Unit 2: Governing the UK by Nicola McEwen Lecturer in Politics at the University of Edinburgh writes for BBC Parliament

The Cabinet co-ordinates the work of the government

Whereas Parliament is the focus of the legislative process, the formulation and execution of policy is the responsibility of the government.

As head of the executive branch of government the prime minister enjoys considerable power.

He (or she) hires and fires cabinet ministers and directs, presents and co-ordinates the work of the government. He also has the power to decide when to hold the next election (within the maximum five-year term), enhancing his power over his political opponents.

ALSO IN THIS SECTION: Unit 2 - Governing the UK The UK Constitution Role and Significance of Parliament Judges, Justice & Freedom Reading List

In his role as national leader the prime minister represents the country in international relations and enjoys extensive prerogative powers in international negotiations and crises.

The prime minister is directly supported by a growing number of senior officials and advisors working in the Prime Minister's Office.

Surrounding the prime minister is a cabinet, usually of around 20 to 23 ministers.

Each is appointed by the prime minister and is given responsibility for directing the work of a government department.

Collectively, the cabinet co-ordinates government business, including the legislative programme, constitutional issues, and public expenditure decisions.

It gives formal approval to policy decisions, and brings authority and legitimacy to the business of government. It can also act as a forum for debating policy issues and reconciling policy disagreements, and will play a key role in crisis management.

In practice the business of government more commonly takes place in smaller cabinet committees.

There are 25-30 standing committees, covering permanent policy areas in domestic and international affairs.

Much work is also carried out within a range of temporary, ad hoc committees, set up to tackle issues of the day.

The most important committees are chaired by the prime minister and senior ministers. Cabinet ministers and committees are bound by the convention of collective responsibility.

As such, once a decision is made, all ministers are bound by it and must support it publicly. If they cannot do so, they are expected to resign their ministerial post.

The civil service

Cabinet ministers are supported in their work by the civil service, the bureaucracy of the state.

The civil service is politically neutral and must serve the government of the day, regardless of the party in power.

The duty of civil servants is first and foremost to their minister. In turn, ministers are subject to the convention of individual ministerial responsibility, and are held accountable for the decisions taken on their behalf by their civil servants.

When serious mistakes are made, ministers may come under pressure to resign. A notable example was the resignation of the entire Foreign Office ministerial team, following fierce criticism of the department's handling of the 1982 Falklands crisis.

Crucially, the cabinet represents a symbol of the collective nature of the executive.

Within a system of cabinet government, ministers play a full part in decision-making and are equally accountable for the decisions taken.

The prime minister

In such a system, the prime minister may be described as 'first among equals'. Yet the increased concentration of power and responsibility in the office of the prime minister, especially during the Thatcher years, led commentators to conclude that cabinet government had been replaced by a presidential-style prime ministerial government.

However, there are a number of constraints on the powers of the prime minister.

For example, the prime minister's powers of patronage are limited by the pool of available talent, and some of his party's most senior figures are just too big to exclude. It is difficult to imagine Blair's cabinet without Gordon Brown!

Furthermore, although the prime minister plays the key role in developing government policy, he needs the approval of the cabinet, especially on controversial issues, if he is to bind them to the decision.

Prime ministerial power is largely dependent on the skills, style, energy and resources the individual brings to job, as well as his capacity to respond to the many unforeseen events and circumstances beyond his control (Coxall and Robins, 2001).

A more appropriate description of government today is captured in the term 'core executive' (Rhodes and Dunleavy, 1995).

The core executive refers to the complex web of institutions, networks and relations which embed the prime minister, cabinet, key cabinet committees and senior officials at the heart of the government machine.