The leader of the political party that wins a general election becomes the Prime Minister. Their first job is to choose MPs to help run the Government. These are called cabinet ministers and they work with the PM to come up with ideas about how to run the country. They have to toe the line of their party’s ideology and policy platform, and they can be constrained by the Head of State on specific issues.
The most important task is deciding what laws to make and pass through Parliament. This means working with the House of Commons and the House of Lords to develop a bill. The Prime Minister also has to work with other countries and supranational bodies, including the EU. The PM is also responsible for overseeing the country’s intelligence services and represents Britain at international summits. He carries out many ceremonial duties and attends events to promote the UK around the world. In case of an emergency he can request the sovereign to dissolve Parliament and call a snap election.
Despite these obvious and crucial tasks, it’s easy to see why people think that the Prime Minister has too much power. After all, we remember their downfalls: Suez, the Winter of Discontent, the poll tax riots and the 1997 Labour landslide that buried John Major. But focusing on the negatives is a dangerous trap because it prevents us from learning from when Prime Ministers get it right. This is why I was delighted to hear that the academic Sir Anthony Seldon – the biographer of Benjamin Disraeli – set out his top tips for every occupant of No. 10 at a recent Institute for Government event.
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