The structure, role, and powers of the Executive
Definitions
Executive: the decision-making branch of government, centred on the prime minister and
Cabinet and its committees.
Prime Minister: the head of government (but not head of state)
Cabinet: the group of senior ministers, chaired by the prime minister, which is the main
collective decision-making body in the government
Prime Minister
The prime minister is head of the executive and holds final decision-making power.
The prime minister is expected to lead the executive by determining government policy
and making decisions on major national issues.
The prime minister has the following roles:
1. To appoint government ministers to a cabinet
2. To direct and influence government policy- this includes all areas of policy, but is usually
focused on the main areas of economics and foreign policy
3. To manage the cabinet, for example deciding when and how long to meet for and setting the
agenda for discussion
4. To organise the government, for example government departments and how they are set up
5. To control Parliament (by having a majority in the Commons)
6. To provide leadership, for example in response to major events
Cabinet
The cabinet is formed from the prime minister and senior ministers of the government,
appointed by the prime minister.
The senior ministers in the cabinet lead the government departments and consult the
prime minister on formulating policy.
The cabinet meets weekly to discuss key government issues.
Ministers
Oversee the work of, and run, the various government departments. They work with civil
servants, who are not in the cabinet (although very senior and experienced civil servants
may be asked to attend cabinet meetings).
Secretaries of state are the most senior ministers, followed by ministers of state (who are
not in the cabinet),
Parliamentary under-secretaries of state (often referred to as junior ministers),
Parliamentary private secretaries (PPSs), who are not paid for this role, but work with more
senior ministers. PPSs are not members of the government but would vote with the
government when it comes to legislation- this is part of the so-called ‘payroll vote’.
Junior minister
Support senior minister in their department, may stand in for senior minister in parliament.
Usually in charge of specific area with in department.
, Civil servant
Work with ministers to implement government policy.
They are permanent (their position does not change with governments), neutral (expected
to be loyal to whatever party is in power) and anonymous (they are not known publically, as
they are not ultimately responsible for policy).
Although in practice, there were concerns in the past that the civil service had too much
power. It was argued that ministers would only make a few policy decisions, and relied
heavily on civil servants for advice and information. They were also thought to be possibly
politically biased in favour of the Conservative Party. Therefore, efforts have been made to
provide ministers with alternative sources of information, from example independent
advisers and think-tanks. It is now argued that maybe the civil service has too little power.
Roles of the executive
Proposing legislation-The executive introduces proposals for new laws, or amendments to
existing laws. It announces a new programme at the start of each parliamentary session in
the Queen’s speech
Proposing budget- The government needs to raise revenue in order to fund public services
and to meet its spending priorities. Has to be approved by cabinet and then the commons
who may insist on amending details
Making policy decision
Main powers of the executive
Royal prerogative
The royal prerogative is the monarch’s powers which the prime minister or cabinet
exercise.
Prerogative powers which relate to the judicial system include legal pardons and reducing
offenders’ sentence lengths.
The executive has prerogative powers to deploy the army, grant honours and use
prerogative emergency powers so they can act decisively during times of emergency.
Examples:
In 2018 PM Theresa May sent British fighter jets to carry out airstrikes on Syria in
response to the regime’s use of chemical weapons without Parliament’s approval.
In 2018 PM Theresa May appointed new members to the House of Lords, including
former Conservative minister Eric Pickles.
After the London Bridge terror attack and an explosion on a tube train in 2017, PM
Theresa May used prerogative emergency powers to raise the UK’s terror threat level to
critical.
Two powers have been abolished or reformed:
Both Gordon Brown’s Labour government (2007–10) and the coalition government (2010–15) were
open to the idea of placing some prerogative powers under parliamentary authority.
The 2011 Fixed Term Parliaments Act removed the right of the prime minister to determine
the date of the general election.
Since the parliamentary debate on the Iraq War in 2003, and the 2013 debate on air strikes
in Syria, governments have accepted that military action requires prior parliamentary
approval. In case of an emergency, the government retains the right to deploy troops and
then to secure approval afterwards.
Definitions
Executive: the decision-making branch of government, centred on the prime minister and
Cabinet and its committees.
Prime Minister: the head of government (but not head of state)
Cabinet: the group of senior ministers, chaired by the prime minister, which is the main
collective decision-making body in the government
Prime Minister
The prime minister is head of the executive and holds final decision-making power.
The prime minister is expected to lead the executive by determining government policy
and making decisions on major national issues.
The prime minister has the following roles:
1. To appoint government ministers to a cabinet
2. To direct and influence government policy- this includes all areas of policy, but is usually
focused on the main areas of economics and foreign policy
3. To manage the cabinet, for example deciding when and how long to meet for and setting the
agenda for discussion
4. To organise the government, for example government departments and how they are set up
5. To control Parliament (by having a majority in the Commons)
6. To provide leadership, for example in response to major events
Cabinet
The cabinet is formed from the prime minister and senior ministers of the government,
appointed by the prime minister.
The senior ministers in the cabinet lead the government departments and consult the
prime minister on formulating policy.
The cabinet meets weekly to discuss key government issues.
Ministers
Oversee the work of, and run, the various government departments. They work with civil
servants, who are not in the cabinet (although very senior and experienced civil servants
may be asked to attend cabinet meetings).
Secretaries of state are the most senior ministers, followed by ministers of state (who are
not in the cabinet),
Parliamentary under-secretaries of state (often referred to as junior ministers),
Parliamentary private secretaries (PPSs), who are not paid for this role, but work with more
senior ministers. PPSs are not members of the government but would vote with the
government when it comes to legislation- this is part of the so-called ‘payroll vote’.
Junior minister
Support senior minister in their department, may stand in for senior minister in parliament.
Usually in charge of specific area with in department.
, Civil servant
Work with ministers to implement government policy.
They are permanent (their position does not change with governments), neutral (expected
to be loyal to whatever party is in power) and anonymous (they are not known publically, as
they are not ultimately responsible for policy).
Although in practice, there were concerns in the past that the civil service had too much
power. It was argued that ministers would only make a few policy decisions, and relied
heavily on civil servants for advice and information. They were also thought to be possibly
politically biased in favour of the Conservative Party. Therefore, efforts have been made to
provide ministers with alternative sources of information, from example independent
advisers and think-tanks. It is now argued that maybe the civil service has too little power.
Roles of the executive
Proposing legislation-The executive introduces proposals for new laws, or amendments to
existing laws. It announces a new programme at the start of each parliamentary session in
the Queen’s speech
Proposing budget- The government needs to raise revenue in order to fund public services
and to meet its spending priorities. Has to be approved by cabinet and then the commons
who may insist on amending details
Making policy decision
Main powers of the executive
Royal prerogative
The royal prerogative is the monarch’s powers which the prime minister or cabinet
exercise.
Prerogative powers which relate to the judicial system include legal pardons and reducing
offenders’ sentence lengths.
The executive has prerogative powers to deploy the army, grant honours and use
prerogative emergency powers so they can act decisively during times of emergency.
Examples:
In 2018 PM Theresa May sent British fighter jets to carry out airstrikes on Syria in
response to the regime’s use of chemical weapons without Parliament’s approval.
In 2018 PM Theresa May appointed new members to the House of Lords, including
former Conservative minister Eric Pickles.
After the London Bridge terror attack and an explosion on a tube train in 2017, PM
Theresa May used prerogative emergency powers to raise the UK’s terror threat level to
critical.
Two powers have been abolished or reformed:
Both Gordon Brown’s Labour government (2007–10) and the coalition government (2010–15) were
open to the idea of placing some prerogative powers under parliamentary authority.
The 2011 Fixed Term Parliaments Act removed the right of the prime minister to determine
the date of the general election.
Since the parliamentary debate on the Iraq War in 2003, and the 2013 debate on air strikes
in Syria, governments have accepted that military action requires prior parliamentary
approval. In case of an emergency, the government retains the right to deploy troops and
then to secure approval afterwards.
