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{{Short description|Head of government of the United Kingdom}} | |||
{{PoliticsUK}} | |||
{{For|the list|List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom}} | |||
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}} | |||
{{Use British English|date=April 2013}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}} | |||
{{Infobox official post | |||
| post = Prime Minister | |||
| body = the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | |||
| insignia = Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (2022, lesser arms).svg | |||
| insigniasize = 150px | |||
| insigniacaption = ] of ] | |||
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| flag = Flag of the United Kingdom.svg | |||
| flagsize = | |||
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| flagborder = yes | |||
| flagcaption = ] | |||
| image = Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Official Portrait (cropped 2).jpg | |||
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| incumbent = ] | |||
| acting = | |||
| incumbentsince = 5 July 2024 | |||
| department = {{indented plainlist| | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
}} | |||
| style = {{indented plainlist| | |||
* '''Prime Minister'''<br />(informal) | |||
* ]<br />(formal) | |||
* ]<br />(diplomatic) | |||
}} | |||
| type = ] | |||
| status = ] | |||
<br> ] | |||
| abbreviation = | |||
| member_of = {{indented plainlist| | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
*] | |||
* ] | |||
}} | |||
| reports_to = {{hlist|]|]}} | |||
| residence = {{ubl|] (official)|] (country house)}} | |||
| seat = | |||
| nominator = | |||
| appointer = ] | |||
| appointer_qualified = (with their choice limited to the person who can command the ] of the ])<ref>{{Cite news |last=Andersson |first=Jasmine |date=2022-08-31 |title=Queen to appoint new prime minister at Balmoral |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62728328 |access-date= |work=] |language=en-GB}}</ref> | |||
| termlength = ] | |||
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| formation = | |||
| first = ] | |||
| last = | |||
| abolished = | |||
| superseded_by = | |||
| succession = | |||
| unofficial_names = | |||
| deputy = ''No fixed position; often held by'':{{blist|]|]}} | |||
| salary = £166,786 per annum {{small|(2024)}}<!--£75,440 Claimed Salary of PM + £91,346 MP Salary (2024)--><ref>{{Cite web |title=Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23 |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1124173/2022-12-07-Ministerial-Salaries-22-23-table.pdf |date=15 December 2022}}</ref><br />(including £91,346 ] salary)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pay and expenses for MPs |url=https://www.theipsa.org.uk/mps-pay-and-pensions}}</ref> | |||
| website = {{URL|https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/prime-ministers-office-10-downing-street|10 Downing Street}} | |||
| footnotes = | |||
}} | |||
{{uk-gov-positions}} | |||
The ''' |
The '''prime minister of the United Kingdom''' <!--"prime minister" is uncapitalized per MOS:JOBTITLES because it is preceded by the modifier "the" and denotes a description, not a title-->is the ] of the ]. The prime minister ] the ] on the exercise of much of the ], chairs the ], and selects its ]. As modern prime ministers hold office by virtue of their ability to ] of the ], they sit as ]. | ||
The office of prime minister is not established by any statute or constitutional document, but exists only by long-established ], whereby the monarch appoints as prime minister the person most likely to ] of the House of Commons.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-manual |title=The Cabinet Manual |date=October 2011 |publisher=] |edition=1st |page=14 |chapter=The principles of government formation (Section 2.8) |quote=Prime Ministers hold office unless and until they resign. If the prime minister resigns on behalf of the Government, the sovereign will invite the person who appears most likely to be able to command the confidence of the House to serve as prime minister and to form a government. |access-date=24 July 2016}}</ref> In practice, this is the leader of the political party that holds the largest number of seats in the Commons. The prime minister is '']'' also ] (prior to 1905 also the official title of the position), ], the minister responsible for ],<ref name="manual" />{{rp|p.22}} and ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-for-the-union |title=Minister for the Union |publisher= GOV.UK |accessdate=6 September 2022}}</ref> The prime minister's official residence and office, by virtue of being the First Lord of the Treasury, is ] in London.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About us - Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street - GOV.UK|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/prime-ministers-office-10-downing-street/about|access-date=25 March 2023|website=www.gov.uk|language=en}}</ref> | |||
As the title suggests, the Prime Minister is the monarch's principal advisor. Historically, the monarch's chief minister (if, as was not always the case, any one person could be singled out as such) might have held any of a number of offices: ], ], ], ], ], or ] among others. With the emergence, in the 18th century, of government by a cabinet of these ministers, its head came in time to be called the "Prime Minister" (sometimes also "Premier" or "First Minister"); to this day the Prime Minister always also holds one of the more specific ministerial positions (usually that of ]), if only in a nominal sense. ] is generally regarded as the first Prime Minister in the modern sense. | |||
Early conceptions of the office of prime minister evolved as the "]" or "first among equals", however that does not differentiate on status and responsibility upon whoever is holding office. Historically, the prime minister has never been the first among equals at any time prior to 1868. Until now, that characterisation of the prime minister is reflective of the democratic nature of their position. The power of the prime minister depends on the support of their respective party and on the popular mandate.<ref>{{Cite web |last=PoliticalScience |date=2021-05-26 |title=UK Prime Minister's Position - Political Systems |url=https://www.politicalscienceview.com/uk-prime-ministers-position/ |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=Political Science |language=en-US}}</ref> The appointment of ] and granting of ] are done through the prime minister's ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=How government works - GOV.UK |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/how-government-works#who-runs-government |access-date=2024-11-18 |website=www.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Governance |url=https://honours.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about/governance/ |access-date=2024-11-18 |website=UK Honours System |language=en}}</ref> The prime minister alongside the cabinet proposes new legislation and decide on key policies that fit their agenda which is then passed by an ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The executive |url=https://consoc.org.uk/the-constitution-explained/the-executive/ |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=The Constitution Society |language=en-GB}}</ref> | |||
The Prime Minister is appointed by the Sovereign, who is bound by ] to choose the individual most likely to command the support of the ] (normally, the leader of the party with a majority in that body). Should the Prime Minister lose the confidence of the House of Commons (indicated, for example, by the passage of a ]), he or she is morally obliged by similar conventions either to resign (in which case the Sovereign can try to find another Prime Minister who has the House's confidence) or to request the monarch to call a ]. Since the premiership is in some small sense still a '']'' position, the office's powers are mainly a matter of custom rather than law, deriving from the incumbent's ability to appoint (through the Sovereign) his or her Cabinet colleagues, as well as from certain uses of the ] which may be exercised directly by the Prime Minister, or by the Monarch on the Prime Minister's advice. Some commentators have pointed out that, in practice, the powers of the office are subject to very few checks, especially in an era when Parliament and the Cabinet are seen as unwilling to challenge dominant Prime Ministers whose attention is increasingly turned not towards Parliament but towards the news media. | |||
The power of the office of prime minister has grown significantly since the first prime minister, ] in 1721. Prime ministerial power itself evolved gradually alongside the office itself which have played an increasingly prominent role in British politics since the early ].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Blick |first1=Andrew |last2=Jones |first2=George |date=2010-06-07 |title=The power of the Prime Minister |url=https://www.historyandpolicy.org/policy-papers/papers/the-power-of-the-prime-minister |url-status=dead |website=History & Policy}}</ref> During the premierships of ] and ], prime ministerial power expanded substantially and their leadership in the office were described as "presidential" due to their personal yielding of power and tight control over the cabinet.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hayton |first1=Richard |url=https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/92565/3/HAYTON%20%26%20HEPPELL%20The%20Presidentialization%20of%20Party%20Politics%20in%20the%20UK.pdf |title=The Presidentialisation of Party Politics in the UK |last2=Heppell |first2=Timothy |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=9781137482457 |pages=5 |chapter=Constitutional structures and the party system in the UK |date=24 August 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2010-09-08 |title=Why Tony Blair's Leadership Journey Failed |url=https://hbr.org/2010/09/why-tony-blairs-leadership-jou |access-date=2024-11-18 |work=Harvard Business Review |language=en |issn=0017-8012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Beckett |first=Charlie |date=2013-04-13 |title=Margaret Thatcher: how she reshaped politics and political communications |url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/polis/2013/04/08/margaret-thatcher-how-she-reshaped-politics-and-political-communications/ |url-status=dead |website=LSE Blogs}}</ref> The prime minister is regarded as one of the world's most powerful political leaders in modern times.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Koop |first=Avery |date=January 20, 2021 |title=History Visualized: The World Leaders In Positions of Power (1970-Today) |url=https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualized-world-leaders-in-positions-of-power/ |url-status=dead |website=Visual Capitalist}}</ref> As the leader of the ], the prime minister hold significant domestic and international leadership alongside being the leader of a prominent member state of ], the ] and ].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Seldon |first=Anthony |title=The Impossible Office?: The History of the British Prime Minister |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-1316515327 |publication-date=May 6, 2021 |pages=87}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Prime Minister to drive forward UK growth as he meets world's leading economic powers at G20 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-to-drive-forward-uk-growth-as-he-meets-worlds-leading-economic-powers-at-g20#:~:text=Prime%20Minister%20Keir%20Starmer%20said,values%20differ%20from%20o |access-date=2024-11-18 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref> | |||
] (55 men and 3 women) have served as prime minister, the first of whom was ] taking office on 3 April 1721. The ] prime minister was also Walpole, who served over 20 years, and the shortest-serving was ], who served seven weeks. The current prime minister is ], who succeeded ] on 5 July 2024, following the ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Culbertson |first=Alix |date=2024-07-05 |title='Our work is urgent and we begin it today': Sir Keir Starmer says in first address as prime minister |url=https://news.sky.com/story/sir-keir-starmer-officially-becomes-uks-prime-minister-13173454 |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
{{Main|History of the prime minister of the United Kingdom}}{{Expand section|date=November 2024}}] is generally considered to have been the first person to hold the position of Prime Minister.]] | |||
Historically, the bulk of the power over the Government of the United Kingdom has been vested in the Sovereign, acting on the advice of bodies such as Parliament and the ]. Over several years, the Cabinet evolved from the Privy Council, as the monarch began the practice of consulting a few confidential advisors rather than the Council at large. These bodies, however, bore little resemblance to modern Cabinets; they were often not led by a single figure such as a Prime Minister, they often failed to act in unison, and they were appointed and dismissed entirely at the whim of the monarch, with little parliamentary control. | |||
The position of prime minister was not created; it evolved slowly and organically over three hundred years due to numerous ], political developments, and accidents of history. The office is therefore best understood from a historical perspective. The origins of the position are found in constitutional changes that occurred during the Revolutionary Settlement (1688–1720) and the resulting shift of political power from the sovereign to Parliament.<ref name="Evolution of Prime Minister">{{Cite news |title=George I |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/KingsandQueensoftheUnitedKingdom/TheHanoverians/GeorgeI.aspx |access-date=4 April 2014}}</ref> | |||
==Powers and authority== | |||
The history of the British Prime Ministers owes much more to speculation of historians, rather than to legal acts. The origin of the term ''prime minister'' and the question to whom the designation should first be applied have long been issues of scholarly and political debate. | |||
{{Main|Powers of the prime minister of the United Kingdom}} | |||
=== Executive powers === | |||
The first mention of "Prime Minister" in an official government document occurred during the premiership of ]. The title was used since then in documents, letters and conversation (and in conversation at least may have been used before then). In 1905 the title "Prime Minister" was noted in a royal warrant that placed the Prime Minister, mentioned as such, in the ] in Britain immediately after the Archbishop of York. By this time legal recognition of the title seems to have occurred and it was later mentioned in the ] Estate Act 1917, and the Ministers of the Crown Act 1937. | |||
The prime minister is the head of the ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prime Minister |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/prime-minister |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014185426/https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/prime-minister |archive-date=14 October 2017 |access-date=19 May 2018 |website=Gov.UK}}</ref> As such, the modern prime minister leads the Cabinet (the Executive). In addition, the prime minister leads a major political party and generally commands a majority in the House of Commons (the lower chamber of Parliament). The incumbent wields both significant legislative and executive powers. Under the British system, there is a ] rather than ].<ref>], 98–99. Walter Bagehot, an authority on 19th-century British government, said this unity is "the efficient secret" of its constitution. Bagehot's description of the "efficient part" of the British constitution is quoted by Le May and many other standard texts: "The efficient secret of the English Constitution may be described as the close union, the nearly complete fusion, of the executive and legislative powers. No doubt, by the traditional theory, as it exists in all the books, the goodness of our constitution consists in the entire separation of the legislative and executive authorities, but in truth, its merit consists in their singular approximation. The connecting link is the Cabinet ... A Cabinet is a combing committee—a hyphen which joins a buckle which fastens the legislative part of the State to the executive part of the State. In its origin, it belongs to the one, in its functions it belongs to the other."</ref> Walter Bagehot described the office of prime minister as the "keystone of the Cabinet arch" that maintained while the prime minister can hold significant power over the executive, it is often exercised collectively through the Cabinet (Government).{{Sfn|Bagehot|1867|p=67–68}} | |||
Ministerial responsibility is also an aspect of a prime minister's executive authority. The prime minister leads the cabinet which makes the holder of that office bear responsibility for the collective conduct of the government. Professor Rodney Brazier points out that the since the prime minister wields significant sway over policy, that power must be subjected to the conclusion and input of Cabinet ministers. This prevents the office of prime minister from becoming more dominant and also ensures that executive power is authorised with broader support from and within the government.{{Sfn|Brazier|1988|p=52–53}} The prime minister must constantly maintain the confidence of the House of Commons because, as Bagehot notes, the power of the prime minister derives from their ability to command a majority in the House in order to pass legislation and continue the functions of government. If a prime minister loses the confidence of the House, which occurs in a vote of no confidence, they are often expected to resign from office or request the monarch dissolve parliament to call a general election.{{Sfn|Bagehot|1867|p=72–73}} | |||
There are numerous categorical testimonies deep into the 19th century decrying the notion of a First or Prime Minister, credibly declaring the concept alien to the Constitution, and the term actually emerges as a creature of historians, not lawyers or Parliament - indeed the contrary is best documented. | |||
] alongside his ] on the eve of ] in September, 1939]] | |||
] announcing the approval of more ] across the country as a part of his education policy on 9 March 2015]] | |||
The prime minister acts as the principal advisor to the monarch, who is the head of state, a capacity that has evolved gradually during the history of the office. Bagehot says that despite the monarch holding certain theoretical executive powers, in practice, these powers are often executed upon the advice and recommendation of the prime minister and the cabinet.{{Sfn|Bagehot|1867|p=73}} This is considered a major principle of the "unity of powers" that exists within a constitutional monarchy in which the monarch "reigns but does not rule". According to Brazier, the prime minister advises the monarch on matters such as the dissolution of parliament and appointments to the House of Lords, but these decisions are often made with the consent of parliament.{{Sfn|Brazier|1988|p=45–46}} | |||
The prime minister leads the executive in directing government policy and maintaining coordination between government departments which is dependent upon the cooperation and consent of ministers.{{Sfn|Bagehot|1867|p=67–68}} Foreign policy and national security are areas in which the prime minister has traditionally enjoyed more authority under what are known as prerogative powers. Vernon Bogdanor argues that the abilities to declare war, negotiate treaties and deploy the armed forces have historically been part of the monarch's royal authority but have slowly evolved into a function of the office of prime minister. Despite this, the exercise of the prime minister's prerogative powers in these matters is under the oversight of parliament. It is often by convention that a prime minister must seek the approval of parliament before committing the nation to military action.{{Sfn|Bogdanor|1997|p=101–103}} In addition to this, the prime minister also exerts informal influence over public policy. Brazier notes this is due to the prime minister often being the leader of the largest party in government, therefore having a direct impact in initiating policy both in government and during election campaigns.{{Sfn|Brazier|1988|p=89}} | |||
In 1741, it was declared in the Commons that "According to our Constitution we can have no sole and prime minister... every... officer has his own proper department; and no officer ought to meddle in the affairs belonging to the department of another." In the same year the Lords agreed that "We are persuaded that a sole, or even a first minister, is an officer unknown to the law of Britain, inconsistent with the Constitution of the country and destructive of liberty in any Government whatsoever." These were very much partisan assessments of the day, however. | |||
=== Legislative powers === | |||
On the other hand, in an interview by Lord Melville with William Pitt in 1803, the latter argued that "this person generally called the first minister" was an absolute necessity for a government to function, and expressed his belief that this person should be the minister in charge of the finances. In 1806, it was asserted in the Commons that "the Constitution abhors the idea of a prime minister", and as late as 1829 the Commons again asserted that "nothing could be more mischievous or unconstitutional than to recognize by act of parliament the existence of such an office." | |||
In the House of Commons, the prime minister guides the law-making process with the goal of enacting the legislative agenda of their political party. In an executive capacity, the prime minister appoints (and may dismiss) all other Cabinet members and ], and co-ordinates the policies and activities of all government departments, and the staff of the Civil Service. The prime minister also acts as the public "face" and "voice" of His Majesty's Government, both at home and abroad. Solely upon the ] of the prime minister, the sovereign exercises many statutory and prerogative powers, including high judicial, political, official and ] ecclesiastical appointments; the conferral of peerages and some knighthoods, decorations and other important honours.<ref>], pp. 245–246</ref> | |||
] during a debate in ] over the ] in February, 1860]] | |||
Bagehot identifies the prime minister as the leader of the "efficient" part of government that functions within the government to steer legislation through both Houses of Parliament. Although the prime minister does not possess the power to introduce legislation directly, their control of the cabinet and their role as leader of the largest political party in the House of Commons enables them substantial influence over any legislative agenda. Bagehot points out that this power is based on the prime minister's ability to operate the "machinery of government" that allows them to guide legislation that align with their party's political and ideological priorities.{{Sfn|Bagehot|1867|p=72}} Brazier argues that the legislative power of the prime minister has greatly expanded following the post-war period and that as a result, the prime minister now directly authorises supervision over government bills and has a consequential role in the introduction of legislation.{{Sfn|Brazier|1988|p=102}} | |||
The prime minister is able to wield considerable power in the passing of legislation through their ability to manage party discipline and cohesion in voting patterns. Bogdanor states that this largely depends upon the prime minister being the leader of the largest party in the Commons, which can pass legislation without any or little resistance if they can command the confidence of the House. This aspect of prime ministerial power is informal and often carried out by the office of Whips, who makes sure that MPs remain loyal and vote on the government line.{{Sfn|Bogdanor|1997|p=211}} The political scientist ] said that the prime minister's influence over legislation is further solidified through their ability to shape policy before it reaches parliament. King further argued that the shaping of legislation, on many occasions, involves the collaborative efforts of cabinet ministers and civil servants, but the prime minister's approval is needed in order to initiate the legislative agenda. King's analysis of contemporary politcs showed that some prime ministers often bypass or overrule the cabinet on traditional discussion and to push through their preferred agendas with notable cases such as Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.{{Sfn|King|2010|p=145}} | |||
Beatson's ''Political Index of 1786'' gives the list of ''Prime Ministers and Favourites from the Accession of Henry VIII to the Present Time''. Since 1714, Beatson could only find one ''Sole Minister'', and that was Sir Robert Walpole. At all subsequent periods he felt that he had to bracket two, three, or even four people as joint or co-equal ministers whose advice the King took, and who therefore controlled the governance of the country. | |||
=== Parliamentary powers === | |||
The first Act of Parliament to mention the office of Prime Minister was the Chequers Estate Act, which received the ] on ], ]. It dealt with the gift to the Crown of the Chequers Estate by Sir Arthur and Lady Lee, for use as a country home for future Prime Ministers. | |||
] (in the middle) alongside ] leaders signing statement against Terrorism at the ]]] | |||
The prime minister's influence in the ] is derived from longstanding conventions and statutes that have gradually evolved through the centuries. The office of prime minister itself is not explicitly mentioned in parliamentary law but is developed by constitutional conventions and therefore it is defined by precedent and tradition. Bogdanor notes that the prime minister's power in parliament is exhibited by their control of the executive (the Cabinet) and their ability to influence the legislative agenda.{{Sfn|Bogdanor|2009|p=85}} The ability of the prime minister to influence legislation, according to academic ], is often through party discipline and having a reliable majority of MPs who vote in support of the government's priorities.{{Sfn|Norton|2011|p=126}} | |||
Another essential part of the parliamentary powers possessed by the prime minister is determining the composition of the Cabinet. According to Professor Robert Hazell, the prime minister not only chooses cabinet members but also dictates the collective decision-making process of members as well. The prime minister most often would chair cabinet meetings and may determine their frequency, thereby controlling the agenda for policy and steering decisions in their preferred direction.{{Sfn|Hazell|2012|p=35}} Additionally, the prime minister can exercise considerable control over parliamentary time. Authors Alexander Horne and Gavin Drewry state that the prime minister uses this power through the ], by which they are able to allocate time for government bills and often ensuring access to this time over private members' bills.{{Sfn|Drewry|Horne|2018|p=94}} | |||
Finally, the Ministers of the Crown Act, which received the Royal Assent on ], ], gave official recognition to the position of Prime Minister and made provision for paying "the First Lord of the Treasury and Prime Minister" - the two offices that since the 18th century, have usually been held by the Prime Minister: | |||
The prime minister's parliamentary powers also extend to foreign relations. Contemporary historian ] says that the prime minister acts as the main representative of the government in the international sphere, including in parliament, where treaties are ratified and international commitments are debated.{{Sfn|Seldon|2017|p=163}}{{full citation needed|date=November 2024}} | |||
''To give statutory recognition to the existence of the position of Prime Minister, and to the historic link between the Premiership and the office of First Lord of the Treasury, by providing in respect to that position and office a salary of...'' | |||
=== Prerogative powers === | |||
The Act made a certain distinction between "position" (Prime Minister) and "office" (First Lord of the Treasury), emphasizing the unique character of the position and recognizing the existence of the Cabinet. Nevertheless, in spite of this recognition, the brass plate outside the Prime Minister's front door still bears the title of "First Lord of the Treasury." | |||
] addressing the ] on the outbreak of ] in 1793]] | |||
The most significant powers given to the prime minister are "prerogative powers". These are a set of constitutional privileges deriving from monarchial authority that have gradually evolved into tools of executive power managed by the prime minister and the government. Bagehot famously called the British system as one where "the executive power is now yielded by the prime minister" rather than the monarch, a shift from personal to political power. Prerogative powers allow the prime minister to act without the immediate or direct consent of parliament especially in circumstances such as declaring war, deployment of troops and the granting of honours.{{Sfn|Bagehot|1867|p=63}} | |||
Brazier argues that prerogative powers allow the prime minister to act within the "authority of the crown" in situations where neither convention nor statutory law applies. As noted by both Bagehot and Brazier, areas in which the prime minister authorises their given prerogative powers are matters of foreign affairs. In recent occasions, the ] saw Prime Minister Tony Blair deploying British troops to ] without the immediate consent or approval of parliament.<ref>{{Cite web |title=20 years since Parliament approved military action in Iraq – Parliamentary Affairs special collection |url=https://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/journal/parliamentary-affairs-special-iraq-vote-20-years |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=www.hansardsociety.org.uk}}</ref> Brazier says the rise of parliamentary and public scrutiny has led to calls for reform and checks on the use of prerogative powers.{{Sfn|Brazier|1988|p=132}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-01 |title=Parliamentary approval for military action |url=https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/parliamentary-approval-military-action |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=Institute for Government |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mills |first=Claire |date=14 October 2024 |title=Military action: Parliament's role |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10001/CBP-10001.pdf |url-status=dead |website=House of Commons Library}}</ref> The only prime minister who did not seek parliamentary or legal consent for military action was ] during the ] in 1956.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Letter: Didn't Eden lie repeatedly in parliament over Suez? |url=https://www.ft.com/content/d0e72934-eb37-44b2-a712-5a2340e01f5d |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=www.ft.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Norton-Taylor |first=Richard |date=2006-12-01 |title=Lawyers warned Eden that Suez invasion was illegal |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/dec/01/egypt.past |access-date=2024-11-12 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> | |||
The lack of official recognition for the position of Prime Minister sometimes causes problems when trying to positively identify prime ministers in the British history. Thus, every list of British Prime ministers may omit certain politicians, depending on the criteria selected by a researcher. For instance, unsuccessful attempts to form ministries, such as that of Lord Granville in 1746, or the summons of the sovereign to ministers who refused to form a ministry are often ignored. | |||
Professors Mark Elliot and Robert Thomas argue that prerogative powers present a constitutional anomaly in the 21st century. Both contend that such powers lack direct democratic legitimacy due to not being regulated by parliamentary statutes and raise concerns over accountability. Elliot and Thomas have pointed out that judicial intervention in cases such as ] and ], where the ] exercised scrutiny over the use of prerogative powers by the government to prorogue parliament during the ], was successful in keeping check over the authority of both the prime minister and the government.{{sfn|Thomas|Elliot|2020|p=249}} The evolving usage of prerogative powers also has signalled tension between tradition and accountability. Authors Paul Craig and Adam Tomkins state that the absence of a written constitution gives a prime minister greater leeway in employing their given prerogative powers without limits that in turn would create uncertainty although the use of such powers by the prime minister is often constrained by political convention than by law.{{Sfn|Craig|Tomkins|2005|p=306}} | |||
The origins of the modern term "Prime Minister" date back to the time after the ] (1688), when Parliament's power began to steadily grow at the expense of that of the monarch. It was under ] and his successor, ], that the Cabinet began to take its modern shape. Individuals such as ] and ] were recognised as the leaders of their respective ministries, but they cannot be considered Prime Ministers in the modern sense, given that they exercised little control over their colleagues. Similarly, the Cabinets of Anne's successor, ], were led by individuals such as ], ], and ], but these individuals were not truly Prime Ministers, as we now understand the office. | |||
] | |||
Lord Stanhope and Lord Sunderland, who were joint leaders of their Cabinet, were succeeded in 1721 by Sir ], who held the influential office of First Lord of the Treasury. Previous holders of the post had often been important figures in government, but not to such a degree as Walpole. His influence grew even stronger because the King, George I, was not active in English politics, preferring to concentrate on his native ]. Walpole is generally regarded as the first Prime Minister, not just because of his influence in Government, but because he could persuade (or force) his colleagues in the Cabinet to act in a harmonious and unified fashion, instead of intriguing against each other for more power. Walpole's office, First Lord of the Treasury, became strongly associated with the leadership of the Government; it became the position which the Prime Minister almost always held. | |||
==Constitutional background== | |||
Though Walpole was the nation's first "Prime Minister," these words were used as a term of reproach by his political opponents. His tenure was not as important in terms of constitutional development as some have imagined. His term and power were primarily based on the favour of the Crown, rather than the support of the House of Commons. His immediate successors were not nearly as powerful as he; the influence of the Crown continued to remain paramount. Still, the powers of the monarch were slowly diminished, and those of the Prime Minister gradually increased, over the course of the following years. Indeed, during the last years of George II's life, policy was chiefly directed by Ministers such as ]. | |||
{{Main|Constitution of the United Kingdom}} | |||
{{Politics of the United Kingdom}} | |||
The British system of government is based on an ], meaning that it is not set out in any single document.<ref>], pp. 3–8. King makes the point that much of the British constitution is in fact written and that no constitution is written down in its entirety. The distinctive feature of the British constitution, he says, is that it is not codified.</ref> The British constitution consists of many documents, and most importantly for the evolution of the office of the prime minister, it is based on customs known as ] that became accepted practice. In 1928, Prime Minister ] described this characteristic of the British constitution in his memoirs:<blockquote>In this country we live ... under an unwritten Constitution. It is true that we have on the Statute-book great instruments like Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, and the Bill of Rights which define and secure many of our rights and privileges; but the great bulk of our constitutional liberties and ... our constitutional practices do not derive their validity and sanction from any Bill which has received the formal assent of the King, Lords and Commons. They rest on usage, custom, convention, often of slow growth in their early stages, not always uniform, but which in the course of time received universal observance and respect.<ref>Quoted in ], p. 209</ref> | |||
</blockquote> | |||
The relationships between the prime minister and the sovereign, Parliament and Cabinet are defined largely by these unwritten conventions of the constitution. Many of the prime minister's executive and legislative powers are actually ]s which are still formally vested in the ], who remains the ].<ref>], p.155. In 1902, for example, Arthur Balfour said, "The prime minister has no salary as prime minister. He has no statutory duties as prime minister, his name occurs in no Acts of Parliament, and though holding the most important place in the constitutional hierarchy, he has no place which is recognized by the laws of his country. This is a strange paradox"</ref> Despite its growing dominance in the constitutional hierarchy, the premiership was given little formal recognition until the 20th century; the ] was maintained that the sovereign still governed directly. The position was first mentioned in statute only in 1917, in the schedule of the ]. Increasingly during the 20th century, the office and role of prime minister featured in ] and official documents; however, the prime minister's powers and relationships with other institutions still largely continue to derive from ancient royal prerogatives and historic and modern constitutional conventions. Prime ministers continue to hold the position of ] and, since November 1968, that of ], the latter giving them authority over the ]. | |||
The reign of ], which began in 1760 upon the death of George II, is particularly notable for developments in the office of Prime Minister. Over the course of his reign, the King was sometimes forced by parliamentary pressure to appoint Prime Ministers and Ministers whom he did not personally favour. Control over the composition of the Cabinet had not, however, been completely lost by the King; in some cases, George was able to prevent the appointment of politicians whom he detested (for instance, ]). The influence of the monarch nevertheless continued to gradually wane; this trend became clearly noticeable during the reign of ], the last King to appoint a Prime Minister against the wishes of Parliament. William attempted to impose his personal will in 1834, when he dismissed ] (whose Whig administration he disliked) and replaced him with a Tory, ]. Peel, however, found it impossible to govern without the support of the Whig-dominated House of Commons, and was forced to resign from his position. Since Peel's administration, the Sovereign has had very little discretion in appointing Prime Ministers; no monarch since William IV has attempted to appoint a Prime Minister against the wishes of Parliament. | |||
Under this arrangement, Britain might appear to have two executives: the prime minister and the sovereign. The concept of "]" resolves this paradox.<ref>], p. 255 "There is no distinction," said Gladstone, "more vital to the practice of the British constitution or to the right judgement upon it than the distinction between the Sovereign and the Crown."</ref> The Crown symbolises the state's authority to govern: to make laws and execute them, impose taxes and collect them, declare war and make peace. Before the "]" of 1688, the sovereign exclusively wielded the powers of the Crown; afterwards, Parliament gradually forced monarchs to assume a neutral political position. Parliament has effectively dispersed the powers of the Crown, entrusting its authority to responsible ministers (the prime minister and Cabinet), accountable for their policies and actions to Parliament, in particular the elected ]. | |||
As the royal influence over ministerial appointments disappeared, the power of the House of Commons rose, its political superiority over the House of Lords being established by the ]. During the early twentieth century, the convention that the Prime Minister should be responsible not to the Lords, but to the Commons, took root. The associated convention that the Prime Minister should actually be a member of the Lower House was developed. The last Prime Minister to lead his whole administration from the Lords was ], from 1895 to 1902. Mention, however, must be made of the appointment of ] in 1963. Lord Home was the last Prime Minister who was a peer, but, within days of attaining office, he disclaimed his peerage, abiding by the convention that the Prime Minister should sit in the House of Commons. A junior member of his Conservative Party who had already been selected as candidate in a by-election in a staunch Conservative seat stood aside, allowing Douglas-Home to contest the by-election, win and thus procure a seat in the lower House. | |||
Although many of the sovereign's prerogative powers are still legally intact,{{refn|The Sovereign's prerogative powers are sometimes called ]s. They include the sole authority to dismiss a prime minister and government of the day in extremely rare and exceptional circumstances, and other powers such as withholding ], and summoning and proroguing Parliament. These reserve powers can be exercised without the consent of Parliament. While formally discretionary, the exercise of these powers is heavily limited by convention.|group=n}} constitutional conventions have removed the monarch from day-to-day governance, with ministers exercising the royal prerogatives, leaving the monarch in practice with three constitutional rights: to be kept informed, to advise and to warn.<ref>], p. 67</ref><ref>], pp 255–258</ref> | |||
==The Office== | |||
Although in recent years it has never hindered any premier in the exercise of his or her office, the official status of the Prime Minister remains somewhat ambiguous. A Prime Minister has virtually no statutory authority in his or her own right; all the actual business of running the country and spending the budget is (in theory) carried out by the holders of more explicitly-defined Cabinet offices, who are empowered to do so by various Acts of Parliament. The Prime Minister holds at least one of these more tangible ministerial offices himself—normally First Lord of the Treasury—and indeed receives his or her salary and public accommodation only by virtue of that office. | |||
==Modern premiership== | |||
The title "Prime Minister", however, is not altogether a matter of convention, as in 1905 it was in a sense given official recognition when the "Prime Minister" was named in the "]," outranked, among non-royals, only by the Archbishops of ] and ] and by the ]. The first prime minister in this sense is therefore considered by some to have been ], although the term "Prime Minister" first appeared on official documents during the premiership of ] and was used informally before then. Furthermore, the office is not entirely without statutory justification, since it has in fact been explicitly named a number of times in emergency wartime legislation. All sorts of official pronouncements are issued from Downing Street in the name of the "Prime Minister" without further circumlocution or explanation. | |||
===Appointment=== | |||
In modern times, much of the process involving prime ministerial appointments is informally governed by ] and with the rules and processes described by authoritative sources such as ].{{Refn|Paragraphs 2.7 to 2.20 and 3.1 to 3.2.}} | |||
] receiving Prime Minister ] after winning a third term in office on 6 May 2005]] | |||
The prime minister is appointed by the monarch, through the exercise of the ].<ref>{{cite web|author=]|title=Taming the Prerogative: Strengthening Ministerial Accountability to Parliament. Fourth Report of Session 2003–04|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmpubadm/422/422.pdf|publisher=Parliament of the United Kingdom|page=4}}</ref> In the past, the monarch has used personal choice to dismiss or appoint a prime minister (the last time being in 1834), but it is now the convention that the monarch should not be drawn into party politics.<ref name="manual">{{cite web |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/60641/cabinet-manual.pdf |title=The Cabinet Manual |date=October 2011 |publisher=Cabinet Office |edition=1st}}</ref>{{rp|3}} Bogdanor states that throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the monarch often appointed the prime minister based on their personal preference, regardless of whether they have great or little public support.{{Sfn|Bogdanor|2009|p=45–49}} | |||
If a prime minister (incumbent or otherwise) leads their party to victory in a ] and gains an overall majority in the ] they will be invited by the monarch to form a new government.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 July 2024 |title=How is a Prime Minister appointed? |url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/how-is-a-prime-minister-appointed-2/ |website=House of Commons Library}}</ref> Following the invitation, the prime minister will be driven to ] to meet the monarch.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Keir Starmer's first meeting with King Charles after election |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cxx29w75x01o |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Reporter |first=James Crawford-Smith Royal |date=2024-07-05 |title=King Charles appoints Sir Keir Starmer as his third prime minister |url=https://www.newsweek.com/king-charles-appoints-sir-keir-starmer-third-prime-minister-photos-1921356 |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-05 |title=The UK election winner only becomes prime minister when King Charles III says so |url=https://apnews.com/article/uk-general-election-starmer-labour-king-charles-53dc545af3b52e9d5332d0047835f5f6 |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref> The meeting between the monarch and the incoming prime minister is a moment for the latter to pledge their loyalty to the monarch and seek permission to form a new government. The prime minister is expected to bow before the monarch in a ceremony known as "]". Following this, the prime minister is officially appointed the head of His Majesty's government.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-07-05 |title=What is 'Kissing the Hand' ceremony in UK politics? |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/uk/what-is-kissing-the-hand-ceremony-in-uk-politics/articleshow/111521482.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2024-10-07 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ilse |first=Jess |date=2024-07-05 |title=Kissing hands: how King Charles will oversee an ancient tradition that turns Sir Keir Starmer into Prime Minister |url=https://royalcentral.co.uk/royal-news/kissing-hands-how-king-charles-will-oversee-an-ancient-tradition-that-turns-sir-keir-starmer-into-prime-minister-200766/ |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=Royal Central |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maitland |first=Hayley |date=2024-07-05 |title=What, Exactly, Is The "Kissing The Hands" Ceremony That King Charles & Keir Starmer Are About To Take Part In? |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/kissing-the-hands-ceremony-king-prime-minister |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=British Vogue |language=en-GB}}</ref> | |||
By convention, as noted above, the Prime Minister also holds the office of First Lord of the Treasury. The only Prime Ministers who have not also served as First Lord for a significant part of their administrations are ] (who was Lord Privy Seal) and, for most of his three premierships, ] (who was either ] or Lord Privy Seal except for the first few months of his second premiership when he was First Lord). Since Lord Salisbury's retirement in 1902, every Prime Minister has also been First Lord of the Treasury. Some have held yet more offices; for example, Tony Blair is both First Lord and ]. | |||
The prime minister "...holds that position by virtue of his or her ability to command the confidence of the ], which in turn commands the confidence of the electorate, as expressed through a ]."<ref name="manual" />{{rp|3.1}} By convention, ] and is normally the leader of the ] that commands a ] in the House of Commons.<ref name="manual" />{{rp|3.1}}{{refn|During the history of the modern office, five men have served as Prime Minister in both the House of Commons and House of Lords; four moved from serving in the Commons to accept a peerage, while the fifth disclaimed his peerage after his appointment and contested ] to become an MP.|group=n}} | |||
More recently, there is also the associated post of ]. An officer with such a title need not always exist; rather, the existence of the post is dependent on the form of Cabinet organisation preferred by the Prime Minister and his or her party. The office's title, however, may be considered something of a misnomer; the Deputy Prime Minister does not automatically succeed when a vacancy in the premiership is suddenly created (and the post is thus not entirely analogous to that of the ]), nor does he or she assume any additional powers when the Prime Minister is outside the country. He may, however, be expected to stand in for the Prime Minister on occasion, for example by taking the dispatch box at ] when the Prime Minister is unable to attend. This occurs with varying frequency—usually only important international negotiations prevent the Prime Minister from taking Questions when the House is in session. The position has often been used honorifically, if not as a ]. Under the Blair Government, a separate department called the ''Office of the Deputy Prime Minister'' was created in 2002. The present Deputy Prime Minister is ], who was previously also Secretary of State for Transport, Environment and the Regions. The previous holder of the post was ], who was appointed in the ] government after the post had briefly fallen into desuetude. | |||
===Prime Minister's Office=== | |||
In the ] governments of ], ], and ], the position which corresponds with that of Prime Minister is ]. (See ], ], and ].) | |||
{{main|10 Downing Street}} | |||
The Prime Minister's Office helps the prime minister to 'establish and deliver the government's overall strategy and policy priorities, and to communicate the government's policies to Parliament, the public and international audiences'.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What the Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street does |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/prime-ministers-office-10-downing-street |access-date=20 February 2021 |website=gov.uk |quote=The office helps the Prime Minister to establish and deliver the government's overall strategy and policy priorities, and to communicate the government's policies to Parliament, the public and international audiences.}}</ref> The Prime Minister's Office is formally part of the Cabinet Office, but the boundary between its work and that of the wider Cabinet Office can be unclear;<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Role and Status of the Prime Minister's Office inquiry launched |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/327/public-administration-and-constitutional-affairs-committee/news/119922/the-role-and-status-of-the-prime-ministers-office-inquiry-launched |access-date=20 February 2021 |website=parliament.uk |quote=Nominally, it is a part of the Cabinet Office, yet it is largely operationally distinct. Its functional relationship with the Cabinet Office is unclear.}}; {{Cite web |last=] |date=29 January 2010 |title=The Cabinet Office and the Centre of Government |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200910/ldselect/ldconst/30/30.pdf |access-date=20 February 2021 |page=9 |quote=Evidence conflicted about the relationship between the Cabinet Office and the Prime Minister's Office. In the view of some witnesses, the boundary between the two was blurred... Dr Richard Heffernan, Reader in Government, Open University, claimed that "we do not know where the Prime Minister's Department begins and where the Cabinet Office ends".}}</ref> the wider Cabinet Office might carry out very similar work. ] has claimed that this overall arrangement means there is in fact effectively a Prime Minister's Department, though it is not called this.<ref>{{Cite web |last=] |date=19 June 2014 |title=Role and powers of the Prime Minister |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmpolcon/351/351.pdf |access-date=20 February 2021 |page=34 |quote=One way forward would be to create a Prime Minister's Department—either as a separate entity or as a formal department combined with the Cabinet Office. Lord Hennessy believed that, in practice, there was already a Prime Minister's Department, but it was simply not referred to in those terms: "I am reluctant for a Prime Minister's Department to exist, being a traditionalist, but it does. It is there. It is the department that dare not speak its name."}}</ref> | |||
==Term== | |||
The office of Prime Minister is governed not by codified laws, but by unwritten and, to some extent, fluid customs known as ]s, which have developed over years of British history. These conventions are for the most part founded on the underlying principle that the Prime Minister and his fellow Ministers must maintain the support of the democratically elected component of Parliament, the House of Commons. The Sovereign, as a ], always acts in accordance with such conventions, as do Prime Ministers themselves. | |||
The Prime Minister's Office was officially created in 1916 by ] during the ], which marked the first formal recognition of the office of prime minister and established it as an independent institution from other entities within government, with staff to support the coordination of government policy. This development came as a response to the demands of wartime governance, as Lloyd George's leadership needed a more centred and efficient executive function.{{Sfn|Brazier|2008|p=214}} | |||
Whenever the office of Prime Minister falls vacant, the Sovereign is responsible for appointing the new incumbent; the appointment is formalised at a ceremony known as ]. In accordance with unwritten constitutional conventions, the Sovereign must appoint the individual most likely to maintain the support of the House of Commons: usually, the leader of the party which has a majority in that House. If no party has a majority (an unlikely occurrence, given the United Kingdom's ]), two or more groups may form a coalition, whose agreed leader is then appointed Prime Minister. The majority party becomes "Her Majesty's Government," and the next largest party becomes "Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition." The head of the largest Opposition party becomes the ] and holds the title ]. | |||
] | |||
The term of a Prime Minister is linked to the term of Members of the House of Commons. Parliament has a maximum term of five years; in practice, however, it is usually "dissolved" sooner by the Sovereign, acting on a request from the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister normally chooses the moment most advantageous to his or her party for the dissolution. In some circumstances, however, the Prime Minister may be ''compelled'' to dissolve Parliament (or, if he or she prefers, to resign) by the House of Commons. The House may attempt to force the dissolution by passing a ] or by rejecting a ]. The same effect is achieved if the House of Commons rejects the Budget ("withdraws Supply"), or if it rejects some other important component of the Government's agenda. Such defeats for the Government, however, are rare; there have only been three defeats on confidence issues since the nineteenth century: twice in 1924, and once in 1979. The first in 1924 took place immediately after an inconclusive election result and led to an immediate change of government, but in the other two cases a general election was called (and in both, the incumbent government was defeated). | |||
===Prime Minister's Questions=== | |||
Whatever the reason—the expiry of Parliament's five-year term, the choice of the Prime Minister, or a Government defeat in the House of Commons—the dissolution is followed by general elections. If his or her party has lost a majority in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister is compelled to resign (or request a dissolution, but the Sovereign is not compelled to accept such a request). The leader of the party or coalition now in the majority is then appointed Prime Minister by the Sovereign. The custom that requires the Prime Minister to resign immediately after an electoral loss was last broken by ] after the ], which did not produce an absolute majority for any party. Heath opted not to resign immediately, instead negotiating with a third party (the Liberal Party) to form a coalition. Heath did eventually resign when the negotiations failed. | |||
{{main|Prime Minister's Questions}} | |||
Prime Minister's Questions is a ], currently held as a single session every Wednesday at noon when the ] is sitting, in which the prime minister answers questions from ] (MPs). The leader of the opposition usually asks the prime minister six questions, and the leader of the third-largest parliamentary party can ask two questions. It is an occasion when the prime minister appears regularly on live television and radio. | |||
Lastly, defeats in general elections are not the only events which end Prime Ministerial terms. For example, ] left office because she no longer retained the support of her own party. Prime Ministers are also free to resign for personal reasons (such as health concerns). The last Prime Minister to die in office was ] (in ]). The only Prime Minister to be assassinated was ] (in 1812). | |||
], speaking in the House of Commons on 4 September 2024]] | |||
Before the 1880s, oral questions were mainly directed towards cabinet ministers and therefore such questions were regarded as the same even when addressed to the Prime Minister. The session in its modern form was first introduced on Tuesday 24 October in 1961 when the then Prime Minister ] answered questions for between 15 minutes from 3.15pm to 3.30pm as an experiment. Since 1997 PMQs were held every Wednesdays at 3pm until 3.30pm.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 October 2011 |title=50 years of Prime Minister's Questions |url=https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/news-by-year/2011/october1/50-years-of-pmqs/ |website=UK Parliament |access-date=7 October 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007143219/https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/news-by-year/2011/october1/50-years-of-pmqs/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1989, the first PMQs were broadcast and in 1990 were broadcast live to the public as a step towards transparency and accountability.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baldwin |first=Sian |date=2024-07-24 |title=When do the next Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) take place? |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/prime-ministers-questions-pmqs-next-date-b1117391.html |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}}</ref> | |||
The timing of PMQs has often changed depending on the varied schedules of prime ministers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Politics 97 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/news/05/0509/questions.shtml |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-22 |title=Prime minister's questions (PMQs) |url=https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/prime-ministers-questions-pmqs |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=Institute for Government |language=en}}</ref> In 1881, questions addressed to the prime minister were placed at the end of question time so that the then 72-year old Prime Minister William Gladstone could arrive late. In 1904, questions were answered only when they reached No 51 and in 1940 they were expanded to No 45. The procedure was in practice until 1953 when PMQs were restricted to Tuesdays and Thursdays only to assist Winston Churchill who was 78-years old.<ref>{{Cite news |last=White |first=Michael |date=2011-10-27 |title=The history of PMQs |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/oct/27/history-pmqs-prime-ministers-commons |access-date=2024-10-07 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> | |||
==Powers and restraints== | |||
The Prime Minister's chief duty is to "form a Government"—that is to say, to create a Cabinet or Ministry which will sustain the support of the House of Commons—when commissioned by the Sovereign. He or she generally co-ordinates the policies and activities of the Cabinet and the various Government departments, acting as the "face" of Her Majesty's Government. The Sovereign exercises much of his or her royal prerogative on the Prime Minister's advice. (For the prerogative of dissolving Parliament, see "Term" above.) | |||
The prime minister also appears before the ] to answer questions about public policy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmstords/0002/body.htm#145 |title=Standing Orders of the House of Commons |work=Parliament.UK |access-date=7 July 2021 |quote=Standing Order 145(2)The committee may also hear evidence from the Prime Minister on matters of public policy.}}</ref> | |||
The ] of the ] is the Sovereign. Under longstanding parliamentary custom and practice, however, the Prime Minister holds ''de facto'' decision-making power over the deployment and disposition of British forces. | |||
===Security and transport=== | |||
The Prime Minister also has a wide range of powers of appointment. In most cases, the actual appointments are made by the Sovereign, but the selection and recommendation is made by the Prime Minister. Ministers, ], ]s and ]s, senior ], senior military officers, members of important committees and commissions, and several other officials are selected, and in some cases may be removed, by the Prime Minister. Furthermore, peerages, knighthoods, and other honours are bestowed by the Sovereign only on the advice of the Prime Minister. He also formally advises the Sovereign on the appointment of Archbishops and Bishops of the ], but his discretion is limited by the existence of the ]. The appointment of senior judges, while on the advice of the Prime Minister for constitutional reasons, is now on the basis of recommendations from independent bodies. The only important British honours over which the Prime Minister does not have control are the ], ], and ], and the ], which are all within the "personal gift" of the Sovereign. The extent of the Sovereign's ability to influence the nature of the Prime Ministerial advice is unknown, but probably varies depending upon the personal relationship between the Sovereign and the Prime Minister of the day. | |||
] | |||
] | |||
The personal protection of the prime minister<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stacey |first=Kiran |date=27 October 2014 |title=Police to review security after man runs into David Cameron |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a0fd7b08-5def-11e4-b7a2-00144feabdc0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/a0fd7b08-5def-11e4-b7a2-00144feabdc0 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |access-date=26 February 2021 |quote=The force said: "The MPS Specialist Protection Command is responsible for the personal protection of the prime minister"}}</ref> and former prime ministers<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 September 2008 |title=Tony Blair's bodyguard left gun in Starbuck's toilet |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2679015/Tony-Blairs-bodyguard-left-gun-in-Starbucks-toilet.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2679015/Tony-Blairs-bodyguard-left-gun-in-Starbucks-toilet.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=26 February 2021 |website=Daily Telegraph |quote=The SO1 unit – full name Specialist Protection Command – is responsible for the personal safety of Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former Prime Ministers Mr Blair and Margaret Thatcher.}}{{cbignore}}; {{Cite web |date=12 March 2020 |title=Cottage next to David Cameron's Dean home destroyed in suspected arson |url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18301351.cottage-next-david-camerons-dean-home-destroyed-suspected-arson |access-date=26 February 2021 |website=Oxford Mail |quote=The fire will raise questions about security for Mr Cameron, 53, who as a former Prime Minister has lifelong personal protection from the Specialist Protection Branch of the Metropolitan Police Service Protection Command.}}</ref> is the responsibility of ] within the ]. When the prime minister resides in 10 Downing Street, they are constantly surrounded by armed police units with "airport-style" security checkpoints, large metal gates, street patrols and heavy vetting for staff and non-ministerial individuals. Such installations were introduced due to fears of ] bomb threats and attacks which were persistent during ]. When travelling, the prime minister will be accompanied by a select group of police officers joined by a wider team of security personnel. On the road, the prime ministerial entourage will be followed by police outriders on motorbikes to clear a path in the traffic and to stop them from being a sitting target.<sup><ref>{{Cite web |title=What security does the prime minister have? |url=https://news.sky.com/story/what-security-does-the-prime-minister-have-12932957 |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=Sky News |language=en}}</ref></sup> The fleet of ]s provides the prime minister with a number of security features as well as transport. The vehicles are driven by officers from this unit.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SO1 Specialist Protection |url=http://www.eliteukforces.info/police/SO1-specialist-protection |access-date=18 May 2019 |website=www.eliteukforces.info}}</ref> These vehicles are often custom made and always British manufactured with in-built gun ports, an independent oxygen supply and the ability to release tear gas to subdue angry crowds.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Mikey |date=2014-10-27 |title=David Cameron's security: The people who protect the Prime Minister |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/david-camerons-security-people-who-4518310 |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=The Mirror |language=en}}</ref> ] is provided by a variety of military and civilian operators. | |||
There exist several limits on the powers of the Prime Minister. Firstly, he or she is (theoretically at least) only a ] in the Cabinet. The extent of a Prime Minister's power over the Cabinet may vary. In some cases, the Prime Minister may be a mere figurehead, with actual power being wielded by one or more other individuals. Weak or titular Prime Ministers were more common prior to the twentieth century; examples include ] and ]. | |||
At the opposite extreme, however, Prime Ministers may dominate the Cabinet so much that they become "Semi-Presidents." Examples of dominant Prime Ministers (more common during the late nineteenth and the twentieth centuries) include ], ], ], ], ] (who was powerful enough as to be able to organise her Cabinet without regard to Parliamentary conventions), and ]. The powers of some Prime Ministers waxed or waned, depending upon their own level of energy, political skills or outside events: ], for example, was dominant in his Labour governments, but during his ] his powers diminished so that by his final years in Downing Street he was merely the figurehead of the government. In modern times, Prime Ministers have never been merely titular; dominant or somewhat dominant personalities are the norm. | |||
===International role=== | |||
The Prime Minister's powers are also limited by the House of Commons, whose support the Government is obliged to maintain. The House of Commons checks the powers of the Prime Minister through committee hearings and through ], a weekly occurrence in which the Prime Minister is obliged to respond to the questions of the Leader of the Opposition and other members of the House. In practice, however, a Government with a strong majority need rarely fear "backbench rebellions." | |||
{{Main|List of international trips made by prime ministers of the United Kingdom}} | |||
One of the roles of the prime minister is to represent the UK at home and abroad,<ref>{{cite web |title=Power and decision-making in the UK |work=BBC Bitesize |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zwypxfr/revision/4 |access-date=13 March 2021 |quote=The PM has several roles including:... representing the UK at home and abroad}}</ref> for example at the annual ]. The prime minister makes many international trips. According to ], the number of overseas visits for the prime minister has gone up.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Andrew |last1=Blick |first2=George |last2=Jones |title=The power of the Prime Minister |url=http://health-equity.pitt.edu/4042/1/policy-paper-102.html |website=health-equity.pitt.edu/ |access-date=21 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402125443/http://health-equity.pitt.edu/4042/1/policy-paper-102.html|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
=== Deputy === | |||
Members of Parliament may hold ministerial offices (by convention up to 90 offices, or varying levels of seniority, exist), and may fear removal for failing to support the Prime Minister. Party discipline, furthermore, is very strong; a Member of Parliament may be expelled from his or her party for failing to support the Government on important issues, and although this will not mean he or she must resign as an MP, it would make re-election difficult for most. Restraints imposed by the House of Commons grow even weaker when the Government's party enjoys a large majority in that House. In general, the Prime Minister and his or her colleagues may secure the House's support for almost any bill. | |||
{{Main|Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom}} | |||
Prime ministers have had various deputies, sometimes as an official ], ] or ''de facto'' deputy. Some prime ministers have not chosen a deputy at all, preferring ''ad hoc'' arrangements.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Norton|first=Philip|title=Governing Britain: Parliament, Ministers and Our Ambiguous Constitution|publisher=]|year=2020|isbn=9-781526-145451|pages=142}}</ref> | |||
Historically, the position of deputy prime minister has been created out of political necessity rather than being established by statutory law or convention with the title not being defined in the constitution.{{Sfn|Bagehot|1867|p=65–69}} The position was first created (unofficially) for ] in Prime Minister ]'s ] during ], in order to manage administrative duties, domestic affairs and welfare, while Churchill focused on military strategy.{{Sfn|Brazier|1988|p=134–137}} In recent times, after the ] resulted in a ], the leaders of the ] and the ], ] and ], formed a ] in which Clegg served as deputy prime minister. In that capacity, Clegg chaired cabinet meetings, key committees and led negotiations on major reforms. As such, the office saw an unusual level of formalisation and recognition during Clegg's tenure.{{Sfn|Bogdanor|2009|p=212–214}} | |||
The House of Lords is considerably less restrictive of the Prime Minister's power. Under the ], the House of Lords normally does not seek to oppose any measure promised by the Government in its election manifesto. When the House of Lords does oppose the Prime Minister, it is generally ineffectual in defeating entire Bills (though almost all Bills are successfully modified by the Upper House during their passage through Parliament). Peers (members of the House of Lords) are created by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister; by obtaining the creation of several new peers, the Prime Minister may flood the House of Lords with individuals supportive of his position. The threat of such a tactic was used in 1911 to ensure the passage of the ], which, together with the Parliament Act 1949, reduces the House of Lords's powers and establishes the supremacy of the Commons (in particular, the House of Lords can only delay, but not reject, most bills on which the Commons insist). The 1949 Parliament Act is, however, the subject of a current legal challenge as to its efficacy. | |||
==== Succession ==== | |||
The role and power of the Prime Minister have been subject to much change in the last fifty years. There has gradually been a change from Cabinet decision making and deliberation to the dominance of the Prime Minister. As early as 1965, in a new introduction to ]'s classic work ], ] identified a new era of "Prime Ministerial" government. Some commentators, such as the political scientist Michael Foley, have argued there is a ''de facto'' "British Presidency". In Tony Blair's government, many sources such as former ministers have suggested that decision-making is centered around him and Gordon Brown, and the Cabinet is no longer used for decision making <ref>Chapter 12 Blair's Cabinet: Monarchy Returns, British Government in Crisis, Christopher Foster, Hart Publishing, 2005</ref>. Former ministers such as ] and ] have criticized the total lack of decision-making in Cabinet. On her resignation, Short denounced "the centralisation of power into the hands of the Prime Minister and an increasingly small number of advisers"<ref>, ], 12 May, 2003. Accessed April 23, 2006.</ref> The ] of 2004 condemned Blair's style of "sofa government". | |||
Nobody has the right of automatic succession to the prime ministership.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brazier |first=Rodney |title=Choosing a Prime Minister: The Transfer of Power in Britain |publisher=] |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-19-885929-1 |pages=174}}</ref> It is generally considered that in the event of the death of the prime minister, it would be appropriate to appoint an interim prime minister, though there is some debate as to how to decide who this should be.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Norton |first=Philip |date=2016 |title=A temporary occupant of No.10? Prime Ministerial succession in the event of the death of the incumbent |journal=] |pages=34}}</ref> | |||
According to ], there are no procedures within government to cope with the sudden death of the prime minister.<ref>{{Harvnb|Brazier|2020|page=84}}</ref> There is also no such title as acting prime minister of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Harvnb|Brazier|2020|page=68}}</ref> Despite refusing "...to discuss a hypothetical situation" with ] in 2011,<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 December 2011 |title=MP urges 'line of succession' rules for prime minister |work=] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-16283292 |access-date=6 June 2021}}</ref> the ] said the following in 2006:<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vennard |first=Andrew |date=2008 |title=Prime Ministerial succession |journal=] |pages=304}}</ref>{{Blockquote|There is no single protocol setting out all of the possible implications. However, the general constitutional position is as set out below. There can be no automatic assumption about who The Queen would ask to act as caretaker Prime Minister in the event of the death of the Prime Minister. The decision is for her under the Royal Prerogative. However, there are some key guiding principles. The Queen would probably be looking for a very senior member of the Government (not necessarily a Commons Minister since this would be a short-term appointment). If there was a recognised deputy to the Prime Minister, used to acting on his behalf in his absences, this could be an important factor. Also important would be the question of who was likely to be in contention to take over long-term as Prime Minister. If the most senior member of the Government was him or herself a contender for the role of Prime Minister, it might be that The Queen would invite a slightly less senior non-contender. In these circumstances, her private secretary would probably take soundings, via the Cabinet Secretary, of members of the Cabinet, to ensure that The Queen invited someone who would be acceptable to the Cabinet to act as their chair during the caretaker period. Once the Party had elected a new leader, that person would, of course, be invited to take over as Prime Minister. | |||
Ultimately, however, the Prime Minister will be held responsible by the nation for the consequences of legislation or of general government policy. Margaret Thatcher's party forced her from power after the introduction of the ]; ] fell from power following the ]; and ] resigned after being criticised for his handling of negotiations with Germany prior to the outbreak of ], and for failing to prevent the fall of ] to the ] onslaught. | |||
}}Additionally, when the prime minister is travelling, it is standard practice for a senior duty minister to be appointed who can attend to urgent business and meetings if required, though the prime minister remains in charge and updated throughout.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mason |first=Chris |date=15 August 2016 |title=Is Boris Johnson running the country? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/37086680 |access-date=19 March 2021 |website=]}}</ref> | |||
On 6 April 2020, when ] was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit of St Thomas' Hospital, when suffering from COVID-19, he asked ] "to deputise for him where necessary".<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 April 2020 |title=Statement from Downing Street: 6 April 2020 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-downing-street-6-april-2020 |access-date=19 March 2021 |website=]}}</ref> | |||
==Precedence and privileges== | |||
] and ] at the main door to ], the Prime Minister's residence in ].]]The Prime Minister had no special precedence until the ] first recognized the office in 1905. Throughout the United Kingdom, he outranks all others except the Royal Family, the ], and senior ecclesiastical functionaries (in ], the ] Archbishops of Canterbury and York; in ], the Lord High Commissioner and the ] of the ]; in ], the ] and ] Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the ]). | |||
===Resignation=== | |||
The Prime Minister draws his or her salary not as Prime Minister, but as First Lord of the Treasury. At present, he or she receives £124,837, in addition to his or her salary as a Member of Parliament (£59,095). Although the Prime Minister is undoubtedly the most powerful figure in British government, his or her compensation is not the highest amongst ministers: that distinction goes to the Lord Chancellor. However, the current Lord Chancellor receives a Cabinet Minister(Lords) salary of £101,668. This is because he is called by choice the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs. If he was given the salary of the Lord Chancellor it would be £213,899. | |||
] announces his resignation outside 10 Downing Street, 5 July 2024.]] | |||
A prime minister ends their tenure by offering their resignation to the British monarch.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The appointment of prime ministers and the role of the Queen |url=https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/appointment-prime-ministers |access-date=23 February 2021 |website=] |date=13 September 2019 |quote=The incumbent prime minister informs Buckingham Palace that they will be resigning. There is then a well-rehearsed sequence of events in which the outgoing prime minister travels to see the Queen and formally tenders his or her resignation.}}</ref> This can happen after their party has suffered a ] defeat, so that they no longer command the confidence of the House of Commons. It can also happen mid-term, if they are forced to resign for political reasons,<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Mikhailova |first1=Anna |last2=Yorke |first2=Harry |date=16 May 2019 |title=Tearful Theresa May forced to agree to stand down: PM out by June 30 at the latest |work=Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/05/16/brexit-latest-news-theresa-may-set-showdown-meeting-senior-tories |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=26 February 2021 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/05/16/brexit-latest-news-theresa-may-set-showdown-meeting-senior-tories |archive-date=10 January 2022 |quote=During an emotionally-charged meeting with senior members of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs, Mrs May was forced to agree to stand down within weeks so the Conservatives can elect a new leader before Parliament's summer recess.}}{{cbignore}}</ref> or for other reasons such as ill-health.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 January 1957 |title=1957: Sir Anthony Eden resigns |work=BBC ON THIS DAY |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/9/newsid_2800000/2800833.stm |access-date=22 February 2021 |quote=Sir Anthony Eden has resigned as prime minister of Britain due to ill health.}}; {{Cite web |date=10 January 1957 |title=Sir Anthony Eden resigns |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/1957/jan/10/conservatives.past |access-date=22 February 2021 |website=The Guardian |quote=Sir Anthony Eden resigned the office of Prime Minister yesterday because, in the opinion of four doctors, "his health will no longer enable him to sustain the heavy burdens inseparable from the office of Prime Minister."}}</ref> If the prime minister resigns mid-term, and their party has a majority in the Commons, the party selects a new leader according to its rules, and this new leader is invited by the monarch to become the new prime minister. The outgoing prime minister is likely to remain in post until the new leader has been chosen by the party. After resigning, the outgoing prime minister remains a ]. An outgoing prime minister can ask the monarch to bestow honours on any number of people of their choosing, known as the ]. No incumbent prime minister has ever lost their own seat at a general election.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What happens if a prime minister loses their seat in a general election? |url=https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/prime-minister-lost-seat-general-election |access-date=22 February 2021 |website=] |date=27 November 2019 |quote=Has a prime minister ever lost their seat? No incumbent prime minister has ever lost his or her seat at a general election.}}</ref> Only one prime minister has been assassinated: ]. | |||
==Privileges == | |||
The Prime Minister traditionally resides at ] in ], which George II offered to Sir Robert Walpole as a personal gift. Walpole, however, only accepted it as the official home of the First Lord, taking up his residence there in 1735. One may note that the Prime Minister only resides in 10 Downing Street in his or her capacity as First Lord; the few nineteenth century Prime Ministers who were not First Lords were forced to live elsewhere. Though most First Lords have lived in 10 Downing Street, some have preferred to reside in their private residences. Furthermore, some such as ] and ] have lived in ] whilst 10 Downing Street was undergoing renovations or repairs. | |||
{{Main|List of peerages held by prime ministers of the United Kingdom|Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom}} | |||
On taking office a new prime minister usually makes a public statement to announce to the country that they have been appointed by the reigning monarch (called "]"). This is usually done by saying words to the effect of: | |||
Adjacent to Downing Street is ], the home of the Second Lord of the Treasury (who, in modern times, has also filled the office of Chancellor of the Exchequer). After he became Prime Minister in 1997, Tony Blair found 10 Downing Street too meagre for his large family, and he swapped residences with the Chancellor and Second Lord, ]. However, the Prime Ministerial offices are still maintained in Number 10. ] is the residence of the ], and these are the only three residences remaining in the road. | |||
{{Blockquote | |||
The Prime Minister is also entitled to use the country house of ] in ]. | |||
| His Majesty the King '''' has asked me to form a government and I have accepted.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cameron |first=David |date=11 May 2010 |title=David Cameron becomes PM: Full Downing Street statement |agency=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8676405.stm |access-date=11 May 2010}}; {{YouTube|id=TezCBzlB3d8|title=Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrives at Downing Street}}; {{YouTube|id=Ebj1vT7CMyk|title=Transfer of Power from James Callaghan to Margaret Thatcher}}; {{Cite news |last=May |first=Theresa |date=13 July 2016 |title=Prime Minister Theresa May promises 'a better Britain' – the full speech |agency=] |url=https://www.totalpolitics.com/articles/news/prime-minster-theresa-may-promises-better-britain-full-speech |access-date=13 July 2016}}</ref>}} | |||
=== Precedence and form of address === | |||
The Prime Minister, like other Cabinet Ministers and senior Members of Parliament, is customarily a member of the Privy Council; thus, he or she becomes entitled to prefix "]" to his or her name. Membership of the Council is retained for life (unless the individual resigns it, or is expelled—both rare phenomena). It is a constitutional convention that only a Privy Counsellor can be appointed Prime Minister, but invariably all potential candidates have already attained this status. The only occasion when a non-Privy Councillor was the natural appointment was Ramsay MacDonald in 1924, but the issue was resolved by appointing him to the Council immediately prior to his appointment as Prime Minister. | |||
Ministerial listings are printed in the official records of parliament known as "Hansard", and 1885 was the first known instance of official use of the title of Prime Minister. The minutes of the first meeting of the Committee of Imperial Defence in 1902 saw the first internal reference to the title as well. The 1904 edition of the Imperial Calendar referred to the then Prime Minister, Arthur Balfour, as 'Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury'; in the previous edition he was merely 'First Lord of the Treasury and Lord Privy Seal'.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The Institution of Prime Minister – History of government |url=https://history.blog.gov.uk/2012/01/01/the-institution-of-prime-minister/ |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=history.blog.gov.uk}} ] Text was copied from this source, which is available under an . © Crown copyright.</ref> | |||
Throughout the United Kingdom, the prime minister outranks all other dignitaries except members of the royal family, the ], and senior ecclesiastical figures.{{refn| | |||
==Retirement honours== | |||
These include: in ], the ] archbishops of Canterbury and York; in Scotland, the lord high commissioner and the ]; in ], the ] and Roman Catholic archbishops of Armagh and Dublin and the ] of the ].|group= n}} The prime minister was officially granted a place in the order of precedence in December 1905, and the first statutory reference to the Prime Minister was present in the Chequers Estate Act 1917, which specified Chequers as a prime-ministerial residence. Public recognition of the existence of a 'Prime Minister's Office' in the Civil Service Yearbook came as recently as the 1977 edition.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
It is customary for the Sovereign to grant a Prime Minister some honour or dignity when that individual retires from politics. The honour commonly, but not invariably, bestowed on Prime Ministers is membership of the United Kingdom's most senior order of chivalry, the ]. The practice of creating retired Prime Ministers Knights of the Garter has been fairly prevalent since the middle-nineteenth century. On the retirement of a Prime Minister who is Scottish, it is likely that the primarily Scottish honour of the ] would be used instead of the Order of the Garter, which is generally regarded as an English honour. | |||
The prime minister is customarily a member of the ] and thus entitled to the appellation "]". Membership of the council is retained for life. It is a constitutional convention that only a privy counsellor can be appointed prime minister. Most potential candidates have already attained this status. The only case when a non-privy counsellor was the natural appointment was ] in 1924. The issue was resolved by appointing him to the Council immediately prior to his appointment as prime minister. | |||
It has also been common for Prime Ministers to be granted ]s upon their retirement from the premiership. (The grant of a peerage, which elevates the individual to the ], may be delayed if the Prime Minister wishes to stay in the ] for some more time.) Formerly, the peerage bestowed was usually an ] (which was always hereditary). However, since the 1960s, hereditary peerages have generally been eschewed, and ]s have been preferred. The granting of hereditary peerages was briefly renewed during the 1980s, when former Prime Minister ] was created ], but has not since been continued (neither ] nor ] accepted hereditary peerages, although Margaret Thatcher holds the non-hereditary title of ] Thatcher), and her husband, the late Sir ], Bt, was created a ] (which is an hereditary title). | |||
According to the now-defunct ], the prime minister is made a privy counsellor as a result of taking office and should be addressed by the official title prefixed by "The Right Honourable" and not by a personal name.{{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date=July 2016}} Although this form of address is employed on formal occasions, it is rarely used by the media. As "prime minister" is a position, not a title, the incumbent should be referred to as "the prime minister", although the title "Prime Minister" (e.g. "Prime Minister Keir Starmer") has become commonplace within current political reporting.<ref>{{cite web |title=Life after the premiership of Tony Blair |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tony-Blair/Life-after-the-premiership |website=Britannica.com|date=18 July 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Gordon Brown: Labour plan would make UK work for Scotland |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-63853652 |access-date=6 November 2023 |work=BBC News |date=5 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Castel |first1=Steven |title=The Race for a New British Prime Minister Begins, Again |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/21/world/europe/british-prime-minister-race.html |access-date=6 November 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=21 October 2022}}</ref> Within the UK, the expression "Prime Minister Starmer" is never used, although it, too, is sometimes used by foreign dignitaries and news sources.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} | |||
Of the eighteen Prime Ministers since 1902 (excluding the current holder of the office), eight have been created both peers and Knights of the Garter; three have only been created peers; three have only become Knights of the Garter; and four have not been granted either honour—in two cases due to their death while still active in politics, in two others out of a wish to die a commoner. | |||
<!-- Campbell-Bannerman and Bonar Law left office and died immediately. Macdonald and Chamberlain were both offered honours in their last year but both declined. --> | |||
=== Compensation === | |||
The retired Prime Ministers who are still living are: | |||
In 2010, the prime minister received £14,500 in addition to a salary of £65,737 as a member of parliament.<ref name=":1">{{Citation |title=A new politics: cutting Ministerial pay |date=13 May 2010 |url=http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/latest-news/2010/05/a-new-politics-cutting-ministerial-pay-50065 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618230623/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/latest-news/2010/05/a-new-politics-cutting-ministerial-pay-50065 |publisher=Number10.gov.uk |access-date=19 June 2010 |archive-date=18 June 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Until 2006, the ] was the highest-paid member of the government, ahead of the prime minister. This reflected the lord chancellor's position at the head of the ]. The ] eliminated the lord chancellor's judicial functions and also reduced the office's salary to below that of the prime minister. During the ], the prime minister received an salary of £193,885 on 1 April 2009 which was higher than the salary of £166,786 as of 2024. The reasons for such reductions are Brown's cuts to voluntary pay at around £150,000 during pre-election in the May 2010 election, and when David Cameron became prime minister the cuts were extended to 5%, amounting at around £142,500. Subsequent prime ministers have kept the restraint on ministerial pay and have not taken any further pay outside of what they are entitled.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chart of the week: Prime Minister's salary |url=https://www.icaew.com/insights/viewpoints-on-the-news/2024/sep-2024/chart-of-the-week-prime-ministers-salary |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.icaew.com |language=en}}</ref> According to journalist Simon Kelner, the salary of the prime minister must be increased and that further expansion of a salary or hospitality received by a prime minister is disavowed under the ] which only criminalised voter bribery and introduced standards for election expenses, and "created a more level playing field for parliamentary candidates". Kelner said that it is a inadequate way of holding a prime minister into account. This was in respone to the ], in which the current prime minister, ], having reportedly failed to disclose the amount of gifts and "freebies" received by him, members of his family and cabinet.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Features |first=Simon Wilson published in |date=2024-10-07 |title=How much does the prime minister get paid? |url=https://moneyweek.com/economy/uk-economy/how-much-does-the-prime-minister-get-paid |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=moneyweekuk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelner |first=Simon |date=2024-09-20 |title=The real problem is that Keir Starmer is not paid enough |url=https://inews.co.uk/opinion/the-real-problem-is-that-keir-starmer-is-not-paid-enough-3285448 |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=inews.co.uk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=September 19, 2024 |title=UK PM Starmer accepted more gifts than any other member of parliament, Sky News reports |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-starmer-accepted-more-gifts-than-any-other-member-parliament-sky-news-2024-09-18/ |work=Reuters}}</ref> | |||
*] <small>]</small> | |||
*] <small>]</small> | |||
=== Official residences === | |||
In November 2004, the polling company MORI, in association with the ], questioned 258 political science academics in the United Kingdom (139 of whom replied) on the perceived success of twentieth century Prime Ministers. The showed that ] was rated as most successful, followed by Churchill and Lloyd George. ] was rated as the least successful. | |||
10 Downing Street, in ], has been the ] of the prime minister since 1732; they are entitled to use its staff and facilities, including extensive offices. The building was originally given by ] to Robert Walpole, widely regarded as the nation's first prime minister, as a personal gift. However, Walpole insisted that he would accept it in his capacity as first lord of the Treasury and requested that his subsequent successors be entitled to reside in and use the property as they wish.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of 10 Downing Street - GOV.UK |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/history/10-downing-street |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=www.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> The complex incorporates the flats of No.11 and No.12 Downing Street, which have been reconstructed through to connect them to No.10. Altogether, the three buildings contain over 100 rooms.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-08 |title=No.10 Downing Street |url=https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/no10-downing-street |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=Institute for Government |language=en}}</ref> | |||
{{Multiple image | |||
==List of Prime Ministers== | |||
| perrow = 1 | |||
] is the current Prime Minister.]] | |||
| header = Prime ministerial residences | |||
For the complete list of British Prime Ministers, see ]. | |||
| image1 = Larry the cat outside 10 Downing St.jpg | |||
| image2 = Chequers (cropped).jpg | |||
| caption1 = ], the official place of residence of the prime minister | |||
| caption2 = ], used by the prime minister as a country retreat | |||
}} | |||
], a ] in Buckinghamshire, gifted to the government in 1917, may be used as a country retreat for the prime minister. The estate was previously owned by the ] minister and ], ], before being donated to the British government under the ]. It was to give the incumbent prime minister the time to "spend two days a week in the high and pure air of the Chiltern hills and woods" and on the condition that incumbent should not own any residential country estate of their own.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sommerlad |first=Joe |date=13 July 2018 |title=Chequers: A brief history of the British prime minister's country residence |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chequers-uk-prime-minister-where-residence-trump-visit-theresa-may-buckinghamshire-a8445321.html |website=The Independent |access-date=9 October 2024 |archive-date=3 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203232849/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chequers-uk-prime-minister-where-residence-trump-visit-theresa-may-buckinghamshire-a8445321.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Baldwin |first=Sian |date=2024-08-13 |title=Chequers: Where is the Prime Minister's country house and who owns it? |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/chequers-prime-minister-country-house-location-b1032991.html |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}}</ref> | |||
Looking back at the eighteenth century, it is often unclear who should be considered the Prime Minister, with holders of the offices of ], ], and ] all at one time or another acting as the principal minister in various governments. For instance, ] ] from 1742 to 1744 and William Pitt the Elder as ] from 1756 to 1757 and again from 1757 to 1761 had many of the powers of a Prime Ministers, although other men held the principal office of First Lord of the Treasury. This list follows conventional practice in not listing such figures as Prime Ministers. | |||
During the 18th and 19th centuries, many prime ministers were members of the ] and therefore held the office whilst serving in the ]. Through lineage and inheritance, these prime ministers acquired large estates, though they still owned properties in London for political affairs and many used ] as a retreat. Until the mid-20th Century, parliamentary sessions did not begin until the ] after ending in August, which would give the prime minister long periods in respite.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prime Ministerial Residences in History |url=https://www.museumofpm.org/prime-ministerial-residencies-london-elsewhere/prime-ministerial-residences-in-history/ |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=Museum of the Prime Minister |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
There are, however, two exceptions to this generalisation. Firstly, in 1766, William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (previously William Pitt the Elder) was asked by the King to form a ministry, but chose to take the office of Lord Privy Seal instead of the position of First Lord. Nevertheless, he is generally considered to have served as Prime Minister, for the King had asked him to form a Government. Similarly, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, was asked to form ministries thrice, though he only served as First Lord for a short part of his second term. Lord Salisbury is also listed as a Prime Minister, though he was not First Lord, again because the Queen had asked him to form the ministry. Such considerations make the earlier part of the list somewhat less authoritative in its determination of who, exactly, was Prime Minister at such times. | |||
<br clear=left>{{UKPrimeMinisters}} | |||
== Post-premiership == | |||
==See also== | |||
*] | |||
=== Retirement honours === | |||
*] | |||
] | |||
*] | |||
Upon retirement, it is customary for the sovereign to grant a prime minister some honour or dignity. The honour bestowed is commonly, but not invariably, membership of the UK's most senior order of chivalry, the ]. The practice of creating a retired prime minister a Knight Companion of the Garter (KG) has been fairly prevalent since the mid-nineteenth century. Upon the retirement of a prime minister who is Scottish, it is likely that the primarily Scottish honour of ] (KT) will be used instead of the Order of the Garter, which is generally regarded as an English honour.{{refn|This circumstance is somewhat confused, however, as since the Great Reform Act 1832, only seven Scots have served as prime minister. Of these, two – ] and ] – died while still sitting in the Commons, not yet having retired; MacDonald was offered the KT in 1935, but declined it as acceptance would have conflicted with his principles as a Labour Party member.<ref>{{cite book |last=Vickers |first=Hugo |date=1994 |title=Royal Orders |location=Great Britain |publisher=Boxtree Limited |page=55 |isbn=1852835109}}</ref> The ] was appointed to ''both'' the Order of the Garter and the Order of the Thistle, while ] became a KT while Foreign Secretary. Yet another, ], was appointed to the Order of the Garter, but represented an English constituency and may not have considered himself entirely Scottish; of the remaining two, the ] became a KG, and ] remained in the House of Commons as a ] until 2015.|group= n}} | |||
*] | |||
Historically it has also been common to grant prime ministers a ] upon retirement from the Commons, elevating the individual to the Lords. Formerly, the peerage bestowed was usually an ]dom.{{refn|Churchill was offered a ] but declined.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rasor |first=Eugene L. |url=https://archive.org/details/winstonschurchil00raso |title=Winston S. Churchill, 1874–1965: a comprehensive historiography and annotated bibliography |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-313-30546-7 |page= |url-access=registration}}</ref>|group= n}} The last such creation was for ], who resigned in 1963. Unusually, he became ] only in 1984, over twenty years after leaving office. | |||
Macmillan's successors ], ], ], ], ], and ] all accepted ]ages (although Douglas-Home had previously disclaimed his hereditary title as ] and Cameron received a peerage after reentering Government as Foreign Secretary, not for services as a former Prime Minister). ] did not accept a peerage of any kind; neither have any of the prime ministers who have retired since 1990 other than Cameron (having done so to re-join the Cabinet, rather than as an honour per se) and May. Edward Heath (in 1992), ] (in 2005) and ] (in 2022) were appointed as Knights Companion of the Garter. Major (in 1998) and ] (in 2024) were appointed members of the ], although Blair had previously disclosed that he did not want honours bestowed on himself or future prime ministers. | |||
The most recent former prime minister to die was Margaret Thatcher (1979–1990) on 8 April 2013. Her death meant that for the first time since 1955 (the year in which the ] was created, subsequent to the death of ] in 1947) the membership of the House of Lords included no former prime minister, a situation which remained the case until David Cameron was appointed to the House in November 2023. | |||
=== Activities === | |||
There are currently no established roles or job positions for former prime ministers following their resignations or after leaving office unexpectedly. It depends on their personal choice and reasons surrounding the need to take on such positions. During the 18th and 19th centuries, many former prime ministers, who were wealthy members of the ], would often simply retire to their country estates. The first prime minister, ], accumulated large personal wealth while serving in office and from previous investments made in the 1710s. Prime Ministers ] and ] were among the wealthiest men in the country during their retirements and are often touted as some of the wealthiest to serve as in office. However some prime ministers, such as ] and his son ], amassed large public debts that were later paid off by parliament. In 1937, a official pension for former prime ministers was given at the sum of £2000 per annum.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Former Prime Ministers – History of government |url=https://history.blog.gov.uk/2012/11/01/former-prime-ministers/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=history.blog.gov.uk}}</ref> | |||
In their retirements, a majority of former prime ministers have written memoirs and autobiographies. Some prime ministers have also written non-political books as well, including Winston Churchill's histories of ] and of the ],<ref>{{Cite web |last=pixelstorm |date=2008-10-17 |title=The Books of Sir Winston Churchill |url=https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/reference/the-books-of-sir-winston-churchill/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=International Churchill Society |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=pixelstorm |date=2009-01-07 |title=Churchill the Writer: His Life as a Man of Letters |url=https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/reference/churchill-the-writer-his-life-as-a-man-of-letters/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=International Churchill Society |language=en-US}}</ref> ]'s books on his wider interests in sailing, music and travel, Major's history of cricket<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mosey |first=Roger |date=2007-05-19 |title=Playing a straight bat |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/may/19/featuresreviews.guardianreview10 |access-date=2024-10-31 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-05-19 |title=A Politician addicted to spin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph-a-politician-addicte/130674581/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}}</ref> and Arthur Balfour's philosophical writings.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Root |first=John David |date=1980 |title=The Philosophical and Religious Thought of Arthur James Balfour (1848-1930) |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-british-studies/article/abs/philosophical-and-religious-thought-of-arthur-james-balfour-18481930/A1BF68053D5643185DC06E36B91B15DF |journal=Journal of British Studies |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=120–141 |doi=10.1086/385758 |via=Cambridge University Press}}</ref> Some prime ministers such as ] mainly wrote tracts and tomes on theology and religion<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gladstone's Writing |url=https://www.gladstoneslibrary.org/reading-rooms/digital-gladstone/gladstones-writing |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Gladstone's Library |language=en-GB}}</ref> and ] wrote many best-selling novels in addition to memoirs and history.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Benjamin Disraeli: Literary Contribution as Novelist |url=https://www.englishliterature.info/2021/08/benjamin-disraeli-literary-writings.html |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Literature Analysis}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |title=The best and worst memoirs by British prime ministers |url=https://www.economist.com/the-economist-reads/2024/07/03/the-best-and-worst-memoirs-by-british-prime-ministers |access-date=2024-10-08 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> | |||
] (on the left) served in the government of his successor, ] (on the right), twice.]] | |||
In the 21st century, many former prime ministers have set up their own foundations and charities to be used as a platform to continue involvement in political and public issues after they leave office.<ref name=":2" /> In 1991, ] became the first prime minister to set up her own foundation to try to secure her legacy and propagate her ideology known as ], but it closed down in 2005.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barkham |first=Patrick |date=2005-05-10 |title=End of an era for Thatcher foundation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/may/11/conservatives.politics |access-date=2024-10-08 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Tony Blair has set up a sports foundation, an inter-faith foundation and the ] in 2016.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-12-01 |title=Tony Blair Institute 'to focus on making globalisation work' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-38167749 |access-date=2024-10-08 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}|</ref> In his post-premiership, Blair is also the first prime minister to take on a major international role, as an official envoy of the ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-05-27 |title=Tony Blair quits Middle East envoy role |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-32905468 |access-date=2024-10-08 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> ] was actively involved in politics long after he left office, most notably during the ], in which he campaigned for the no vote that advocated Scotland to remain in the union.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Freedland |first=Jonathan |date=2014-06-27 |title=Gordon Brown is back, and may be the man to save the union |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/27/gordon-brown-union-scottish-independence |access-date=2024-10-09 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Boffey |first=Daniel |date=2014-09-20 |title=Gordon Brown tells Scots: I'll make sure Westminster keeps promises |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/20/gordon-brown-scotland-labour-party-strategy |access-date=2024-10-09 |work=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref> | |||
However, some former prime ministers have returned to serve in the governments of their successors, and a few have had 'retreads' that saw them serve short tenures due to their successors unexpectedly resigning or passing away. Notable cases include the ] who, after serving two brief terms in office, was able to command significant influence as a senior member of the ] and returned to serve in two governments of his successor, ], as ] and ]. He later retired to serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Army from 1842 until his death in 1852.<ref name=":2" /> Arthur Balfour served as prime minister for three years of his term after he was defeated in the ] and later went on to serve as the ] for eleven years in the ] during and after ] under three prime ministers. After ] resigned as prime minister in May 1940, he returned to serve under Winston Churchill in his subsequent ]. ], who resigned after losing the ], later came to serve in the cabinet of Edward Heath in 1970.<ref>{{Cite web |title=British Prime Ministers who returned to government |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-prime-ministers-who-returned-to-government |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref> | |||
=== {{anchor|Public Duty Costs Allowance|PDCA}} Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA) === | |||
All former prime ministers are entitled to claim for salary or office expenses incurred in fulfilling public duties in that role. The allowance may not be used to pay for private or parliamentary duties. It is administered by the Cabinet Office Finance Team. | |||
The maximum amount which may be claimed per year is £115,000, plus 10% towards any staff pension costs. This limit is reviewed annually, and at the start of each Parliament, by the current prime minister. The maximum level may be adjusted downwards if the former prime minister receives any public funds for fulfilling other public appointments.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Public Duty Costs Allowance guidance |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-duty-cost-allowance/public-duty-costs-allowance-guidance |access-date=2 November 2022 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref> Downing Street confirmed in November 2023 that former prime minister David Cameron would not claim from the PDCA ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Allegretti |first=Steven Swinford, Chris Smyth, Laurence Sleator, Oliver Wright, Geraldine Scott, Matt Dathan, Aubrey |date=25 November 2023 |title=MP files letter of no confidence in Rishi Sunak as reshuffle backlash begins — as it happened |newspaper=] |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rishi-sunak-cabinet-reshuffle-2023-latest-news-suella-braverman-whvp0c88l |access-date=25 November 2023 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> | |||
== See also == | |||
===Lists of prime ministers by different criteria=== | |||
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==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
{{reflist|group=n}} | |||
<div class="references-small"> | |||
{{notelist}} | |||
<references /> | |||
</div> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | |||
<div class="references-small"> | |||
* | |||
===Works cited === | |||
*Farnborough, Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron. (1896). ''Constitutional History of England since the Accession of George the Third,'' 11th ed. London: Longmans, Green and Co. | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Bagehot |first=Walter |title=The English Constitution |date=1867 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-953901-7}} | |||
* | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Bagehot |first=Walter |title=The English Constitution |publisher=Wm. Collins & Sons |year=1963 |isbn=978-0-521-46535-9 |ref=Bagehot |author-link=Walter Bagehot |orig-year=1867}} | |||
* | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Barnett |first=Hilaire |title=Constitutional & Administrative Law |publisher=Routledge-Cavendish |year=2009 |edition=7th |location=Abingdon, Oxfordshire |ref=Barnett}} | |||
</div> | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Bogdanor |first=Vernon |title=The Monarchy and the Constitution |date=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-829334-7}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Bogdanor |first=Vernon |title=The New British Constitution |date=2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-1841136714}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Brazier |first=Rodney |title=Constitutional Practice |date=1988 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-825596-3}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Brazier |first=Rodney |title=Constitutional Reform |date=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0198765233}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Chrimes |first=S. B. |title=English Constitutional History |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1947 |isbn=978-0-404-14653-5 |location=Oxford |ref=Chrimes}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last1=Craig |first1=Paul |title=The Executive and Public Law: Power and Accountability in Comparative Perspective |last2=Tomkins |first2=Adam |date=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-826869-7}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last1=Drewry |first1=Gavin |title=Parliament and the Law |last2=Horne |first2=Alexander |date=2018 |publisher=Hart Publishing |isbn=978-1849462952}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Hanchant |first=W.L. |title=England Is Here—Speeches and Writings of the Prime Ministers of England |publisher=Bodley Head |year=1943 |ref=Hanchant}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Hazell |first=Robert |title= The Politics of Coalition: How the Conservative - Liberal Democrat Government Works |date=2012 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1849463102}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=King |first=Anthony |title=The British Constitution |date=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-957698-2}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Le May |first=G. H. L. |title=The Victorian Constitution, Conventions, Usages and Contingencies |publisher=Duckworth |year=1979 |ref=Le May}} | |||
* {{cite book |title=The Governance of England |url=https://archive.org/details/governanceofen00lows |last=Low |first=S. |year=1904 |ref=Low |publisher=T. Fisher Unwin, London |isbn=978-0-521-38155-0}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Leonard |first=Dick |title=A History of British Prime Ministers, Walpole to Cameron |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-137-33804-4 |ref=Leonard}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Norton |first=Philip |title=The British Polity |date=2011 |publisher=Pearson Publishing |isbn=978-0801318436}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Robert |title=Public Law |last2=Elliot |first2=Mark |date=2020 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-885227-8}} | |||
==Further reading== | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Brazier |first=Rodney |title=Ministers of the Crown |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780198724063}} | |||
* {{Cite journal |last1=Denver |first1=David |last2=Garnett |first2=Mark |date=2012 |title=The popularity of British prime ministers. |journal=British Journal of Politics and International Relations |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=57–73 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-856X.2011.00466.x |s2cid=143249516 | issn = 1369-1481 }} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Garnett |first=Mark |title=The British Prime Minister in an Age of Upheaval |date=2021 |publisher=Polity Press |isbn=978-1509539352}} | |||
* {{Cite journal |last1=Kaarbo |first1=Juliet |last2=Hermann |first2=Margaret G. |date=1998 |title=Leadership styles of prime ministers: How individual differences affect the foreign policymaking process. |url=http://panel.inkuba.com/sites/2/archivos/Leadership%203.pdf |journal=Leadership Quarterly |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=243–263 |doi=10.1016/S1048-9843(98)90029-7}} | |||
* {{Cite book | last1 = Kavanagh | first1 = Dennis |last2=Seldon |first2=Anthony |title=The Powers Behind the Prime Minister:The Hidden Influence of Number Ten |date=2018 |publisher=Hart Publishing |isbn=978-0007292066}} | |||
* {{Cite book |title=The British Prime Minister' |date=1985 |publisher=Duke University Press |editor-last=King |editor-first=Anthony Stephen}} | |||
* {{Cite journal |last=Langer |first=Ana Inés |date=2007 |title=A historical exploration of the personalisation of politics in the print media: The British Prime Ministers (1945–1999). |journal=Parliamentary Affairs |volume=60 |issue=3 |pages=371–387 |doi=10.1093/pa/gsm028}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Leyland |first=Peter |title=Constitutional Reform in the United Kingdom |date=2007 |publisher=Hart Publishing |isbn=978-1849461603}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last1=Seldon |first1=Anthony |title=The Impossible Office? The History of the British Prime Minister |last2=Meakin |first2=Jonathan |last3=Thoms |first3=Illias |date=2021 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781316515327 |ol=34770382M}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last1=Strangio |first1=Paul |title=Understanding Prime-Ministerial Performance: Comparative Perspectives |last2=Hart |first2=Paul 't |last3=Walter |first3=James |date=2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199666423}} | |||
* {{Cite journal |last1=Theakston |first1=Kevin |last2=Gill |first2=Mark |date=2006 |title=Rating 20th-century British prime ministers. |journal=British Journal of Politics and International Relations |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=193–213 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-856x.2006.00220.x |s2cid=145216328}} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Thomson |first=George Malcolm |title=The Prime Ministers: From Robert Walpole to Margaret Thatcher |date=1980 |publisher=Secker & Warburg}}{{ISBN?}} | |||
==External links== | |||
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Latest revision as of 11:22, 5 January 2025
Head of government of the United Kingdom For the list, see List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | |
---|---|
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government | |
Flag of the United Kingdom | |
Incumbent Keir Starmer since 5 July 2024 | |
Style |
|
Type | Head of government |
Status | Chief Minister of the Crown
Great Office of State |
Member of | |
Reports to | |
Residence |
|
Appointer | The Monarch (with their choice limited to the person who can command the confidence of the House of Commons) |
Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure |
First holder | Sir Robert Walpole |
Deputy | No fixed position; often held by: |
Salary | £166,786 per annum (2024) (including £91,346 MP salary) |
Website | 10 Downing Street |
Political offices in the UK government |
---|
List of political offices |
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet, and selects its ministers. As modern prime ministers hold office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the House of Commons, they sit as members of Parliament.
The office of prime minister is not established by any statute or constitutional document, but exists only by long-established convention, whereby the monarch appoints as prime minister the person most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons. In practice, this is the leader of the political party that holds the largest number of seats in the Commons. The prime minister is ex officio also First Lord of the Treasury (prior to 1905 also the official title of the position), Minister for the Civil Service, the minister responsible for national security, and Minister for the Union. The prime minister's official residence and office, by virtue of being the First Lord of the Treasury, is 10 Downing Street in London.
Early conceptions of the office of prime minister evolved as the "Primus inter pares" or "first among equals", however that does not differentiate on status and responsibility upon whoever is holding office. Historically, the prime minister has never been the first among equals at any time prior to 1868. Until now, that characterisation of the prime minister is reflective of the democratic nature of their position. The power of the prime minister depends on the support of their respective party and on the popular mandate. The appointment of cabinet ministers and granting of honours are done through the prime minister's power of appointment. The prime minister alongside the cabinet proposes new legislation and decide on key policies that fit their agenda which is then passed by an act of parliament.
The power of the office of prime minister has grown significantly since the first prime minister, Robert Walpole in 1721. Prime ministerial power itself evolved gradually alongside the office itself which have played an increasingly prominent role in British politics since the early 20th century. During the premierships of Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher, prime ministerial power expanded substantially and their leadership in the office were described as "presidential" due to their personal yielding of power and tight control over the cabinet. The prime minister is regarded as one of the world's most powerful political leaders in modern times. As the leader of the world's sixth largest economy, the prime minister hold significant domestic and international leadership alongside being the leader of a prominent member state of NATO, the G7 and G20.
58 people (55 men and 3 women) have served as prime minister, the first of whom was Robert Walpole taking office on 3 April 1721. The longest-serving prime minister was also Walpole, who served over 20 years, and the shortest-serving was Liz Truss, who served seven weeks. The current prime minister is Keir Starmer, who succeeded Rishi Sunak on 5 July 2024, following the 2024 general election.
History
Main article: History of the prime minister of the United KingdomThis section needs expansion. You can help by making an edit requestadding to it . (November 2024) |
The position of prime minister was not created; it evolved slowly and organically over three hundred years due to numerous Acts of Parliament, political developments, and accidents of history. The office is therefore best understood from a historical perspective. The origins of the position are found in constitutional changes that occurred during the Revolutionary Settlement (1688–1720) and the resulting shift of political power from the sovereign to Parliament.
Powers and authority
Main article: Powers of the prime minister of the United KingdomExecutive powers
The prime minister is the head of the United Kingdom government. As such, the modern prime minister leads the Cabinet (the Executive). In addition, the prime minister leads a major political party and generally commands a majority in the House of Commons (the lower chamber of Parliament). The incumbent wields both significant legislative and executive powers. Under the British system, there is a unity of powers rather than separation. Walter Bagehot described the office of prime minister as the "keystone of the Cabinet arch" that maintained while the prime minister can hold significant power over the executive, it is often exercised collectively through the Cabinet (Government).
Ministerial responsibility is also an aspect of a prime minister's executive authority. The prime minister leads the cabinet which makes the holder of that office bear responsibility for the collective conduct of the government. Professor Rodney Brazier points out that the since the prime minister wields significant sway over policy, that power must be subjected to the conclusion and input of Cabinet ministers. This prevents the office of prime minister from becoming more dominant and also ensures that executive power is authorised with broader support from and within the government. The prime minister must constantly maintain the confidence of the House of Commons because, as Bagehot notes, the power of the prime minister derives from their ability to command a majority in the House in order to pass legislation and continue the functions of government. If a prime minister loses the confidence of the House, which occurs in a vote of no confidence, they are often expected to resign from office or request the monarch dissolve parliament to call a general election.
The prime minister acts as the principal advisor to the monarch, who is the head of state, a capacity that has evolved gradually during the history of the office. Bagehot says that despite the monarch holding certain theoretical executive powers, in practice, these powers are often executed upon the advice and recommendation of the prime minister and the cabinet. This is considered a major principle of the "unity of powers" that exists within a constitutional monarchy in which the monarch "reigns but does not rule". According to Brazier, the prime minister advises the monarch on matters such as the dissolution of parliament and appointments to the House of Lords, but these decisions are often made with the consent of parliament.
The prime minister leads the executive in directing government policy and maintaining coordination between government departments which is dependent upon the cooperation and consent of ministers. Foreign policy and national security are areas in which the prime minister has traditionally enjoyed more authority under what are known as prerogative powers. Vernon Bogdanor argues that the abilities to declare war, negotiate treaties and deploy the armed forces have historically been part of the monarch's royal authority but have slowly evolved into a function of the office of prime minister. Despite this, the exercise of the prime minister's prerogative powers in these matters is under the oversight of parliament. It is often by convention that a prime minister must seek the approval of parliament before committing the nation to military action. In addition to this, the prime minister also exerts informal influence over public policy. Brazier notes this is due to the prime minister often being the leader of the largest party in government, therefore having a direct impact in initiating policy both in government and during election campaigns.
Legislative powers
In the House of Commons, the prime minister guides the law-making process with the goal of enacting the legislative agenda of their political party. In an executive capacity, the prime minister appoints (and may dismiss) all other Cabinet members and ministers, and co-ordinates the policies and activities of all government departments, and the staff of the Civil Service. The prime minister also acts as the public "face" and "voice" of His Majesty's Government, both at home and abroad. Solely upon the advice of the prime minister, the sovereign exercises many statutory and prerogative powers, including high judicial, political, official and Church of England ecclesiastical appointments; the conferral of peerages and some knighthoods, decorations and other important honours.
Bagehot identifies the prime minister as the leader of the "efficient" part of government that functions within the government to steer legislation through both Houses of Parliament. Although the prime minister does not possess the power to introduce legislation directly, their control of the cabinet and their role as leader of the largest political party in the House of Commons enables them substantial influence over any legislative agenda. Bagehot points out that this power is based on the prime minister's ability to operate the "machinery of government" that allows them to guide legislation that align with their party's political and ideological priorities. Brazier argues that the legislative power of the prime minister has greatly expanded following the post-war period and that as a result, the prime minister now directly authorises supervision over government bills and has a consequential role in the introduction of legislation.
The prime minister is able to wield considerable power in the passing of legislation through their ability to manage party discipline and cohesion in voting patterns. Bogdanor states that this largely depends upon the prime minister being the leader of the largest party in the Commons, which can pass legislation without any or little resistance if they can command the confidence of the House. This aspect of prime ministerial power is informal and often carried out by the office of Whips, who makes sure that MPs remain loyal and vote on the government line. The political scientist Anthony King said that the prime minister's influence over legislation is further solidified through their ability to shape policy before it reaches parliament. King further argued that the shaping of legislation, on many occasions, involves the collaborative efforts of cabinet ministers and civil servants, but the prime minister's approval is needed in order to initiate the legislative agenda. King's analysis of contemporary politcs showed that some prime ministers often bypass or overrule the cabinet on traditional discussion and to push through their preferred agendas with notable cases such as Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.
Parliamentary powers
The prime minister's influence in the Houses of Parliament is derived from longstanding conventions and statutes that have gradually evolved through the centuries. The office of prime minister itself is not explicitly mentioned in parliamentary law but is developed by constitutional conventions and therefore it is defined by precedent and tradition. Bogdanor notes that the prime minister's power in parliament is exhibited by their control of the executive (the Cabinet) and their ability to influence the legislative agenda. The ability of the prime minister to influence legislation, according to academic Philip Norton, is often through party discipline and having a reliable majority of MPs who vote in support of the government's priorities.
Another essential part of the parliamentary powers possessed by the prime minister is determining the composition of the Cabinet. According to Professor Robert Hazell, the prime minister not only chooses cabinet members but also dictates the collective decision-making process of members as well. The prime minister most often would chair cabinet meetings and may determine their frequency, thereby controlling the agenda for policy and steering decisions in their preferred direction. Additionally, the prime minister can exercise considerable control over parliamentary time. Authors Alexander Horne and Gavin Drewry state that the prime minister uses this power through the Leader of the House of Commons, by which they are able to allocate time for government bills and often ensuring access to this time over private members' bills.
The prime minister's parliamentary powers also extend to foreign relations. Contemporary historian Anthony Seldon says that the prime minister acts as the main representative of the government in the international sphere, including in parliament, where treaties are ratified and international commitments are debated.
Prerogative powers
The most significant powers given to the prime minister are "prerogative powers". These are a set of constitutional privileges deriving from monarchial authority that have gradually evolved into tools of executive power managed by the prime minister and the government. Bagehot famously called the British system as one where "the executive power is now yielded by the prime minister" rather than the monarch, a shift from personal to political power. Prerogative powers allow the prime minister to act without the immediate or direct consent of parliament especially in circumstances such as declaring war, deployment of troops and the granting of honours.
Brazier argues that prerogative powers allow the prime minister to act within the "authority of the crown" in situations where neither convention nor statutory law applies. As noted by both Bagehot and Brazier, areas in which the prime minister authorises their given prerogative powers are matters of foreign affairs. In recent occasions, the 2003 invasion of Iraq saw Prime Minister Tony Blair deploying British troops to Saudi Arabia without the immediate consent or approval of parliament. Brazier says the rise of parliamentary and public scrutiny has led to calls for reform and checks on the use of prerogative powers. The only prime minister who did not seek parliamentary or legal consent for military action was Anthony Eden during the Suez Crisis in 1956.
Professors Mark Elliot and Robert Thomas argue that prerogative powers present a constitutional anomaly in the 21st century. Both contend that such powers lack direct democratic legitimacy due to not being regulated by parliamentary statutes and raise concerns over accountability. Elliot and Thomas have pointed out that judicial intervention in cases such as Miller I and Miller II, where the Supreme Court exercised scrutiny over the use of prerogative powers by the government to prorogue parliament during the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, was successful in keeping check over the authority of both the prime minister and the government. The evolving usage of prerogative powers also has signalled tension between tradition and accountability. Authors Paul Craig and Adam Tomkins state that the absence of a written constitution gives a prime minister greater leeway in employing their given prerogative powers without limits that in turn would create uncertainty although the use of such powers by the prime minister is often constrained by political convention than by law.
Constitutional background
Main article: Constitution of the United KingdomThe British system of government is based on an uncodified constitution, meaning that it is not set out in any single document. The British constitution consists of many documents, and most importantly for the evolution of the office of the prime minister, it is based on customs known as constitutional conventions that became accepted practice. In 1928, Prime Minister H. H. Asquith described this characteristic of the British constitution in his memoirs:
In this country we live ... under an unwritten Constitution. It is true that we have on the Statute-book great instruments like Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, and the Bill of Rights which define and secure many of our rights and privileges; but the great bulk of our constitutional liberties and ... our constitutional practices do not derive their validity and sanction from any Bill which has received the formal assent of the King, Lords and Commons. They rest on usage, custom, convention, often of slow growth in their early stages, not always uniform, but which in the course of time received universal observance and respect.
The relationships between the prime minister and the sovereign, Parliament and Cabinet are defined largely by these unwritten conventions of the constitution. Many of the prime minister's executive and legislative powers are actually royal prerogatives which are still formally vested in the sovereign, who remains the head of state. Despite its growing dominance in the constitutional hierarchy, the premiership was given little formal recognition until the 20th century; the legal fiction was maintained that the sovereign still governed directly. The position was first mentioned in statute only in 1917, in the schedule of the Chequers Estate Act. Increasingly during the 20th century, the office and role of prime minister featured in statute law and official documents; however, the prime minister's powers and relationships with other institutions still largely continue to derive from ancient royal prerogatives and historic and modern constitutional conventions. Prime ministers continue to hold the position of First Lord of the Treasury and, since November 1968, that of Minister for the Civil Service, the latter giving them authority over the civil service.
Under this arrangement, Britain might appear to have two executives: the prime minister and the sovereign. The concept of "the Crown" resolves this paradox. The Crown symbolises the state's authority to govern: to make laws and execute them, impose taxes and collect them, declare war and make peace. Before the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688, the sovereign exclusively wielded the powers of the Crown; afterwards, Parliament gradually forced monarchs to assume a neutral political position. Parliament has effectively dispersed the powers of the Crown, entrusting its authority to responsible ministers (the prime minister and Cabinet), accountable for their policies and actions to Parliament, in particular the elected House of Commons.
Although many of the sovereign's prerogative powers are still legally intact, constitutional conventions have removed the monarch from day-to-day governance, with ministers exercising the royal prerogatives, leaving the monarch in practice with three constitutional rights: to be kept informed, to advise and to warn.
Modern premiership
Appointment
In modern times, much of the process involving prime ministerial appointments is informally governed by constitutional conventions and with the rules and processes described by authoritative sources such as The Cabinet Manual.
The prime minister is appointed by the monarch, through the exercise of the royal prerogative. In the past, the monarch has used personal choice to dismiss or appoint a prime minister (the last time being in 1834), but it is now the convention that the monarch should not be drawn into party politics. Bogdanor states that throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the monarch often appointed the prime minister based on their personal preference, regardless of whether they have great or little public support.
If a prime minister (incumbent or otherwise) leads their party to victory in a general election and gains an overall majority in the House of Commons they will be invited by the monarch to form a new government. Following the invitation, the prime minister will be driven to Buckingham Palace to meet the monarch. The meeting between the monarch and the incoming prime minister is a moment for the latter to pledge their loyalty to the monarch and seek permission to form a new government. The prime minister is expected to bow before the monarch in a ceremony known as "kissing hands". Following this, the prime minister is officially appointed the head of His Majesty's government.
The prime minister "...holds that position by virtue of his or her ability to command the confidence of the House of Commons, which in turn commands the confidence of the electorate, as expressed through a general election." By convention, the prime minister is also an MP and is normally the leader of the political party that commands a majority in the House of Commons.
Prime Minister's Office
Main article: 10 Downing StreetThe Prime Minister's Office helps the prime minister to 'establish and deliver the government's overall strategy and policy priorities, and to communicate the government's policies to Parliament, the public and international audiences'. The Prime Minister's Office is formally part of the Cabinet Office, but the boundary between its work and that of the wider Cabinet Office can be unclear; the wider Cabinet Office might carry out very similar work. Peter Hennessy has claimed that this overall arrangement means there is in fact effectively a Prime Minister's Department, though it is not called this.
The Prime Minister's Office was officially created in 1916 by David Lloyd George during the World War I, which marked the first formal recognition of the office of prime minister and established it as an independent institution from other entities within government, with staff to support the coordination of government policy. This development came as a response to the demands of wartime governance, as Lloyd George's leadership needed a more centred and efficient executive function.
Prime Minister's Questions
Main article: Prime Minister's QuestionsPrime Minister's Questions is a constitutional convention, currently held as a single session every Wednesday at noon when the House of Commons is sitting, in which the prime minister answers questions from members of Parliament (MPs). The leader of the opposition usually asks the prime minister six questions, and the leader of the third-largest parliamentary party can ask two questions. It is an occasion when the prime minister appears regularly on live television and radio.
Before the 1880s, oral questions were mainly directed towards cabinet ministers and therefore such questions were regarded as the same even when addressed to the Prime Minister. The session in its modern form was first introduced on Tuesday 24 October in 1961 when the then Prime Minister Harold Macmillan answered questions for between 15 minutes from 3.15pm to 3.30pm as an experiment. Since 1997 PMQs were held every Wednesdays at 3pm until 3.30pm. In 1989, the first PMQs were broadcast and in 1990 were broadcast live to the public as a step towards transparency and accountability.
The timing of PMQs has often changed depending on the varied schedules of prime ministers. In 1881, questions addressed to the prime minister were placed at the end of question time so that the then 72-year old Prime Minister William Gladstone could arrive late. In 1904, questions were answered only when they reached No 51 and in 1940 they were expanded to No 45. The procedure was in practice until 1953 when PMQs were restricted to Tuesdays and Thursdays only to assist Winston Churchill who was 78-years old.
The prime minister also appears before the Liaison Committee to answer questions about public policy.
Security and transport
The personal protection of the prime minister and former prime ministers is the responsibility of Protection Command within the Metropolitan Police Service. When the prime minister resides in 10 Downing Street, they are constantly surrounded by armed police units with "airport-style" security checkpoints, large metal gates, street patrols and heavy vetting for staff and non-ministerial individuals. Such installations were introduced due to fears of IRA bomb threats and attacks which were persistent during The Troubles. When travelling, the prime minister will be accompanied by a select group of police officers joined by a wider team of security personnel. On the road, the prime ministerial entourage will be followed by police outriders on motorbikes to clear a path in the traffic and to stop them from being a sitting target. The fleet of Prime Ministerial Cars provides the prime minister with a number of security features as well as transport. The vehicles are driven by officers from this unit. These vehicles are often custom made and always British manufactured with in-built gun ports, an independent oxygen supply and the ability to release tear gas to subdue angry crowds. Air transport for the prime minister is provided by a variety of military and civilian operators.
International role
Main article: List of international trips made by prime ministers of the United KingdomOne of the roles of the prime minister is to represent the UK at home and abroad, for example at the annual G7 Summit. The prime minister makes many international trips. According to Gus O'Donnell, the number of overseas visits for the prime minister has gone up.
Deputy
Main article: Deputy Prime Minister of the United KingdomPrime ministers have had various deputies, sometimes as an official deputy prime minister, first secretary of state or de facto deputy. Some prime ministers have not chosen a deputy at all, preferring ad hoc arrangements.
Historically, the position of deputy prime minister has been created out of political necessity rather than being established by statutory law or convention with the title not being defined in the constitution. The position was first created (unofficially) for Clement Attlee in Prime Minister Winston Churchill's ministry during World War II, in order to manage administrative duties, domestic affairs and welfare, while Churchill focused on military strategy. In recent times, after the 2010 general election resulted in a hung parliament, the leaders of the Conservative and the Liberal Democrats, David Cameron and Nick Clegg, formed a coalition government in which Clegg served as deputy prime minister. In that capacity, Clegg chaired cabinet meetings, key committees and led negotiations on major reforms. As such, the office saw an unusual level of formalisation and recognition during Clegg's tenure.
Succession
Nobody has the right of automatic succession to the prime ministership. It is generally considered that in the event of the death of the prime minister, it would be appropriate to appoint an interim prime minister, though there is some debate as to how to decide who this should be.
According to Rodney Brazier, there are no procedures within government to cope with the sudden death of the prime minister. There is also no such title as acting prime minister of the United Kingdom. Despite refusing "...to discuss a hypothetical situation" with BBC News in 2011, the Cabinet Office said the following in 2006:
There is no single protocol setting out all of the possible implications. However, the general constitutional position is as set out below. There can be no automatic assumption about who The Queen would ask to act as caretaker Prime Minister in the event of the death of the Prime Minister. The decision is for her under the Royal Prerogative. However, there are some key guiding principles. The Queen would probably be looking for a very senior member of the Government (not necessarily a Commons Minister since this would be a short-term appointment). If there was a recognised deputy to the Prime Minister, used to acting on his behalf in his absences, this could be an important factor. Also important would be the question of who was likely to be in contention to take over long-term as Prime Minister. If the most senior member of the Government was him or herself a contender for the role of Prime Minister, it might be that The Queen would invite a slightly less senior non-contender. In these circumstances, her private secretary would probably take soundings, via the Cabinet Secretary, of members of the Cabinet, to ensure that The Queen invited someone who would be acceptable to the Cabinet to act as their chair during the caretaker period. Once the Party had elected a new leader, that person would, of course, be invited to take over as Prime Minister.
Additionally, when the prime minister is travelling, it is standard practice for a senior duty minister to be appointed who can attend to urgent business and meetings if required, though the prime minister remains in charge and updated throughout.
On 6 April 2020, when Boris Johnson was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit of St Thomas' Hospital, when suffering from COVID-19, he asked Dominic Raab "to deputise for him where necessary".
Resignation
A prime minister ends their tenure by offering their resignation to the British monarch. This can happen after their party has suffered a general election defeat, so that they no longer command the confidence of the House of Commons. It can also happen mid-term, if they are forced to resign for political reasons, or for other reasons such as ill-health. If the prime minister resigns mid-term, and their party has a majority in the Commons, the party selects a new leader according to its rules, and this new leader is invited by the monarch to become the new prime minister. The outgoing prime minister is likely to remain in post until the new leader has been chosen by the party. After resigning, the outgoing prime minister remains a Member of Parliament. An outgoing prime minister can ask the monarch to bestow honours on any number of people of their choosing, known as the Prime Minister's Resignation Honours. No incumbent prime minister has ever lost their own seat at a general election. Only one prime minister has been assassinated: Spencer Perceval, in 1812.
Privileges
Main articles: List of peerages held by prime ministers of the United Kingdom and Orders of precedence in the United KingdomOn taking office a new prime minister usually makes a public statement to announce to the country that they have been appointed by the reigning monarch (called "kissing hands"). This is usually done by saying words to the effect of:
His Majesty the King has asked me to form a government and I have accepted.
Precedence and form of address
Ministerial listings are printed in the official records of parliament known as "Hansard", and 1885 was the first known instance of official use of the title of Prime Minister. The minutes of the first meeting of the Committee of Imperial Defence in 1902 saw the first internal reference to the title as well. The 1904 edition of the Imperial Calendar referred to the then Prime Minister, Arthur Balfour, as 'Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury'; in the previous edition he was merely 'First Lord of the Treasury and Lord Privy Seal'.
Throughout the United Kingdom, the prime minister outranks all other dignitaries except members of the royal family, the lord chancellor, and senior ecclesiastical figures. The prime minister was officially granted a place in the order of precedence in December 1905, and the first statutory reference to the Prime Minister was present in the Chequers Estate Act 1917, which specified Chequers as a prime-ministerial residence. Public recognition of the existence of a 'Prime Minister's Office' in the Civil Service Yearbook came as recently as the 1977 edition.
The prime minister is customarily a member of the Privy Council and thus entitled to the appellation "The Right Honourable". Membership of the council is retained for life. It is a constitutional convention that only a privy counsellor can be appointed prime minister. Most potential candidates have already attained this status. The only case when a non-privy counsellor was the natural appointment was Ramsay MacDonald in 1924. The issue was resolved by appointing him to the Council immediately prior to his appointment as prime minister.
According to the now-defunct Department for Constitutional Affairs, the prime minister is made a privy counsellor as a result of taking office and should be addressed by the official title prefixed by "The Right Honourable" and not by a personal name. Although this form of address is employed on formal occasions, it is rarely used by the media. As "prime minister" is a position, not a title, the incumbent should be referred to as "the prime minister", although the title "Prime Minister" (e.g. "Prime Minister Keir Starmer") has become commonplace within current political reporting. Within the UK, the expression "Prime Minister Starmer" is never used, although it, too, is sometimes used by foreign dignitaries and news sources.
Compensation
In 2010, the prime minister received £14,500 in addition to a salary of £65,737 as a member of parliament. Until 2006, the lord chancellor was the highest-paid member of the government, ahead of the prime minister. This reflected the lord chancellor's position at the head of the judicial pay scale. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 eliminated the lord chancellor's judicial functions and also reduced the office's salary to below that of the prime minister. During the premiership of Gordon Brown, the prime minister received an salary of £193,885 on 1 April 2009 which was higher than the salary of £166,786 as of 2024. The reasons for such reductions are Brown's cuts to voluntary pay at around £150,000 during pre-election in the May 2010 election, and when David Cameron became prime minister the cuts were extended to 5%, amounting at around £142,500. Subsequent prime ministers have kept the restraint on ministerial pay and have not taken any further pay outside of what they are entitled. According to journalist Simon Kelner, the salary of the prime minister must be increased and that further expansion of a salary or hospitality received by a prime minister is disavowed under the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act 1883 which only criminalised voter bribery and introduced standards for election expenses, and "created a more level playing field for parliamentary candidates". Kelner said that it is a inadequate way of holding a prime minister into account. This was in respone to the 2024 Labour Party freebies controversy, in which the current prime minister, Keir Starmer, having reportedly failed to disclose the amount of gifts and "freebies" received by him, members of his family and cabinet.
Official residences
10 Downing Street, in London, has been the official place of residence of the prime minister since 1732; they are entitled to use its staff and facilities, including extensive offices. The building was originally given by King George I to Robert Walpole, widely regarded as the nation's first prime minister, as a personal gift. However, Walpole insisted that he would accept it in his capacity as first lord of the Treasury and requested that his subsequent successors be entitled to reside in and use the property as they wish. The complex incorporates the flats of No.11 and No.12 Downing Street, which have been reconstructed through to connect them to No.10. Altogether, the three buildings contain over 100 rooms.
Prime ministerial residences10 Downing Street, the official place of residence of the prime ministerChequers, used by the prime minister as a country retreatChequers, a country house in Buckinghamshire, gifted to the government in 1917, may be used as a country retreat for the prime minister. The estate was previously owned by the Conservative minister and First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Arthur Lee, before being donated to the British government under the Chequers Estate Act 1917. It was to give the incumbent prime minister the time to "spend two days a week in the high and pure air of the Chiltern hills and woods" and on the condition that incumbent should not own any residential country estate of their own.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, many prime ministers were members of the British nobility and therefore held the office whilst serving in the House of Lords. Through lineage and inheritance, these prime ministers acquired large estates, though they still owned properties in London for political affairs and many used country houses as a retreat. Until the mid-20th Century, parliamentary sessions did not begin until the New Year after ending in August, which would give the prime minister long periods in respite.
Post-premiership
Retirement honours
Upon retirement, it is customary for the sovereign to grant a prime minister some honour or dignity. The honour bestowed is commonly, but not invariably, membership of the UK's most senior order of chivalry, the Order of the Garter. The practice of creating a retired prime minister a Knight Companion of the Garter (KG) has been fairly prevalent since the mid-nineteenth century. Upon the retirement of a prime minister who is Scottish, it is likely that the primarily Scottish honour of Knight of the Thistle (KT) will be used instead of the Order of the Garter, which is generally regarded as an English honour.
Historically it has also been common to grant prime ministers a peerage upon retirement from the Commons, elevating the individual to the Lords. Formerly, the peerage bestowed was usually an earldom. The last such creation was for Harold Macmillan, who resigned in 1963. Unusually, he became Earl of Stockton only in 1984, over twenty years after leaving office.
Macmillan's successors Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, David Cameron, and Theresa May all accepted life peerages (although Douglas-Home had previously disclaimed his hereditary title as Earl of Home and Cameron received a peerage after reentering Government as Foreign Secretary, not for services as a former Prime Minister). Edward Heath did not accept a peerage of any kind; neither have any of the prime ministers who have retired since 1990 other than Cameron (having done so to re-join the Cabinet, rather than as an honour per se) and May. Edward Heath (in 1992), John Major (in 2005) and Tony Blair (in 2022) were appointed as Knights Companion of the Garter. Major (in 1998) and Gordon Brown (in 2024) were appointed members of the Order of the Companions of Honour, although Blair had previously disclosed that he did not want honours bestowed on himself or future prime ministers.
The most recent former prime minister to die was Margaret Thatcher (1979–1990) on 8 April 2013. Her death meant that for the first time since 1955 (the year in which the Earldom of Attlee was created, subsequent to the death of Earl Baldwin in 1947) the membership of the House of Lords included no former prime minister, a situation which remained the case until David Cameron was appointed to the House in November 2023.
Activities
There are currently no established roles or job positions for former prime ministers following their resignations or after leaving office unexpectedly. It depends on their personal choice and reasons surrounding the need to take on such positions. During the 18th and 19th centuries, many former prime ministers, who were wealthy members of the nobility, would often simply retire to their country estates. The first prime minister, Robert Walpole, accumulated large personal wealth while serving in office and from previous investments made in the 1710s. Prime Ministers Lord Bute and Lord Rosebery were among the wealthiest men in the country during their retirements and are often touted as some of the wealthiest to serve as in office. However some prime ministers, such as William Pitt the Elder and his son William Pitt the Younger, amassed large public debts that were later paid off by parliament. In 1937, a official pension for former prime ministers was given at the sum of £2000 per annum.
In their retirements, a majority of former prime ministers have written memoirs and autobiographies. Some prime ministers have also written non-political books as well, including Winston Churchill's histories of World War II and of the English language, Edward Heath's books on his wider interests in sailing, music and travel, Major's history of cricket and Arthur Balfour's philosophical writings. Some prime ministers such as William Gladstone mainly wrote tracts and tomes on theology and religion and Benjamin Disraeli wrote many best-selling novels in addition to memoirs and history.
In the 21st century, many former prime ministers have set up their own foundations and charities to be used as a platform to continue involvement in political and public issues after they leave office. In 1991, Margaret Thatcher became the first prime minister to set up her own foundation to try to secure her legacy and propagate her ideology known as Thatcherism, but it closed down in 2005. Tony Blair has set up a sports foundation, an inter-faith foundation and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change in 2016. In his post-premiership, Blair is also the first prime minister to take on a major international role, as an official envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East. Gordon Brown was actively involved in politics long after he left office, most notably during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, in which he campaigned for the no vote that advocated Scotland to remain in the union.
However, some former prime ministers have returned to serve in the governments of their successors, and a few have had 'retreads' that saw them serve short tenures due to their successors unexpectedly resigning or passing away. Notable cases include the Duke of Wellington who, after serving two brief terms in office, was able to command significant influence as a senior member of the Tory party and returned to serve in two governments of his successor, Sir Robert Peel, as Foreign Secretary and Minister without portfolio. He later retired to serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Army from 1842 until his death in 1852. Arthur Balfour served as prime minister for three years of his term after he was defeated in the 1906 general election and later went on to serve as the Foreign Secretary for eleven years in the imperial war cabinet during and after World War I under three prime ministers. After Neville Chamberlain resigned as prime minister in May 1940, he returned to serve under Winston Churchill in his subsequent war cabinet. Alec Douglas-Home, who resigned after losing the 1964 general election, later came to serve in the cabinet of Edward Heath in 1970.
Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA)
All former prime ministers are entitled to claim for salary or office expenses incurred in fulfilling public duties in that role. The allowance may not be used to pay for private or parliamentary duties. It is administered by the Cabinet Office Finance Team.
The maximum amount which may be claimed per year is £115,000, plus 10% towards any staff pension costs. This limit is reviewed annually, and at the start of each Parliament, by the current prime minister. The maximum level may be adjusted downwards if the former prime minister receives any public funds for fulfilling other public appointments. Downing Street confirmed in November 2023 that former prime minister David Cameron would not claim from the PDCA while he acted as Foreign Secretary.
See also
Lists of prime ministers by different criteria
- Timeline of prime ministers of Great Britain and the United Kingdom
- List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
- List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by length of tenure
- List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by age
- List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by education
- List of current heads of government in the United Kingdom and dependencies
- List of fictional prime ministers of the United Kingdom
- List of peerages held by prime ministers of the United Kingdom
- List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies represented by sitting prime ministers
- Historical rankings of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
All lists: Category:Lists of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
Other related pages
- Air transport of the Royal Family and Government of the United Kingdom
- Spouse of the prime minister of the United Kingdom
- Records of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
- Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- Cultural depictions of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
- List of things named after prime ministers of the United Kingdom
- List of nicknames of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
- Category:Books written by prime ministers of the United Kingdom
- Armorial of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
- List of burial places of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
More related pages: Category:Prime ministers of the United Kingdom
Notes
- The Sovereign's prerogative powers are sometimes called reserve powers. They include the sole authority to dismiss a prime minister and government of the day in extremely rare and exceptional circumstances, and other powers such as withholding Royal Assent, and summoning and proroguing Parliament. These reserve powers can be exercised without the consent of Parliament. While formally discretionary, the exercise of these powers is heavily limited by convention.
- During the history of the modern office, five men have served as Prime Minister in both the House of Commons and House of Lords; four moved from serving in the Commons to accept a peerage, while the fifth disclaimed his peerage after his appointment and contested a by-election to become an MP.
- These include: in England and Wales, the Anglican archbishops of Canterbury and York; in Scotland, the lord high commissioner and the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; in Northern Ireland, the Anglican and Roman Catholic archbishops of Armagh and Dublin and the moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church.
- This circumstance is somewhat confused, however, as since the Great Reform Act 1832, only seven Scots have served as prime minister. Of these, two – Bonar Law and Ramsay MacDonald – died while still sitting in the Commons, not yet having retired; MacDonald was offered the KT in 1935, but declined it as acceptance would have conflicted with his principles as a Labour Party member. The Earl of Aberdeen was appointed to both the Order of the Garter and the Order of the Thistle, while Alec Douglas-Home became a KT while Foreign Secretary. Yet another, Arthur Balfour, was appointed to the Order of the Garter, but represented an English constituency and may not have considered himself entirely Scottish; of the remaining two, the Earl of Rosebery became a KG, and Gordon Brown remained in the House of Commons as a backbencher until 2015.
- Churchill was offered a dukedom but declined.
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The office helps the Prime Minister to establish and deliver the government's overall strategy and policy priorities, and to communicate the government's policies to Parliament, the public and international audiences.
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Works cited
- Bagehot, Walter (1867). The English Constitution. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-953901-7.
- Bagehot, Walter (1963) . The English Constitution. Wm. Collins & Sons. ISBN 978-0-521-46535-9.
- Barnett, Hilaire (2009). Constitutional & Administrative Law (7th ed.). Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge-Cavendish.
- Bogdanor, Vernon (1997). The Monarchy and the Constitution. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-829334-7.
- Bogdanor, Vernon (2009). The New British Constitution. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-1841136714.
- Brazier, Rodney (1988). Constitutional Practice. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-825596-3.
- Brazier, Rodney (2008). Constitutional Reform. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0198765233.
- Chrimes, S. B. (1947). English Constitutional History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-404-14653-5.
- Craig, Paul; Tomkins, Adam (2005). The Executive and Public Law: Power and Accountability in Comparative Perspective. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-826869-7.
- Drewry, Gavin; Horne, Alexander (2018). Parliament and the Law. Hart Publishing. ISBN 978-1849462952.
- Hanchant, W.L. (1943). England Is Here—Speeches and Writings of the Prime Ministers of England. Bodley Head.
- Hazell, Robert (2012). The Politics of Coalition: How the Conservative - Liberal Democrat Government Works. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1849463102.
- King, Anthony (2010). The British Constitution. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-957698-2.
- Le May, G. H. L. (1979). The Victorian Constitution, Conventions, Usages and Contingencies. Duckworth.
- Low, S. (1904). The Governance of England. T. Fisher Unwin, London. ISBN 978-0-521-38155-0.
- Leonard, Dick (2014). A History of British Prime Ministers, Walpole to Cameron. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-33804-4.
- Norton, Philip (2011). The British Polity. Pearson Publishing. ISBN 978-0801318436.
- Thomas, Robert; Elliot, Mark (2020). Public Law. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-885227-8.
Further reading
- Brazier, Rodney (2016). Ministers of the Crown. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198724063.
- Denver, David; Garnett, Mark (2012). "The popularity of British prime ministers". British Journal of Politics and International Relations. 14 (1): 57–73. doi:10.1111/j.1467-856X.2011.00466.x. ISSN 1369-1481. S2CID 143249516.
- Garnett, Mark (2021). The British Prime Minister in an Age of Upheaval. Polity Press. ISBN 978-1509539352.
- Kaarbo, Juliet; Hermann, Margaret G. (1998). "Leadership styles of prime ministers: How individual differences affect the foreign policymaking process" (PDF). Leadership Quarterly. 9 (3): 243–263. doi:10.1016/S1048-9843(98)90029-7.
- Kavanagh, Dennis; Seldon, Anthony (2018). The Powers Behind the Prime Minister:The Hidden Influence of Number Ten. Hart Publishing. ISBN 978-0007292066.
- King, Anthony Stephen, ed. (1985). The British Prime Minister'. Duke University Press.
- Langer, Ana Inés (2007). "A historical exploration of the personalisation of politics in the print media: The British Prime Ministers (1945–1999)". Parliamentary Affairs. 60 (3): 371–387. doi:10.1093/pa/gsm028.
- Leyland, Peter (2007). Constitutional Reform in the United Kingdom. Hart Publishing. ISBN 978-1849461603.
- Seldon, Anthony; Meakin, Jonathan; Thoms, Illias (2021). The Impossible Office? The History of the British Prime Minister. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781316515327. OL 34770382M.
- Strangio, Paul; Hart, Paul 't; Walter, James (2013). Understanding Prime-Ministerial Performance: Comparative Perspectives. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199666423.
- Theakston, Kevin; Gill, Mark (2006). "Rating 20th-century British prime ministers". British Journal of Politics and International Relations. 8 (2): 193–213. doi:10.1111/j.1467-856x.2006.00220.x. S2CID 145216328.
- Thomson, George Malcolm (1980). The Prime Ministers: From Robert Walpole to Margaret Thatcher. Secker & Warburg.
External links
- Number 10 official website
- Parliament of the United Kingdom website
- Principal Ministers of the Crown: 1730–2006
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List of prime ministers | |||
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