PRIME MINISTER'S "DEPARTMENT"

The Cabinet Office

A Cabinet Secretariat was first formed during the 1st World War. It later developed into what is now the Cabinet Office. Its functions include:

> the preparation of agendas and papers for the Cabinet and its committees

> informing departments of decisions and what is required of them

> reporting on the implementation of decisions

> liaison between departments.

It is staffed by civil service “high flyers” and by the PM’s own advisers. The Cabinet Secretary reports directly to the PM.

Despite its title, therefore, the Cabinet Office is very much an organisational support for the Prime Minister and strengthens the PM’s position relative to the rest of the Cabinet.


Downing Street

The Downing Street machine is now very extensive:

> a private office, which deals with Parliamentary business, correspondence, etc

> a press office, which has a powerful political role in feeding information, including unattributable briefings, to the media

> a policy unit to advise on policy, write speeches, etc

> political advisers, who give political advice independent of other Cabinet ministers.

It is this proliferation of independent units responsible directly to the Prime Minister which has added force to the argument that Cabinet government is giving way to Prime Ministerial government.

The Prime Minister has a great deal of power in the British political system - so much that in recent decades there has been the suggestion that the system is becoming one of "Prime Ministerial government" rather than the more traditional one of Cabinet government.