The Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the core executive

Abstract

Since Britain has no written constitution, the powers and duties of the Prime Minister are neither clearly defined nor legally limited. They have evolved according to historical circumstances since 1721 when Robert Walpole started to create what is now regarded as the modern prime ministerial role. Since then there have been 51 prime ministers (post-war premiers are listed in Table 5.1), each exercising authority in different ways. Consequently, it is difficult to say exactly what the job of the PM is. As one incumbent (Herbert Asquith, prime minister 1908-16) remarked, it is ‘what the office holder chooses and is able to make of it’. It is clear Prime Minister that the Prime Minister is the head of government at home (the monarch is the head of state), and the political representative of the country abroad, but this job description hides a multitude of responsibilities and powers. Among other things, the Prime Minister: n Decides the number and nature of Cabinet and government posts and who is to fill them. This requires restructuring the Cabinet and its membership from time to time.

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