Prime Minister

(PM)

   The head of the executive branch of government and chair of the Cabinet. In Britain, the Prime Minister’s position derives from their leadership of the majority party in the legislature. The PM appoints members of the Cabinet and Government (‘hiring and firing’), directs and coordinates government policy and broad strategy, chairs Cabinet meetings, maintains special interest in key policy areas, answers questions in Parliament and leads in major debates such as policy on Iraq, provides leadership to the nation in times of crisis (for example, in response to the London bombings) and requests a dissolution from the monarch effectively determining the timing of the next election.

   The power of prime ministers – sometimes known as chancellors, first or chief ministers or by some local term such as the Taoiseach in Ireland – varies considerably. Their ability to hire, promote and fire colleagues offers much scope for a display of personal leadership, but much depends on the person at the helm, relationships with Cabinet colleagues and parliamentary party, the distribution of patronage, the ability to use the media to advantage, whether the administration is a single party or coalition one and other varying circumstances (the complexity of issues that arise during the lifetime of a government). The tendency of the media to focus on personalities and the growth in international summitry and overseas visits provide prime ministers with opportunities to present an image of statesmanship that makes them more than a national politician.

   See also: presidential government, prime ministerial government

   Further reading: S. Buckley, The Prime Minister and Cabinet, Edinburgh University Press, 2006