ABSTRACT
Appointment and powers of the Prime Minister The appointment of the Prime Minister is by the monarch according to the convention that the monarch must appoint the MP who is best able to command a stable majority. Once appointed, the Prime Minister will appoint his cabinet. Constitutionally, the monarch makes the appointments to the cabinet on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister also chooses which Government departments should be represented in cabinet, though certain ministers, such as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary, will always hold a seat in cabinet. The recent creation of a Department of Constitutional Affairs and the discontinuance of the Lord Chancellor’s Department demonstrate the extent of the Prime Minister’s powers in this regard. It is also for the Prime Minister to decide whether cabinet members should remain in office. Origins of the cabinet The origins of cabinet government lie in the17th century and the creation, by King Charles II, of a small cabal of privy counsellors in order to alleviate the frustration of working through the full Privy Council. Thus, far from being created by statute, the cabinet merely evolved out of the Privy Council and is still technically one of its committees. At first, the members of the cabinet were important court officials and not responsible to Parliament. However, in the 18th century, parliamentary power steadily increased and it became politically expedient for the monarch to choose as close advisers politicians with sufficient influence in Parliament to secure the passage of measures, and especially financial measures, through the legislature.
