the general election included five Liberal Democrat MPs, including Vince Cable, Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander, who limited David Cameron’s power as PM.
Test yourself on Prime Minister & Cabinet: Case Studies
Which of these statements are true about Thatcher's policy control?
Which of these are features of Tony Blair's leadership?