The Responsibilities of the Prime Minister

The Prime Minister hosts cabinet. 18/07/2023. London, United Kingdom. The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosts the last cabinet before the summer recess in 10 Downing Street. Picture by Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street. Flickr - CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

What does a Prime Minister actually do?

Margaret Thatcher:
‘Senior position in government involving long hours, short holidays and tall orders. Expertise required in the whole range of government policy and especially in carrying cans. Tied cottage – makes job ideal for someone used to living above the shop. Current status: 650 applicants and no vacancy’.

It might seem an obvious question. There have been many attempts to write down the powers of the Prime Minister over history, but only recently have they been formally codified, and, even then, not in a complete or binding manner. The Cabinet Manual notes that the Prime Minister has ‘few statutory powers’ because legal authority is vested in the Secretaries of State.

Britain does not have a written constitution, and therefore the roles of the Prime Minister are a jumble of codified rules, precedents, formal powers, and informal influences.

In terms of position, one thing is unambiguous: the Prime Minister, at least in modern times, is the First Lord of the Treasury. It is these words that are on the letterbox of Number 10. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the Second Lord of the Treasury.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London. — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, London. Credit: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo. Photographer: House of Commons.

A list of responsibilities

The Number 10 website lists three responsibilities for the Prime Minister:

Overseeing the operation of the Civil Service and government agencies
Choosing members of the government
Is the ‘principal government figure in the House of Commons’

Formally, the Prime Minister is the Minister for the Civil Service and, since 2019, for the Union. The later role exists to ‘ensure that all of government is acting on behalf of the entire United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales’.

But the Prime Minister has many more responsibilities:

The maintenance of a majority in Parliament, or the largest grouping of loyal MPs. Practically, this means having enough loyal MPs to pass the annual King’s Speech, which sets out a programme for government, and a budget, which sets out the state of the nation’s finances and plans for taxation and spending. It also means having enough MPs to survive a Vote of No Confidence. If a Prime Minister cannot guarantee enough MPs for these measures, either they must call an election or resign.
They set the agenda of the government, both at a day-to-day level, and at a strategic one. What is the government trying to achieve? And how will it go about that?
They chair the Cabinet and set its agenda, which usually meets once a week, but sometimes more often.
They set the composition and terms of reference for Cabinet Committees, which reduces the burden on the Cabinet and allow for more specific and detailed policymaking.
Crisis management during a national emergency.
Managing relationships with key political bodies such as the Opposition, and the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish devolved governments.
Representing the government in the Commons (including at Prime Minister’s Questions once a week).
Communicating with the monarch (in whose name the government governs).
Overseeing appointments to Cabinet and the senior ranks of the Civil Service (as well as appointments to a number of other organisations, including certain ecclesiastical, judicial, and scholarly positions).
The organisation and senior staffing of Number 10 Downing Street.
Oversight over foreign and defence policy.
The decision to authorise (or not to authorise) military action, including the use of Britain’s nuclear weapons.
Leadership and direction to the country’s intelligence services.
Meeting with leaders from other countries and supranational bodies like the UN or EU.
Delivering speeches at times of national mourning or emergency.
Representing the UK at major international summits, including the UN General Assembly, the G7, and G20.
Requesting to the sovereign for a dissolution of Parliament and a general election (with the ability to call a ‘snap election’ whenever they like).
Practically, the Prime Minister also needs to lead a political party, and much of their time will be taken up with party matters. Sooner or later, they will face a general election, and will have to impress the British people if they want to stay in Number 10.
The award of honours.

'Events, dear boy, events'

Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak shake hands in the White house — The Prime Minister visits The White House. 08/06/2023. Washington DC, United States. The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visits The White House where he is walked around the residence by The President of the United States Joe Biden and then they hold a joint press conference. The White House. Picture by Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street. Flickr. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

When asked what the greatest challenge was for a statesman, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan supposedly responded ‘events, dear boy, events’. Though the exact circumstances of the quote, or even whether Macmillan have said it at all, have never been reliably identified. Nevertheless, the statement reflects the reality that a Prime Minister must expect to deal with the unexpected.

The Prime Minister can take hold of almost any subject that the government deals with and make it their priority. However, this works both ways, with many Prime Ministers buffeted by events and unable to offer clear strategic leadership as a result. Crises over Reform, Irish Home Rule, the ‘People’s Budget’, and Brexit were often the defining priorities of premierships, regardless of the Prime Minister’s original intentions.

Moreover, whilst some of the Prime Minister’s roles are often clear, their emphasis will shift due to circumstances. For example, a Prime Minister with a small majority (or no majority), will spend far more of their time on parliamentary management than one who has a landslide majority. Wartime Prime Ministers have found their time and energies taken up by the running of the war effort. A coalition Prime Minister will have to frequently negotiate and seek the approval of their political partners.

Robert Peel, 4 August 1843:
‘You will see that we have an extraordinary combination of difficulties to deal with at home – Ireland and Repeal agitation; a terrible schism in the Church of Scotland; civil war in Spain; increasing jealousies of the Church on the part of Dissent, leading to formidable and successful organisation against our education scheme; trade still depressed, and revenue not flourishing’.

Ultimately, the Prime Minister’s job is ‘leadership’, of the government and the nation.

Tony Blair:
“The real world is that with the Prime Minister the buck stops with you; that is the top job and that is how it should be”.

Resources

‘Role and powers of the Prime Minister’, Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee, Parliament, 2014, <https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmpolcon/351/35102.htm>, accessed 4 October 2023.

‘The role and status of the Prime Minister’s Office’, Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee, Parliament, 2021, < https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmpolcon/351/35102.htm>, accessed 4 October 2023.

‘Prime Minister’, gov.uk, <https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/prime-minister>, accessed 4 October 2023.

Sir Robert Peel, Sir Robert Peel: From his private papers, Volume 3, (London, 1899).

‘Speech to Conservative Central Council’, Margaret Thatcher Foundation, 31 March 1990, <https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/108051>, accessed 5 December 2023.