The role of the Prime Minister
The Prime Minister of the UK (PM) has many functions as the core executive and the powerful figure at the centre of Whitehall according to Kevin Theakston’s ‘How powerful is a coalition prime minister’. This article will explain some of the key roles of the PM and the sources of prime-ministerial power which allow the PM to exercise these functions and make full use of their time at No. 10 Downing Street.
Chief Policy Maker
Though this function is shared with other ministers in the cabinet, the PM is pre-eminent in making government policy. Despite the fact that all policies must have the approval of other bodies, the PM is usually the first instance or the first stage of a policy and can be one of the first to amend the policy before submitting it to the rest of the government.
Head of the Government
The PM is the leader of the Government. Various responsibilities accrue to the PM under this function, including the fact that the PM is effectively the head of civil service. The PM has the power to create new posts and departments as done recently with Theresa May assigning David Davies MP as the Secretary for Exiting the European Union after Brexit, the PM can also abolish these new, or existing posts and departments. The PM can also establish and amalgamate committees and policy units (No. 10 Policy Unit, for example, which was a body of policymakers in 10 Downing Street in the British government. Originally set up to support Harold Wilson in 1974). The PM also chairs cabinet meetings and determines the agenda of the cabinet overall. Lastly, the PM has the ability to appoint ministers into the cabinet, in departments and can also appoint senior judges, senior bishops and archbishops to the Church of England.
Chief Government Spokesperson
As one of the main policy makers, the PM is also expected to be the ultimate source of official policy to the media. She provides the definitive expression of a policy and this interpretation is usually accepted as ‘the final say’. This has also given rise to the illusion that the PM makes all policy; however this is wrong, as he is solely interpreting the policies of other ministers. This interpretation has been given the term: ‘spin’.
Commander-in-Chief
As the monarch is no longer permitted to become involved with such matters except on a purely ceremonial level, the PM has taken over in form of representing the monarch and acting as the Commander-in-Chief on behalf of the Queen. This position concerns the ability to command and direct the armed forces and the power to commit troops to battle and start or engage in warfare. The PM has power to make these decisions alone; however it has become more of a collaborative cooperation of MPs in Parliament, especially following the controversial decisions to engage soldiers in Iraq in 2003 and as instructed by Tony Blair, PM at the time. Nevertheless, the PM has the final say on decisions relating to the army. Some examples also include Margaret Thatcher’s approval to send soldiers to fight the Argentinians in the Falkland Islands and David Cameron’s enforcement, to the Royal Air Force, of a ‘No-Fly Zone’ over Libya at a time when there were armed uprisings in the area. The PM makes these decisions to ensure national security.
Chief Foreign Policy Maker
Acting on behalf of the Queen, the PM can negotiate with foreign powers, sign treaties and even chair international meetings. An example of this can be seen in Tony Blair, who chaired meetings in the G8 group of leading nations and chaired the British Presidency of the EU in 2005 and was a leading role on issues such as global warming and poverty.
Parliamentary Leader
Effectively, the PM is the leader of the governing party (the Conservatives) and has overall control over the Government strategy in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Sources of PM Power
The ruling party – As the leader of the ruling party, they are expected to assume the role of PM. Them being voted as the leader of the party in the first place allows them to have a mandate from the governing party to rule as PM. There is, however, an exception to this; John Major, who took office after Margaret Thatcher, was not the leader of the Conservative party. The coalition has diffused this definition a little, as David Cameron assumed the role of PM with the largest party in Parliament (and after entering coalition with Nick Clegg).
The Royal Prerogative – The powers which are exercised by the PM also originates from the consent of the monarch. The monarch indeed retains, in theory and even in law, the authority to make decisions as the head of state, however as a democracy, the monarch, who is not appointed, should not be able to carry out these functions in reality. Thus, the PM acts on behalf of the monarch in order to carry out these functions.
Popular Mandate – It is undeniable that the electorate, during a general election, are conscious of the fact that they are choosing a PM. This gives the PM an electoral mandate to rule, when winning an election. Research has suggested that the leader of a party is one of the main factors in voting choices, especially in recent years, where the media has followed election campaigns more closely. This does not apply to the PMs who have taken office in between elections, for example, John Major in 1990, Gordon Brown in 2007 and Theresa May in 2016. These PMs, including David Cameron under the coalition, had a weaker mandate or was contested in regards of a popular mandate.
Parliament – The PM is the parliamentary leader who enjoys the support of the House of Commons and can claim to have parliamentary authority. One example of this was Tony Blair, who had accumulated massive support of the electorate, winning the election by far and thus, claimed parliamentary authority.
Other Sources
It can also be added that, on top of the four sources explained above, the PM’s personal qualities allow her to rule or make use of these functions in a particular way. These functions, through a PM’s character, can be converted into more power. Margaret Thatcher, who was nicknamed the ‘Iron Lady’, was able to enhance her authority by dominating the cabinet. This is because she was admired and respected. Tony Blair was also seen as a charismatic figure and thus, enjoyed more authority and power as a result.
The PM effectively acts as the head of state by commanding the army, making and interpreting policies and representing the country in foreign affairs. The PM has conventional sources of power and, in reality, has no legitimate source of rule, as a result of the UK’s uncodified constitution.