CONSIDERATION IN MARKING
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To what extent is the prime minister first among equals?

This essay will compare the prime ministerial styles of Thatcher and Blair and compare presidential styles to collective cabinet government. It explains what can happen when a prime minister has too much power and is more than just first among equals. It concludes that in recent years the prime minster has exerted too much power and is ignoring his cabinet.

By the 1830s the Westminster system of what we now as cabinet government emerged. The head of the government is the prime minister. Leech et al define the prime minister as: “A head of government whose power normally derives in Britain from leadership of the largest party in the legislature, more exceptionally from the enjoyment of the confidence of a cross –party parliamentary majority. The prime minister is not head of state” (p.191, 2011), UK Politics is devised from a constitutional monarchy: the monarch is the head of state. Leech et al (2011) further state that Sir Robert Walpole (1721-1742), holds this claim as he was the first Lord of the Treasury. In 1905 it was given royal warrant thus giving it legal status (Schaffer, 2011). The key aspect of the prime minister’s power is defined as someone who gives leadership and represents the nation at home but also abroad (Leech et al, 2011, p. 193). The prime minister also steers the government by directing government policies and strategies and by chairing the cabinet. Prime ministers power is referred to as patronage “power to hire and fire”. Leech et al (2011) state patronage is a crucial element of prime ministerial power especially when choosing their cabinet. Both Thatcher and Blair were said to have awarded cabinet positions to those who were loyal to them. It can be said that Thatcher and Blair shared similar prime ministerial styles even though they were from