I

NTRODUCTI
ONTOTHEBRI
TISHEXECUTI
VE:
THECROWNANDTHE
CABI
NET

UNI
TSTRUCTURE

1.
Lear
ningObj
ect
ives

2.
Int
roduct
ion

3.
TheCr
own

1.
Power
soft
heCr
own

2.
Just
if
icat
ionofMonar
chy

4.
TheCabi
net

1.
Pri
nci
plesoft
heCabi
netSy
stem

2.
Funct
ionsoft
heCabi
net

3.
ThePr
imeMi
nist
er

5.
LetUssum Up

6.
Fur
therReadi
ngs

7.
Answer
sToCheckYourPr
ogr
ess

8.
Possi
bleQuest
ions
 LEARNI
NGOBJECTI
VES

 
Af
tergoi
ngt
hrought
hisuni
t,y
ouwi
l
lbeabl
eto:

expl
aint
hemeani
ngoft
heCr
own

descr
ibet
hepower
soft
heCr
own

expl
aint
hemeani
ngoft
heCabi
net

descr
ibet
hepr
inci
plesoft
heCabi
netsy
stem

di
] scussf
unct
ionsoft
heCabi
net

descr
ibet
hef
unct
ionsoft
heCabi
net

I
NTRODUCTI
ON

I
ntheprev
iousuni
t(Uni
t1),wehavediscussedthatt
heUnit
edKi ngdom has
aPar
li
amentaryf
orm ofGov
ernment.TheParli
amentaryf
orm ofgovernment
i
smar kedbyt heexi st
enceoft woexecut i
ves-t
her eal executiveandt he
nomi nalort i
tularexecutive.Thenomi nal execut i
vei sr epresentedbyt heHead
oftheSt atewhomayei t
herbeaher edit
aryoranel ectiveone; legall
y ,t
he
Headoft heSt atepossessesal l
power sandpr i
v i
legeswhi cht heconst i
tuti
on
andl awsmayconf eruponhi m.Butinpr acti
ce, al
l power sareexer cisedbyt he
realexecut iv
er epresentedbyt heCabi netheadedbyt hePr i
meMi nister.The
PrimeMi nisteristheHeadoft heGov ernment .Acl assicexampl eoft hisform
ofgov ernmenti stheUKwher etheKi ngorQueeni st het i
tularhead( Headof
theSt at
e)wher east heCabinetheadedbyt hePr i
meMi nisteristher ealhead
(Headoft heGov ernment).Iti
swor thment ioningher et hatintheUK, apr oper
discussionoft heroleoftheKi ngorQueencanonl yt akepl acei nthecont ext
ofthepar t
icularconceptoft heCr own.
 

THECROWN 

Inearlydays,all
power softhegov ernmentwer ecenteredinthemanwhowor et he
crown–t hestatecapofr oyalty
.Inot herwor ds,allpowersrest
edont heKi ngasa
person.Howev er,inthecour seofhistory,thosepower shav eenti
rel
ybeent r ansferr
ed
from thekingasaper sontoacompl icatedimper sonalorgani
zati
oncalledt he“ Crown.”
Therefore,thedi
st i
nctionbetweent heKi ngandt heCr ownisthedisti
nctionbet weent he
monar chasaper sonandmonar chyasani nstit
ution.TheCrownisnotal i
vingt angibl
e
person.Itisanabst r
actconcept .Thus, t
hedi sti
nctionbetweentheCr ownandt heKi ng
centresaroundthef ollowi
ngpoi nts:

 TheKi
ngi
saper
son,
wher
east
heCr
owni
sani
nst
it
uti
on.TheKi
ngi
sthephy
sical
embodi
mentoft
heCr
own.
 TheKi
ngi
sonl
yaper
sonusi
ngt
hepower
soft
heCr
own.Al
lthepower
soft
heSt
ate
r
esi
dei
ntheCr
ownasani
nst
it
uti
on.
 TheKi
ngi
smor
tal
,butt
heCr
owni
simmor
tal
.TheKi
ngasaper
sondi
esormay
abdi
cat
eormayevenbedethronedwhereastheCrownasani
nst
it
uti
oni
sper
manent
.It
i
snotsubj
ectt
odeathnorabdicat
ionnordet
hronement
.

Accor
dingt
oDr
.Munr
o,“
TheCr
owni
sanar
ti
fi
cial
orj
uri
sti
cper
son.I
tisani
nst
it
uti
onandi
t
neverdi
es.Thepower s,funct
ionsandpr erogati
vesoftheCr ownarenotsuspendedbythe
deathofakingevenforasi nglemoment .”Thisdisti
ncti
oniswelli
l
lustr
atedbythemaxim,“The
Kingisdead,l
ongliv
et heKing.”I
timpli
est hatthepersonwhooccupi esthet
hronemaybedead
buttheoffi
ceofKingshipasani nsti
tut
ionsur v
ives.Accordi
ngtoBlackst
one,“Henr
y,Edward,
Georgemaydi ebutKingsur v
ivesthem all
.” 

Power
soft
heCr
own

Thepower soft heCr ownar et hosewhi chbel ongt otheof fi

ceoft heki
ngort he
Kingshipasani mper sonalinstituti
on.Thesepower sar enev erexer ci
sedbyt he
Monar chhi mself.Theyar eexer cisedi nt heKing’snamebyMi nister
swhoder i
vetheir
authori
t yform Parli
amentandar er esponsi bl
et oPar li
ament .Thepower soft heCr own
arederiv edformt wosour ces, i.
e.,prerogat i
veandst atute.St atutorypowersoft he
Crownar ethosedut ieswhi chhav ebeenassi gnedt otheExecut iv
eauthorit
iesbyAct s
ofParliament .Prerogati
vepower soft heCr ownr ef
ertot hosepower swhichar ederi
ved
fr
om theCommonLaw.Someoft hesepower si ncl
udet hesummoni ngofPar l
iament,
declar
at ionofwarorneut rali
ty,ratifi
cationoft reati
es, appoint mentt ooff
ices,etc.Now,
l
etusdi scussthepower soft heCr ownasf ol
lows:

Executi
vePower s:TheCr owni st hesupr emeexecut iveaut hority
.Itappoi nt sal
l t
hehigh
executi
veandadmi ni
strat
iveof fi
cer s,j
udges, bishopsandt heof fi
cer soft hear my,navy
andairfor
ce; dir
ectsthewor kofadmi nistrati
onandnat ional servi
ce.I tholdssupr eme
commandov erthear medest ablishment s.TheCr ownsuper visesandi nsome
i
nstancesdirectsthewor kofl ocal gover nment ,especiallythatofbor oughsand
counti
es.TheCr ownconduct sthecount ry
’sf oreignr el
ationswi t
hot hercount r
ies;
sendsandr eceivesambassador sorot herdi plomat icagent sandal lnegot iati
onsare
carr
iedoutint henameoft heCr own.I tdeal swi tht hecol oniesanddomi nions.The
Crownisalsot hetreaty
-maki ngaut hor i
tyandal l i
nternational agreement sar emadei n
i
tsname.I tcanev endeclarewarorpeaceandconcl udeat reatywi thoutconsul ti
ng
Parl
iament.Thus, i
tisseent hatal lexecut i
v eaut horityisv estedint heCr own.

Howev er
,all t
hesepowersar
eexercisedbythemi nist
ers,ortheCabineti
nt henameof
theCrown.I ti
stheywhodecidewhoshal lbeappointedtoof f
ice.Theydi
rectBri
ti
sh
for
eignpolicyandconcludet
reati
es.Theyevendeci deont heissueofwar.Inshort
,the
Cabinetheadedbyt hePri
meMi ni
ster,andnottheking,i
st herealwiel
derofauthor
ity.
  Legi
slat
ivePower
s:TheCr
owni
snotonl
yanexecut
ivebutal
soani
ntegr
alpar
toft
he
nati
onal legislat ure.TheCr ownsummons, proroguesanddi ssolvesPar li
ament .Whena
newPar liamentmeet si tisusual l
ygr eet edbyt heMonar chi naspeechf r
om theThr one,
whichi susual lydel i
veredbyt heKi ngorQueeni nper sonf rom t heThr onei ntheHouse
ofLor ds( upperhouseoft heBr i
ti
shpar liament )witht heCommons( lowerhouseoft he
Brit
ishPar l
i
ament )present .Theor etically,nobi ll
passedbyt hePar l
iamentcanbecome
anactunl essandunt iltheKi nggi vesassentt oitbutonceabi l
l i
spassedbyt he
Parli
ament ,theKi ngdoesnotexer ciset her i
ghtt ovet o. 
Practically ,
howev er,theKi ngexer cisesal ll
egislati
vepower saspert headv iceofthe
Cabinet .Asamat teroff act,thespeechf rom t hethronei snott heKi ng’sorQueen’s
speech.I ti st hegov ernment ’sspeech.Agai n,thevetopoweroft heKi nghasbecome
obsolete.Theassentoft heKi ngt ot heact spassedbyt hePar l
iamenti snev erdenied
andi sal way sgi venasamat terofcour se.
 Judicial Power s:TheKi ngi sst il
ldescr ibedast he“fount ainofj ustice.”Infact, t
heCrown
doessoast heKi ng.TheKi ngappoi ntst hej udges, i
ncl udingt heJust icesofPeacei nthe
countiesandbor oughs.TheLor dChancel l
or ,
amemberoft heCabi net ,exerci
sesgener al
j
udicialsuper vision.Al l
issueswhi chcomebef oretheJudi ci
al Commi tteeoft hePri
v y
Counci lar edeci dedbyt heCr own.Al ljust i
cei nEnglandi srender edi nthenameoft he
King.Final l
y,theCr ownexer cisest hepr erogativeofmer cyandmaygr antpardonto
personsconv ictedofcr i
mi nal off
ences.Thi sisdonebyt heHomeSecr etary. 

 Headoft
heChur
ch:
Besi
des,
theCr
owni
stheHeadoft
heChur
chofEngl
and.The
archbishops,
bishopsandot
herecclesi
ast
ical
off
icer
sareappoi
ntedbyi
t.The
appointmentsaremadeontheadviceofthemini
ster
s.

 Fount
ainofHonour
:TheCr
owni
sthef
ount
ainofhonour
.Eachy
ear
,al
i
stofpeer
ages
andotherhonoursl
ikeknight
hoodi spr
eparedbythePr
imeMi ni
steri
nconsult
ati
onwith
theCabinet
.Attherequestofthemonarch,thePr
imeMini
stermayaddanameorst r
ike
offaname.Howev er,i
tisnotobli
gator
yforthePr
imeMini
stertoactaccor
dingtothe
l
ikesanddisli
kesoftheKing.

From t
heabovedi
scussi
on,itbecomesamplycleart
hatthepowersoftheBr i
ti
shCr own
arei
mmenseandimpor t
ant.Inpract
ice,
thepowersoft
heKi nghavebeentransfer
redto
themini
ster
swhoactual
lyexerci
sethesepowersandareresponsi
blefort
heday -t
o-day
admini
str
ati
onoft
hecountry.

“TheKi
ngCanDoNoWr ong”
Animport
antmaxim onwhicht
heBr
it
ishconst
it
uti
onalstr
uct
urer
est
sis“
theKi
ngcan
donowrong.”Thi
smaxim hast
woimport
antimpli
cat
ions.

Fir
stly
,itmeansthattheKi
ngisabovelawandcannotbetr
iedinanycourtofEngland
foranywr ongf
ulactdonebyhi
m.Heenj oy
scompleteper
sonal i
mmunityfrom t
he
j
urisdi
ctionoftheordi
nar
ycourt
soflaw.Forexampl
e,i
ftheKingcommi tsanycri
me,
thereisnoprocessknowntoEngli
shlawbywhichhecanbebr oughtt
otrial
.

Secondl
y,t
hemaxi
m meansthatt
heKingi
saboveal
ltheresponsi
bil
i
tyf
orev
eryactper
formed
i
nhisname.Forev
eryactoft
heBri
ti
shgover
nmentperf
ormedinthenameoftheki
ng,i
tisthe
mini
sterswhoareresponsibletoPar l
iament.Asamatteroffact
,everyor
derissuedbyt heKi
ng
i
scountersi
gnedbyt heminister-
in-
chargewhoi spol
it
ical
l
yresponsibl
etothePar l
iamentand
l
egal
lyresponsi
bletothecour tsoflaw.Thus,theKi
ngcandonot hi
ngwr ongorright,ofa
di
screti
onar
ynatureandhav inglegaleffect
. 

Just
if
icat
ionofMonar
chy

Itist r
uet hattheKi ng/ Queeni nEngl andhasl ongceasedt oexercisethe
power svest edinhim/ herandi sonlyat i
tularexecut iv e.Howev er,itwouldbe
wr ongt oconcl udet hatt hemonar chdoesnotexer cisei nfl
uencei nthe
gov ernment .I
nthewor dsofBagehot ,theKi nghast hr eerights-t
her i
ghttobe
consul ted,ther i
ghtt oencour ageandt her i
ghtt owar n.Hemai ntai
nsclose
touchwi ththePr i
meMi nist
erwhoi nconsul tati
onwi tht heKingof tendropsa
subjecti nhandbef orei tisdiscussedi nt heCabi net.Fori nstance,King
Geor geVpl ayedanact iveroleint henat i
on’ saf f
airs, especiall
yinconnect ion
witht heI r
ishquest ionandt hest r
uggl eov ert hePar li
ament aryActof1911.
Thought hemi ni
stersneednotf oll
owt headv i
ceoft heKi ng,yettheyhar dl
y
disregar dit.Theexal tedposi ti
onoft heKi ngandt henon- parti
sanchar acterof
thei nsti
tutionofkingshi p,l
endswei ghtt ohi sadv i
ce.

Mor eover,theKi ngisasy mbol ofnat ionali

ntegr i
ty,prov i
dingleader shiptothe
Brit
ishsoci ety.DuringtheSecondWor ldWar ,theKi ngv isit
edthev ari
ous
theatresofwarandbombedar easofEngl and, therebyi nspiri
ngt heBr it
ish
peoplet omobi l
iseandf ightheroical l
yatthewarf ronts.Monar chyt herefor
e
providesausef ulfocusf orpatri
otism.  
TheKi ngpr ov i
desasy mbol ofCommonweal thunity .TheKi ngist hesy mbol
ofthef reeassoci ationoft hemember softheCommonweal thofNat ions
encompassi ngnat i
ons, statesandr aces.Present l
y,theQueenast heheadof
theCommonweal thi saconnect i
ngl i
nkbetweent heUni tedKingdom and
nearlyfift
yot herindependentcount r i
es.Besides, t
heKi ngofBr it
aini satonce
theKi ngofCanadaandot herDomi nions.
LETUSKNOW

Commonwealt
hofNati
onsi
saninter
gover
nmentalor
ganisati
onof53independent
memberst
atesmostofwhi
chwereformer
lypar
tsoftheBrit
ishEmpi
re.Indi
atooisa
memberoft
heCommonwealthofNati
ons.
 

Furt
hermore,
theKi
ngalsohasapractical
ut i
li
ty.Fori
nstance,ifnopartyholdsa
majori
tyi
ntheHouseofCommonsandacoal it
ionistobef ormed,thenthechoiceofa
l
eaderforPri
meMinist
ershi
pfal
lsontheKi ng.In1924,Geor geVchoseRamsay
MacDonaldandnotAsquit
hastheleaderthought heLabourPar tyhadbehinditonl
y
one-
thi
rdofthemembersoftheHouseofCommons.

LETUSKNOW

RamsayMacDonal dwast heLabourParty

Pri
meMi nisteroft
heUKf r om 1931to1935.
H.H.Asqui
t hwastheLiberalPartyPri
me
Mini
steroftheUKf rom 1908t o1916.

ACTI
VITY

Tr
ytodr
awacompar
isonbet
weent
heBr
it
ishKi
ngandt
heI
ndi
anPr
esi
dent
.
 CHECKYOURPROGRESS

1.Thepowersoft
heCrownar
eder
ivedfrom whi
cht
wosources?
……………………………………………………………………………………
2.TheKingi
saperson,
wher
east
heCr ownisan………….
..
.….
..

(Fi
ll
intheBl
ank)
3.TheCrownisanimport
antpartoft
henat
ional
legi
slat
ure.(
TrueFal
se)
 
4.Descri
bet
heexecut
ivepowersoftheCr
own.(wit
hin50wor ds)
.

CABI
NET 

TheCabi netisthecor eoft heBr it

ishconst it
utional system.ThenameCabi netreferred
origi
nallyt oasmal lbodyofmi nister swhom t hel aterStuar
tKingsbegantoconsul tin
preferencet othePr ivyCounci lofthei rpredecessor s.Accordi
ngly,
theCabinetisapar tofa
l
argerbodyort hemi nist
ry.Whi l
et hemi ni
stryisal argebodyconsisti
ngofallthemi nistersof
theCr own, theCabinetconst i
tutesani nnercir
cl econsisti
ngofonlysuchmember soft he
ministryast hePrimeMi nisterinvites.TheCabi netheadedbyt hePrimeMi ni
stercont ainsthe
realleader sorchiefs.Thus, allCabi netmember sar emi ni
ster
s,butnotal
lministersar eCabinet
member s.TheCabi netisthus, awheel wi
thinawheel .TheCabinet,
inbri
ef,i
sthedr i
vingand
thest eeringfor
ce, withallit
smember sholdingi mpor t
antportf
oli
osoftheGov ernment .
Accor dingt oRamsayMui r,theCabi netis“thest eeringwheeloftheshipoftheSt ate.”
LETUSKNOW

TheCabi net,despi
tei
tsimportance,hasnolegalst
atusasanorganofgov ernment
.It
s
exist
enceandwor ki
ngcentrearoundsomewel lest
abli
shedcustoms,t
raditi
onsand
precedents.Theconventi
onalcharacteroft
heCabinetmakesitahighl
yflexi
ble
i
nst i
tut
ion.Itcaneasi
lyadapttoemer genci
esandotherspeci
alcir
cumstances.

Pr
inci
plesoft
heCabi
netSy
stem

Nowl
etusdi
scusst
hepr
inci
plesoft
heCabi
netsy
stem:

·ExclusionoftheKingf rom theCabi net:

Thef i
rstimportantfeatureoftheBr i
tishCabi netsystem i
stheexclusi
onoftheKing
fr
om t heCabinet.Thewhol eofthepol i
ti
calandexecut iv
epoweroft heCrownis
exercisedintheKing’snamebyt heCabi net.Butt heKingstandsoutsi
detheactual
workingoft heCabinet.Hedoesnotat t
endt heCabi netmeetingsandremai
nsneutral
andabov epart
ypoliti
cs.Itistr
uet hattheKingcommandsaposi t
iont
oinfl
uencethe
decisi
onsoft heCabi net,yeti
ntheendoft heday , t
hemonar chisboundbythedecisi
on
oftheCabi net.
 

·Cooper at i
onbet weenCabi netandPar li
ament : 
TheCabi netsy stem ismarkedbyacl osecooper ati
onandhar monybet weent he
Cabi netandt hePar l
i
ament .ThePr i
meMi nisteristhel eaderoft hemaj ori
typart
yinthe
Par l
iamentandal lmini
ster
sar ealsoitsmember s.I
nmoder nt imes,theyar egeneral
l
y
from theHouseofCommons.I fheisnot ,hebecomesamemberaf t
erhi sappoint
ment.
Themember shipofPar l
iamentgivest omi nistersar epresent ati
v eandr esponsi
ble
char act
er .I
tbindst ogethertheexecut i
veandl egisl
ativeaut hor i
tiest
oget herandthere
canbenowor kingatcrosspur posesbet weent hetwoor gans.Themi nisterscanget
thedesi r
edl egislati
onpassedi nthePar li
amentwhi let hePar l
iamentcansecur e
i
nf ormationr egar di
ngtheaf f
air
soft headmi nistr
ationt hroughquest i
ons.This
har moniouscol l
aborati
onensur esast ableandef fi
cientGov ernment .
 
·Mini sterial Responsi bil
it
y :
 
Minist erialr esponsi bil
ityist hemostsi gni fi
cantpr incipl eoft heCabi netsy stem of
gover nment .Mi nisterial r
esponsi bil
ityt oPar liamenthast woaspect s:thecol lecti
ve
responsi bilityofmi nistersf orthepol iciesandact i
onsoft hegov ernmentasawhol e
andt hei rindi v i
dual responsi bi
li
tyfort hewor koft heirr espect i
v edepar tment sofwhi ch
theyar ei nchar ge.Col l
ectiveresponsi bil
ityimpl iest hatt heCabi netasawhol eis
answer ablef ort heact sofi tsmember s.Al lmi nisters, from seni orCabi netmi nist
ersto
j
uniormi nist ersst andf ort hepol i
ti
cal programmeoft hepar tyandr epr esentt he
uniformi tyofpol iti
cal opinion.Theymust ,ther efor e,fallandst andt oget her,becauset he
fall
oft heMi nistryist hef allofthepar tyand, consequent l
y,it
spol i
ticalprogr amme.Any
minist erwhoi snotpr epar edtodef endt heCabi netdeci sionmustr esign.Ant honyEden
resignedi n1938becausehewasunabl et oagr eewi t
ht hef oreignpol i
cyadopt edby
PrimeMi nist erNev il
leChamber l
ainandt heCabi net .Att hesamet i
me, theCabi netcan
remai ni nof ficeonl ysol ongasi tenj oy st heconf idenceoft hemaj or i
tyoft hemember s
oftheHouse.Thi sobl igationt oresigni scol lect i
v e.Al lthemi nister
smustr esi gn
coll
ect ively .Impl icitint hedoct ri
neofcol l
ectiv er esponsi bil
ityist hesol idari
tyoft he
Cabi net .
 

I
ndivi
dual
responsi
bil
i
t yofamini
steri
mpli
esthatever
yCabinetmi ni
sterinchar
geofa
depar
tmentisanswerablet
otheParli
amentf
orallact
sandomi ssionsofhis
depar
tmentandmustbearconsequencesofanydefectofadministr
ationwithr
egar
dto
hi
sdepart
ment .

·Leadershipoft hePr imeMi nist

er:
 
TheCabi netsy stem ofgov ernmentismarkedbyt heleadershi poft hePr imeMi nister.
Accordi
ngt oMor l
ey, “ThePrimeMi nst
eristhekeyst oneoft hecabi netar ch.
”Al though
i
nt heCabinet ,alli
tsmember sstandonanequal footing,yett hedomi nanceoft he
Pri
meMi nisterisev ident.Hei stheChair
manoft heCabi netandi sther eforethef ir
st
amongequal si nrelationtohi sCabi
netcoll
eagues.Heexer cisesagener al super vi
sion
overthewor kofhi scol l
eaguesandr esolv
esdifferencesamongt hem.Al thought he
minist
ersar eappoi nt edbyt heKing,i
nactualpract i
ce, t
heyar et henomi neesoft he
Pri
meMi nister.Hei st heleaderoftheParli
ament arymaj orityandal l member swor k
underhisaccept edleader ship.

·SecrecyandPar tySol idari

ty:
 
Anotherimportantf eatureoft heCabi netsy st
em i sthesecr ecyoft hepoli
cyandpar ty
soli
darit
y.TheCabi neti sasecr etbodycol lectivelyresponsi blef oritsdeci
sions.It
deli
beratesinsecretandi tsproceedingsar ehi ghlyconf i
dent i
al.Alltheminister
sar e
expectedtomai ntaincompl etesecrecywi thr egardt ot hepr oceedi ngsandpol i
ciesof
theCabinet.Thesecr ecyofCabi netpr oceedingsi ssaf eguar dedbyl awandconv ention.
ThePr i
vyCounci l
lors’Oat hPrivyCounci ll
ors’(oat htakenonbecomi ngamemberoft he
Pri
vyCounci l
)imposesanobl igationnott odiscl oseCabi netsecr ets.TheOffici
al
SecretsActof1920, forbidscommuni cationt ounaut hor i
zedper sonsofof f
icial
document sandi nformat ion.Secrecycombi nedwi t
ht hel eadershi pofthePr i
me
Minist
erhelpsthemi nisterstopr esentasol idanduni tedf ace.
 Funct
ionsoft
heCabi
net

Accordi
ngtotheReportoft
heMachiner
yofGov
ernmentCommi
tt
ee(
1918)
,
ther
earethr
eefuncti
onsoftheCabi
net:

a.Thefinal
deter
mi nati
onofpol
icytobesubmit
tedtoParl
iament
b.Thesupremecont roloft
henati
onalex
ecut
iveinaccor
dancewit
hthepol
i
cy
prescr
ibedbyParl
iament

c.Theconti
nuousco-
ordinat
ionanddel
i
mit
ati
onoft
heact
ivi
ti
esoft
he
sever
alDepart
mentsoftheSt at
e.

Thef
unct
ionsoft
heCabi
netmaybedescr
ibedasf
oll
ows:

·PolicyDet erminingFunctions: 
TheCabi netisprimaril
yadel i
berati
veandpol i
cy -
formulati
ngbody .I
t
discussesanddeci desallsortsofnational andinternati
onal problems.Once
theCabi nett akesadecisiononapar t
icularnationalorinternationalproblem,
allmember sar eexpectedtoabi debyit,i
rrespectiveoftheirlikesordi sl
ikes.
Whent heCabi nethasdet erminedonapol i
cy ,
theappr opriateDepar tment
carri
esi toutei t
herbyadmi nistr
ati
veact i
onorbysubmi tt
inganewBi l
l t
o
Parli
amentandget ti
ngitenacted.Legislati
oni sthust hehandmai dof
admi ni
st rat
ion.

·Legi
slat
iveFuncti
ons: 
TheCabinetisthei
nstrumentthatl
inkst
heExecuti
vebr
anchofgover
nment
totheLegisl
ati
vebranch.TheCabinetmi
nist
ersgui
deandcont
rolt
heworkof
Parl
iament.TheCabi netplanst
helegi
slativeprogrammeatt hebegi nni
ngof
everyParli
ament arysessionandprepar
est hespeechf rom t
het hronespell
i
ng
outthelegisl
ati
vepr ogramme.Theyf or
mul ateandi nt
roducebill
sint he
Parl
iamentonal l si
gnifi
cantmatter
swhi chintheirjudgmentr equire
l
egislat
iveatt
ention.TheCabi netbyvi
rt
ueofi tsenj oyi
ngamaj ori
tyinthe
HouseofCommonscangett hebil
l
spassedi nt hePar l
iamentasi tcandir
ect
theParli
amentf oract i
oninacertai
nway .

·SupremeCont r oloft heNat i

onal Execut ive:
TheCabi neti st hesupr emenat ional execut iv
e.Legal l
y,alltheexecut i
vepower
vestsint heKi ng.Buti nactual practi
ce, theKi ngi sonl yat it
ularhead.I tisthe
Cabinetwhi chr eal lyexercisesal lt
heexecut i
vepower svestedi ntheKi ng.The
Cabinetmi nister spr esideov erthemaj ordepar t
ment sofgov ernmentand
carryoutt hepol i
cydet er
mi nedbyt heCabi netandappr ovedbyPar liament .As
headsoft hedepar tment s,theMi nistersar er esponsi bleforthepol icies
pursuedbyt heirdepar tment sandf ort heiradmi ni
strativeef f
iciency .They
decidepol icyi ssuest hatar i
seint heirdepar tment s, giveinstruct i
onst otheir
pri
ncipal subor dinat esandsuper vi
set hedepar tment alactivi
ties.The
ministersar eal soanswer ablet oPar l
iamentf orallact sofomi ssionand
commi ssionandaccor di
nglymustensur et heef fi
cientmanagementof
department albusi nesskeepi ngi nviewt heneedsoft hepeopl e. 
TheCabi netmayadoptt hedev iceofOr ders-in-Counci l
,insteadofgoi ngt o
Parli
amentf orappr oval t
ogi veeffectt osomemor egener allineofpol icy
i
ncludingadecl arationofwar .Botht heWor ldWar s( WorldWarI -1914t o
1918andWor ldWarI I-1939t o1945)wer edecl aredbyOr ders- i
n-Counci l
. 

·Cabi
netasCoor
dinat
or:

Theessentialfuncti
onoft heCabi netistocoor di
nat eandgui det hefunct i
ons
oftheseveraldepartment sofgov ernment .Thoughadmi nistrationisdi v
ided
i
ntonumer ousdepar tment s,y
etitisdiff
iculttomakeawat er-t
ightdivisi
on
amongt hev ar
iousdepar t
ment s.Theact ionofonedepar tmentaf f
ectsthe
workofanot herdepartment .I
nfact,everyimpor t
antpr oblem cut sacross
depart
ment alboundaries.Forinstance,af orei
gnpol icydeci si
onmustof ten
bemadei nr el
ationtodefenceandt radepol i
cy.Similar l
y,aneducat ional
poli
cydecisionmayconcer notherdepar tment sl
iket heTr easur yDepar tment.
I
nsuchcases, theCabinetdoest het askofcoor dinatingpol i
cy. 

·Determi
nationofFinances:
 
TheCabinetisresponsibl
efort
hewholeex
pendi
tur
eoftheStat
eandfor
rai
singnecessaryrevenuest
omeetit
.TheCabi
netdeci
desastowhattaxes
willbelevied,howt hesewi l
lbecol l
ectedandi nwhatmannert hesewi llbe
spent.TheCabi nettakesdecisionsregardingt heimposi t
ionoft axesand
abolit
ionorr eductionofoldones.TheChancel loroftheEx chequeri san
i
mpor tantmemberoft heCabi net.Heprepar est heannual budgetandt he
samei sal waysdi scussedthoroughlyintheCabi netbef oreitispresent edto
thePar l
iament .
From theabov ediscussionregardingthefunct ionsoft heCabi net,itcanbe
concludedt hatitoccupiesacent ralposit
ioni nt heBrit
ishPar li
ament ary
system.I tformulatesthepolicy,enfor
cest helaws, r
unst headmi ni
st rat
ion,
preparest hebudgetanddeci desonmat t
er sofwarandpeace.I nshor t,the
Cabinetist heGov ernmentoft heUni t
edKi ngdom.  

LETUSKNOW

TheCabinethasnospeci
fi
cconst
it
uti
onal
orstat
utor
ybasi
s.Despi
tethat,t
hepower
s
oftheCabinetar
esovastt
hatsomeobser
ver
shav eusedt
heterm“Cabinet
Dict
ator
ship.”

CHECKYOURPROGRESS

.Mentionanyt wopr incipl

esoftheCabinetform ofgov ernment .
………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2.TheCabi netmeet i
ngsar eattendedbytheKing.(True/ False)
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3.Whilethemi nistr
yisal argebodyconsist
ingofallt
hemi nist
ersof
theCrown, the………………………….const it
utesaninnercircle. 
(Fi
ll
int heBlank)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………. .
4.Explaint
hel egisl
ativefuncti
onsoftheCabinet.(
within50wor ds)
 
 ThePr
imeMi
nist
er

ThePr imeMi ni
steristhecorner-
stoneoftheConsti
tut
ion.Theent
ir
e
admi ni
strati
veandgov er
nment almachiner
yrevol
vesaroundthePri
me
Minister.Thepowersandf uncti
onsofthePr i
meMi ni
steraremanyand
var
ied.Thesear ediscussedbelow:

 Format ionoft heCabi net:Thef irstf unct ionoft hePr imeMi nisterist o
maket heGov ernment .TheGov ernmenti sheadedbyt hePr i
meMi nister
andt hePr imeMi ni
sterselectshi sownt eam t omakeaGov ernment .
Beingt heleaderoft hemaj ori
typar tyint heHouseofCommons, hei s
call
eduponbyt heKi ngt oformt hemi nist ry.Itmaybenot edher et hat
alt
hought hePr i
meMi nisteristhesol eaut hor it
yi nt hemat t
erof
selecti
onofhi scol l
eagues, y
ethehast ot akeanumberoff actor sinto
account .Forinstance, inconstitut i
nghi smi nistry,thePr i
meMi nister
hast oaccommodat et heclaimsandv i
ewsofl eadingmember sofhi s
partyinbot hHouses.Nev ert
hel ess, itisf ort hePr imeMi ni
stertodeci de
upont hesi zeoft heCabi netandt hemi ni sterst obei ncludedi nitandhe
enjoysaf r
eehandi nthemat t
er .Hemayev ensel ectcol leaguesout si
de
theranksofhi sPar t
y,orev enout sidePar l
iamenti ft hePr i
meMi nister
feelsthatapar t
icul
arper soni sspeci allysui tedf rot hej ob.Forexampl e,
i
n1903t hethenPr imeMi ni
sterBal fourof feredt heCol onialOfficet o
LordMi l
ner,whenhewasst i
lltheHi ghCommi ssioneri nSout hAf r
ica
andhadnopar l
i
ament aryexper iencet ohi scr edit.

 Di
str
ibut
ionofPor
tfol
i
os:
Theal
l
ocat
ionofof
fi
cesi
sal
sodonebyt
he
 Pr
imeMini
steri
nhisdi
scret
ion.However
,amini
stermaydecli
newhat
i
sgiv
en.Butrar
elyt
hePri
meMi nist
er’
sfi
nal
all
ocati
onisr
eject
ed.
 

 ToShuf fletheMinistry
:ThePr i
meMi nister
,astheleaderoftheCabi net
,
alsohast herighttoappoint,r
eshuffl
eordismisshisCabinetcol l
eagues
sot hatt hemachi neryofthegovernmentkeepswor kingeff
icientl
yand
effect i
vely.Hecanr evi
ewt heall
ocati
onofof f
icesamonghi s
colleaguesandcanmakenecessar ychangesifneeded.ThePr ime
Mi nistercanreshuf f
letheportf
oli
osoft heminist
erstothi
sef fect.He
canr equestanyofhi scoll
eaguestor esi
gn.Hecanal soadvisetheKi ng
todi smi ssami ni
ster. 

 I
nJul
y1962,thet
henPr
imeMi
nist
erMacMi
l
landi
smi
ssedsev
enoutof
t
went
yminist
ers.

 Chair
manoft heCabi net:ThePr imeMi nist
ersummonst hemeet ingsof
theCabinetandpr esi
desov erthem.ThePr i
meMi ni
steri
st heleaderof
thePartyandhi scol l
eaguesint heCabinetowehi m aper sonalaswel l
asapar tyal
legiance.Hedeci dest heagendaoft hemeet ings.Iti
sf or
thePri
meMi nistertoacceptorr ejectproposal
sf ordi
scussi on
submitt
edbymi nisters.I
fdiff
erencescr opupint heCabinetmeet ings,
thePri
meMi nisterast heChair
manoft heCabi netmayi mposea
deci
sion. 

 AsCoor dinat
or :ThePrimeMinist
erhast heresponsibil
it
ytocoordinate
thepoliciesoft hedif
ferentmini
stri
es.Hehast oseet oitthatt
he
dif
ferentdepar tmentsdonotwor katcrosspur poseswi theachother.I
t
i
shi sresponsi bil
it
ytoensurethatthegov er
nmentwor ksasaunit.In
short,t
hePr i
meMi ni
steract
sast heguideandcoor dinatoroft
he
Cabinet.

 ·Leaderoft heHouseofCommons: Itisnowanest abl

ishedpr ecedent
thatthePr i
meMi nistermustbel ongt ot heHouseofCommons.He
representstheCabinetasawhol ei nt heHouseandact sast heLeader
oftheHouse.I tishewhodeci desast owhent heHousei stobe
summonedandf orwhatper i
od. ThePr imeMi nist
er,beingt heleader,
guidesandi nfl
uencest heenti
rel egislati
onintheHouseofCommons.
Hemakesaut horit
ativestat
ement sandexpl ai
nstheGov ernment ’s
poli
cy .Hespeaksonmosti mpor tantbi ll
s.Heiniti
atesori ntervenesin
debatesofgener alimportance,suchast hoseondef ence, foreign
 aff
airsanddomest i
cissuesofpri
mar ycharact
er.Thepar t
yWhipsi
nthe
House, t
hroughwhom thePr i
meMi nist
eri
ssuesor derstothemembers
ofthepartyintheHouse,areunderthedir
ectsupervisi
onofthePri
me
Minister
.

 PowerofDi ssolution:ThePr i
meMi nist
erwieldst hesupr emepowerof
dissoluti
on.Hei stheonl ypersonwhoi sauthor i
zedt oadv i
setheKi ng
todissolvetheHouseofCommons.I tmeanst hatthemember soft he
HouseofCommonshol dt hei
rseatsatthemer cyoft hePr imeMi nister.
Thought heKi ngcanr efusedi ssol
uti
ontothePr imeMi nist
er,i
npr actice
i
ti shighl
yunl i
kelythathewoul deverdoso.Dur ingthel asthundred
yearsorso, therehasbeennoi nst
anceofar efusal ofdissolut
ionwhen
adv i
sedbyt hePr i
meMi nister
.

 Channel ofCommuni cat

ion:ThePrimeMi nist
eristhemai nchannelof
communi cat
ionbet
weent heCabinetandtheKi ngonmat tersofpubli
c
concern.ThePr i
meMi ni
sterinf
ormst heKingaboutt heopini
onsand
deci
sionsoft heGovernment.HealsocarriestheopinionsoftheKingto
hi
scol l
eaguesandt husactsasthelinkbetweent heKingandt he
Cabinet.

 ChiefAdv iseroft heKing:ThePr imeMi ni

steri
salsothechiefadviserof
theKing.Her ecommendst henamesoft hepersonsonwhom t he
honour sar etobebest owed.Thedi st r
ibuti
onofgeneralpatronage
throughtheHonourl i
stgivesthePr i
meMi nist
eraninfl
uenceinmany
sectorsofnat i
onalli
fe.Headv isestheKi nginmat t
ersofappointment s
andot hermat t
ersofnat i
onal i
mpor tance.Inthi
sregard,t
hePr i
me
Ministerrecommendst otheMonar chf ort
heappointmentofChur chof
EnglandAr chbishops,bi
shopsandcer t
ainotherseni
orcler
gyaswel las
forappoint ment stohighjudici
al of
fices. 

 Represent
ativ
eoft heNation:ThePr i
meMi nist
ermayoccasionally
at
tendandpar tici
patei
ninter
nationalconf
erencesormeet i
ngs.Lor d
Beaconsfi
eldattendedtheCongr essofBerl
in,Ll
oydGeorgepartici
pated
i
nt hepeaceconf er
enceatPar i
s,Nevil
leChamberlai
nledthemeet ings
i
nGer manypr ecedingt
heMuni chAgr eementandWi nst
onChur chi
llmet
Presi
dentFranklinRoosevel
tsixtimesduri
ngt heSecondWor l
dWar .

Pr
imeMini
ster
’sposit
ion:
Fr
om t
heabovediscussionr
egar
dingt
hepower
sandf
unct
ionsoft
hePr
ime
Minister,i
tbecomescl eart hatt heBr i
ti
shPr imeMi nisterstandsatt hevery
coreofBr it
ishadmi ni
strationandpol i
tics.
 
Hisposi t
ionhasbeenv ariousl ysummedupbywr it
ers.Lor dMor l
eydescribed
him aspr i
musi nterpares, thef i
rstamongequal s.Hesai dthatalthoughinthe
Cabinetallitsmember sst andonanequal foot i
ng,speakwi t
honev oi
ce,yet
theheadoft heCabinet,thati s,thePrimeMi nister,occupiesaposi ti
onof
exceptionalandpecul i
araut hori
ty.Jenningsi soft heopi ni
ont hatthePrime
Ministerinrelat
iontohismi nistersisrather“asunar oundwhi chplanet
s
revolv
e.”

Asamat teroffact ,
theact ual poweroft hePr imeMi nisterdependsi nparton
hisownper sonal i
ty,i
npar tonhi sownpr estigeandinpar tuponhi sparty
support.PrimeMi ni
stersli
keDi sraeli
,Gladst one,Ll
oy dGeor ge, Wi nst
on
Churchill
,Margar etThatcherandTonyBl airdomi nat
edt heBr itishpol i
ti
cal
sceneduet otheirpersonaliti
esandadmi ni
st r
ati
vecal i
br e.Agai n,ifthePr i
me
Minist
erisapopul aranddy nami cf i
gure, i
tisdiff
icul
tf orhi scol leaguest o
opposehi m.Int heultimateanal ysi
s,theBr iti
shPr i
meMi nisteri sthemost
i
mpor tantpersoni nthegov ernmentoft hecount ry.Wi thouthi m, t
hemi nisters
havenoexi stence.Not hingcant akepl acei nthegov ernmentagai nsthiswi ll
.
Theaut hori
tyoft hePr i
meMi ni st
erisgr eat,but,toal argeext ent,hisauthor i
ty
i
samat terofinfluence.

ACTI
VITY

Tr
ytodr awacompari
sonbetweentheBri
ti
shPr
imeMi
nist
erandt
heI
ndi
anPr
ime
Mini
sterint
ermsoft
heiract
ualposi
ti
on.
 CHECKYOURPROGRESS

1.Whopr esi
desov erthemeet ingsoftheCabinet?
.
...
..
..
..
…………………………………………………………………
2.ThePr i
meMi nisteri
sthemai nchannelofcommuni cat
ionbet
ween
theCabinetand……. ..
..
..
..
..
..…….onmat t
ersofpublicconcern.
(Fi
lli
ntheBlank)
3.ThePr i
meMi nisteri
stheonl ypersonwhoi sauthori
zedtoadvi
se
theKingtodissol
v etheHouseofCommons.( True/Fal
se)
……………………………………………………………………………………………
4.Descri
bethePr imeMi nister
’srol
eintheformationofhis
government.(wi
thin50wor ds) 

LETUSSUM UP

Inthi
suni t
,wehav er eadabouttheexecutiveintheUnitedKingdom
compr i
singoft heCrownandt heCabi
net.Whi l
edeali
ngwi t
htheconceptof
theCrown, wehav elearntaboutthedi
stinctionbet
weent heCrownandthe
Kingaswel ldiscussedt hepowersoftheCr own.Furt
her more,wehavelearnt
abouttheCabi net,i
tsmeani ng,t
hepri
nciplesoftheCabi netsyst
em andthe
funct
ionsoft heCabi netsystem.Fi
nal
ly,wehav ealsolearntaboutt
hePr i
me
Mi
nist
er,
hisf
unct
ionsandposi
ti
oni
ntheBr
it
ishconst
it
uti
onal
syst
em.

FURTHERREADI
NG

1.WorldConstit
uti
ons–Vi shnooBhagwanandVi
dyaBhushan
2.Sel
ectConstit
uti
ons-A.CKapurandK.KMishr
a
3.Comparati
vePolit
icalSyst
em-S.N.Ray
4.MajorGovernments-K.K.Ghai

ANSWERSTOCHECKYOURPROGRESS

Answer
stoCHECKYOURPROGRESS1

Qno.1.Pr erogati
veandSt atut
e 
Qno.2.I nsti
tut
ion 
Qno.3.Tr ue
Qno.4.TheCr owni st hesupremeexecut iv
eaut hor
ity.Itappoint
sal lthehigh
executi
veandadmi nistrati
veoffi
cers,judges, bi
shopsandt heofficer
soft he
armedf orces.I
tholdssupr emecommandov erthearmedest abl
ishment s.
TheCr ownconduct st hecount r
y’sforeignrelati
onswi thothercount r
ies.The
Crowni salsothetreaty -maki
ngaut horityandallint
ernat i
onalagreement sare
madei nitsname.Itcanev endecl ar
ewarorpeaceandconcl udeat r
eaty
withoutconsulti
ngPar liament.
Answer
st oCHECKYOURPROGRESS2
Qno.1.(i
)Cooper ati
onbetweenCabi
netandPar
li
ament
 
(i
i
)Mini
sterialResponsi
bil
i
ty 
Qno.2.False
Qno.3.Cabi net

Qno.4.TheCabi neti
st hei nstr
umentt hatl
inkst heEx ecutivebranchof
gov ernmentt ot heLegislativebranch.TheCabi netmi nistersguideandcont r
ol
thewor kofPar l
iament .TheCabi netpl
ansthel egisl
ati
v eprogrammeatt he
begi nningofev eryParliament arysessionandpr eparest hespeechf r
om the
thronespel li
ngoutt hel egislat
iveprogramme.Theyf ormul ateandi ntr
oduce
bil
lsi nthePar l
iamentonal l si
gnifi
cantmatterswhi chint heirj
udgment
requi r
el egi
slat
iveattent i
on.

Answer st oCHECKYOURPROGRESS3 
Qno.1.Pr imeMi nister
Qno.2.Ki ng
Qno.3.Tr ue
Qno. 4.Thef ir
stfunct i
onofthePr i
meMi nisteristomaket heGov ernment .
Bei
ngt heleaderoft hemaj or
itypart
yintheHouseofCommons, hei scall
ed
uponbyt heKingt ofor mthemi ni
str
y.I
tmaybenot edheret hatalthoughthe
Pri
meMi ni
steristhesol eauthori
tyi
nthemat t
erofsel ect
ionofhi s
col
leagues, yethehast otakeanumberoff actorsint
oaccount .Nev erthel
ess,
i
tisf orthePr i
meMi nist
ertodecideupont hesi zeoftheCabi netandt he
ministerstobei ncludedinitandheenj oysaf reehandi nthemat ter. 

POSSI
BLEQUESTI
ONS

1.Dist
ingui
shbet
weentheCr
ownandt
heKing.Expl
aini
nbriefthepower
sof
theCrown.
2.Explai
nthemaxi
m Ki
ngcandonoWrongi
nthecontextoftheBri
ti
sh
poli
ti
calsyst
em.
3.Writ
eashortnotejusti
fyi
ngtheexistenceofmonar chyi
nBri
tai
n. 
4.Descri
bethepri
ncipl
esoft heCabinetsystem i
ntheUK.
5.Di
scussthefuncti
onsoft heCabinetintheUK. 
6.Di
scussthepower sandfuncti
onsoft heBr i
ti
shPrimeMini
ster
. 
7.Analy
zetheposit
ionoftheBr i
ti
shPr i
meMi ni
ster
.