ABSTRACT
The core executive is the dominant branch of British government, taking major decisions on issues of public policy and exercising significant control over the legislative process. The core executive includes the prime minister, the cabinet and its committees, the prime minister’s office, and the Cabinet Office. An alternative approach to the cabinet government versus prime ministerial government debate has emerged since the 1990s. The title of ‘prime minister’ has been bestowed on the holder of the office of First Lord of the Treasury since 1730, with Sir Robert Walpole (1721–42) generally recognised as its first recipient. The prime minister was previously charged with making a range of Crown and public appointments, including senior positions within the civil service, military, intelligence and security services, judiciary, and Church of England, plus various positions in the public sector, and chairs of key committees of inquiry.
