Does Britain Have Prime Ministerial Government or a Cabinet Government?

Firstly, the Prime Minister controls a large number of posts which gives him more patronage power. This means that the Prime Minister is responsible for appointing key figures such as the senior judges, the archbishops and bishops of the Church of England, senior military officers, the Governor of the Bank of England, and many others. Sometimes other members of the parliament may appoint these important key posts, but there is a certain amount of Prime Ministerial influence to them.

Secondly, the Cabinet meetings have become less frequent and shorter. This suggests that the Cabinet has lost importance. For instance, in the past the Prime Minister Question sessions were held twice a week for 15 minutes each, but Tony Blair changed it to one half an hour session every Wednesday. This also suggests that few important decisions are made in the Cabinet and most of them are just made by the Prime Minister.

Thirdly, the media presentation which is an important part is now controlled by the government. Also, more programmes can be seen on television regarding the current political affairs which puts the Prime Minister and other politicians into the limelight. Therefore, people now have a greater knowledge of political issues than before.

Also, there has been a growth in policy support for the Prime Minister in recent years. Policy-making is an important factor that takes up a lot of time and needs support. Policy concerning the state of the economy and Britain's place in the world are areas in which all Prime Ministers are involved. However, to carry out their policies they need the support from their Cabinet and the electorate. For example, Blair's Cabinet and the electorate have been divided over the issue of Iraq and unless he has the support of his Cabinet and the electorate he cannot carry out his policies regarding the issue.

Similarly, the European Union also has an effect over the government. This implies that as long as the Prime Minister has the support from the EU he might be able to carry out his policies and dominate the parliament for a longer time. Also, the Prime Minister has become the centre of attention as the importance of foreign policies has increased.

However, some people argue that Britain does not have a Prime Ministerial government. There are several reasons for this argument. These have been discussed below.

Firstly, powerful forces in the Cabinet can limit the power of a Prime Minister. For example, under Margaret Thatcher we experienced Prime Ministerial domination but it was due to her style. Hence, it is not necessary that any other Prime Minister would behave in the same way.

Also, a Prime Minister could be out voted by his Cabinet colleagues. Similarly, a Prime Minister who does not have the support from the backbenchers would not be able to succeed. Thus, we can say that although the Prime Minister seems to be quite dominant, they still have to consult the ministers and the Cabinet for the final decision. Hence, the Cabinet is still quite important and powerful and overall it is usually the Cabinet and not the Prime Minister who makes the final decision.

Overall, I can say that in the recent years especially since the 1997 general election, the argument about the Prime Ministerial government has surfaced once again because of a huge growth in the importance of the Prime Minister's office and the Cabinet office as sources of advice to the Prime Minister. Also, the personal authority of the Prime Minister has increased, as he has become an important spokesperson to the government.