Picture credit: World Economic Forum
The Powers of the Prime Minister
Traditionally, the Prime Minister (PM) has been seen as primus inter pares or ‘first among equals’. This means that they are simply a minister who takes the lead within a body of ministers (the Cabinet) who share the same rank and importance in advising the monarch. However, the Prime Minister has a number of powers which can be executed in the name of the monarch and are subject to very few checks and balances. Some of the powers of the PM are:
Power of appointment
The PM has the power to appoint individuals to important positions within government and public life. This is sometimes called the power of ‘patronage’ as the PM will be able to reward friends and allies as their ‘patron’. Of particular importance is the Prime Minister’s ability to ‘hire and fire’ within government. MPs and Lords have the chance of being appointed government ministers and further promotion to and within the Cabinet. This gives the Prime Minister a great deal of power and influence over all colleagues within his/her political party as many will be keen to be seen as allies to aid their chances of career progression.
Majority Party Leader
The Prime Minister is appointed due to the fact that s/he is leader of the largest party in the House of Commons. Being leader of the largest party brings power within Parliament. The MPs responsible for ensuring that their party wins the votes in parliament are called the party whips. The chief whip is the most senior whip and reports directly to the Prime Minister. Therefore, it is the Prime Minister who instructs the chief whip as to the wishes of the Cabinet. This means that backbenchers will be indirectly instructed how to vote by the Prime Minister.
Cabinet Chairperson
The PM, as chairperson of the Cabinet, chairs the meetings and will normally decide which issues will be placed on the agenda for discussion. By chairing the meetings the PM will be able to influence the discussion by deciding how much time is allocated to each issue and will ‘sum up’ the mood of the meeting, with votes very rarely being taken.
Use of the monarch’s prerogative powers
The Prime Minister is able to make use of the monarch’s prerogative powers. These powers are enacted in the name of the monarch but, by convention, the decisions are taken by the Prime Minister. These powers include the decision to engage in armed conflict and go to war.
The Power of Dissolution is no longer a power of the UK PM. The Fixed-Term Parliaments bill received Royal Assent on 15 September 2011. Parliaments were previously limited to a maximum of 5 years, but the Prime Minister could choose to call a general election at any time. The bill sets five-year fixed terms but allows the PM to alter the date by up to two months.
Fixed-term Parliament bill 2010-11
Peers end deadlock over fixed-term parliaments
The Cabinet
What is the Cabinet’s role?
The Cabinet is the formal body that has responsibility for overall direction and implementation of government policy. This means that the Cabinet:
Proposes legislation
The Cabinet discusses white papers by government departments prior to publication. Major policy issues may be discussed in some detail if it has an impact on the strategic direction of the government. The Cabinet also agrees the time which will be allocated to legislation in parliament and this is then published by the Leader of the House, who is a senior member of the Cabinet. The time available to complete the legislative process of various Bills going through parliament may be very short and the Cabinet will decide on the priorities.
Ensures co-ordination
Many of the policy areas being worked on by individual government departments will have an impact on others. For example, the Department for Children, Schools & Families may work on healthy eating initiatives and this will have an impact on the work being undertaken in the Department of Health. Therefore, it is important that government work is co-ordinated. The Cabinet is responsible for this, although much of this will be undertaken in Cabinet committees.
Supervises the administration of policy
The Cabinet considers the likely practical problems of implementing government proposals by consulting with special interest groups within parliament and with pressure groups outwith parliament.
Makes decisions
As the senior decision making body within government, the Cabinet is a forum for discussion on areas of disagreement. This may be of particular importance where different departments have competing interests. The Cabinet will make final decisions on areas of disagreement and will try to find consensus. Furthermore, the Cabinet may be of the view that some matters are too important to be left to the Prime Minister and individual departments alone. However, this will depend on the personalities who take up positions in Cabinet and the personality of the Prime Minister.
The role of a Cabinet minister
Key points about the role of a Cabinet minister
In addition to being a member of the Cabinet, Cabinet ministers also have various important roles as senior individuals within government. These relate to the ongoing and day-to-day work of the Cabinet minister and are outlined below. All of these roles demonstrate that while the Prime Minister has a great deal of power, other individuals within the Cabinet also play an important role within the UK political process.
Head of department and individual responsibility
Cabinet ministers are head of their own government department. They have individual responsibility for the performance of their department and are accountable to Cabinet and parliament. They will report back to Cabinet on the progress they are making and will take responsibility within Cabinet for any mistakes made. However, the extent of a Cabinet minister’s individual responsibility is subject to debate. Many Cabinet ministers are personally aware and involved in only a small proportion of the workings within their department. Therefore, the Cabinet minister rarely takes responsibility for administrative mistakes.
For example, in 2007 Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs – a government agency – lost the personal and bank details of 25 million people. The agency was within the control of the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, who was under some pressure to resign. However, this was resisted due to the fact that this was an administrative error rather than a policy error on the part of the minister or the government. Furthermore, if it had been a major policy error on the part of the government then it can be argued that the government as a whole is responsible due to collective responsibility. This means it is rare for individual Cabinet ministers to resign as a result of individual responsibility.
However, Cabinet ministers are still ultimately responsible for the performance of their department and on rare occasions, when it is felt that the specific department is performing poorly, the Minister will be held responsible. For example, in 2006 then Home Secretary Charles Clarke MP was sacked. One of the factors contributing to his loss of office was the fact that 1,000 foreign prisoners were released rather than deported. Cabinet ministers are also in charge of departmental strategy and decisions but work will be delegated to other Ministers in the department such as junior ministers.
Participation in the work of the Cabinet
Cabinet ministers attend cabinet meetings and are members of its committees. Committee membership is not restricted to a minister’s own specific policy remits. For example, in 2012 the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove MP, was a member of the Home Affairs Committee of the Cabinet and would be expected to contribute to policy discussions and decision in this area. All Cabinet ministers are able to contribute to all areas of policy at full Cabinet meetings.
Makes legislative proposals
Cabinet ministers will be heavily involved in writing green papers, white papers and Bills. While they personally will not write the Bill (staff will do this), it is with their authority and they will be expected to personally approve all official departmental publications. This gives the Cabinet minister a chance to show s/he has mastered his/her brief and demonstrate that good progress is being made with the work of the department. As part of the scrutiny process for the legislation they propose, Cabinet ministers will appear in front of Parliament committees to explain legislative proposals and answer questions. General committees are established for each Bill making its way through parliament and Cabinet ministers will be invited to these committees to discuss the proposals. Cabinet ministers will also take opportunities to support and promote their department’s legislation more informally through discussing the merits of their legislation with backbenchers and encouraging them to support it.
Accountable to parliament
Cabinet ministers answer questions at Question Time on the work of their department. This allows backbenchers to scrutinise the work of the department, while at the same time, allowing the Cabinet ministers the chance to defend the work of government and demonstrating collective responsibility. They will also participate in debates on Bills introduced by the government that are within the responsibility of their department.
Cabinet ministers may also be called to give evidence to select committee investigations on subjects that fall within the remit of their department.
Collective responsibility
All Cabinet ministers must publicly support and vote for the decisions taken at Cabinet, even if they disagree or were absent. If they are unable to do this then they are expected to resign. While this is a limit on the power of individual Cabinet ministers, it is also a reminder that government within the United Kingdom operates on a collective basis and the support of all members is necessary for the success of the government.
The Civil Service
The role of the civil service
In addition to the political element of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Executive branch of government in the United Kingdom has a non political, un-elected element: the civil service. The civil service supports the government of the day by helping it develop and implement policies and by administering the public services for which the government is responsible.
There are over 400,000 civil servants in the UK who work at various levels in the service of ‘the crown’. Examples include people who work at government agencies and bodies such as the Child Support Agency and the Student Awards Agency for Scotland. However, through reform of the civil service, much of this work is now carried out at ‘arms length’ from the government.
Senior civil servants are very much involved in the work of government. Theoretically, this simply involves administering the decisions made by the government. However, the government also relies on senior civil servants to assist in policy development and assistance in the running of government.
The main roles of senior civil servants
Policy advice
Senior civil servants are knowledgeable in the field they are working in. They will often have specialised in a particular department for some time and will have built up a wealth of knowledge. They are also professionals and are skilled at researching and disseminating a large amount of information. They must be politically neutral and not allow their own political views to influence their advice. For this reason, they must not be active in a political party.
Running of departments
Government ministers are extremely busy. In addition to their departmental responsibilities, they have duties within the Cabinet and as major figures within their party they are called on to speak at events and contribute to party policy development. Further commitments will require time to be spent in their own constituencies and personal lives. This means that ministers require a lot of organisational support. Civil servants are therefore involved in dealing with correspondence, diary organisation and any administration in relation to the minister’s government duties.
Implementing policy
When decisions have been taken by government (and where relevant agreed by parliament), it is up to senior civil servants to plan the implementation of the decisions. A great deal of planning and preparation will normally be undertaken while a Bill is making its way through the process of being written within a department and then agreed by Parliament and much of that planning will be concerned with how the proposal could be implemented. It is up to senior civil servants to work out the detail of these plans and see them through into action. For example, when the Department of Health planned a ban on smoking in public places, the civil service would have worked out how this could be enforced at the same time as the planning and writing of the Bill was taking place.
The role of special advisers
A controversial addition to the civil service has been the appointment of special advisers. These are people directly appointed by the Prime Minister or other Ministers and they are allowed to be party political, i.e. they are often active supporters of the governing party. Special advisers are well paid and are very influential with ministers as they share the same political views. This gives them power within departments and there have been concerns that special advisers are leading to a politicisation of the civil service. The main concern is that they are gradually reducing the impartiality of the service and blurring the lines between the career civil servants (those who stay regardless of party in government) and the temporary special advisers (who lose their jobs when their party loses power). There have been accusations that special advisers have been able to instruct career civil servants in the work they are doing. For example, elected Prime Minister Tony Blair appointed Labour Party supporter Alistair Campbell to the post of Director of Communications and he was able to give instructions to press officers within the civil service.
Can civil servants exert influence?
An important question that is often asked is whether the civil service is able to exert influence on the political process within the UK. Some people argue that senior civil servants have excessive influence over their government ministers.
Civil Servants must be politically neutral. In order to influence, it is necessary to give an opinion. Civil servants must be impartial and should not take sides or allow their own political views to influence their work. This would limit their influence as they would not be free simply to advance their own views, for example, by openly supporting or opposing party policies. On the other hand, senior civil servants have made a career in this environment and will know how to give their views without jeopardising their position, for example, by presenting evidence that supported their view point.
Furthermore, it could also be argued that, since there are now more special advisers who are allowed to be partisan, the civil service is becoming politicised anyway. For example, Labour doubled the number of special advisers, which suggests that political impartiality is decreasing. However, civil servants would refute this. The Constitutional Reform and Government Act turned the Civil Service Code into law, which guarantees civil servants remain free from political influence. Plus MPs on the Public Administration Select Committee confirmed that the 'probity, honesty, and integrity' of Government officials is the key value of the Civil Service.
Senior civil servants must work as directed by their ministers or they could lose their job, limiting their influence. Civil servants are accountable to their minister (who in turn is accountable to Cabinet and parliament) and if they do not work as directed they could be disciplined. For example, Martin Sixsmith was a senior civil servant in the Department of Transport and was sacked by Cabinet minister Stephen Byers after a disagreement. However, the minister also relies on civil servants to be supportive of their ideas and be successful in implementing their policies. This gives the civil servants more influence with the minister as s/he will want his/her policies to be a success in order to work for re-election.
The work a senior civil servant does in terms of policy development and research may allow the civil servant to have an element of influence over these areas. In addition to research and report writing, senior civil servants co-ordinate the production of speeches, bills and answers to parliamentary questions. This allows them to put particular emphasis on policy areas/policies which they are interested in and support. For example, government minister Nigel Griffiths famously complained that the civil servants in his department tried to have too much influence. He was later sacked in a re-shuffle. This demonstrates that ministers have concerns about civil servants, and that on occasion and in certain situations, they have considerable influence. However, Ministers are increasingly aware that criticism from parliament can harm their career prospects. Former Home Secretary John Reid was criticised by parliament over the number of people absconding from jail. He launched an investigation into his own department and branded it ‘unfit for purpose’. This demonstrates that ministers are aware they must have control over their department and must limit excessive influence over them by senior civil servants.
Due to their permanent status senior civil servants may be able to use their knowledge of the department to exert influence over their minister. Traditionally many civil servants built up a long length of service in a specific department. Following many years of work in the same job, they will often have many contacts and a lot of knowledge and information. This is in complete contrast to the minister who may be in a department for a short period of time. For example, John Reid MP held eight Cabinet jobs in government in nine years – four in one year. In situations such as this, the ministers may rely on civil servants to guide them for a large part of their time in the department, which increases the civil servants’ influence. However, today senior civil servants tend not to stay in the same post for such long periods of time, with around 2 years being the norm. On occasion ministers will outstay their senior civil servants. For example, Gordon Brown filled the role of Chancellor of the Exchequer for over nine years and would have known as much about his department as many of the civil servants.
A further aspect that increases the influence of senior civil servants is their education and training. Many are trained, educated professionals who are focused full time on their brief and have a great deal of expertise and knowledge. Ministers may not have a background or any experience in the policy area for which they are a minister. This means that civil servants could be selective in the facts given to the minister and this, therefore, allows them additional influence. On the other hand, parliament as a body of over 600 MPs and many peers, will also contain members with expertise in many different areas and therefore this acts as a balance against the influence of the civil servants. The fact that ministers are accountable to parliament will therefore limit the influence the civil servants have in this respect.
Senior civil servants may, through the old boys network, collectively exert power over government ministers. Many senior civil servants come from the country’s ‘social elite’, with a high proportion having been educated privately and having attended Oxford or Cambridge universities compared to the population as a whole. The main concern is that senior civil servants will have access to networks of associates within the civil service who will co-operate with each other to ensure they have a lot of influence. However, Some people now consider this concern to be out of date as the selection process for employment within the civil service has become more transparent and accessible. Plus there are more SCS who have not been privately education than those who have. For example, only 45% of SCS have been privately educated.
Senior civil servants may have influence over their ministers due to their adminsitrative responsibilities. SCS are in charge of the day-to-day running of ministerial offices. This means that they are able to control the flow of information to the minister and will be in charge of organising the minister’s diary. In this respect, senior civil servants can act as ‘gatekeepers’ to the minister, being able to control who gets to see and meet with them. However, with the emergence of special advisers in recent years, most ministers will have one who will take a strong interest in the diary commitments and will ensure that the minister’s political preferences are acted on. This can lead to a clash between the priorities of special advisers and those of permanent career civil servants.
Higher Bitesize The Civil Service
Parliament (House of Commons and House of Lords) as an arena for conflict, co-operation and decision-making; functions; organisation and procedures for business
House of Commons
Scrutiny of the Executive
Question Time
Download A brief guide to Parliamentary Questions
House of Lords
The UK Parliament is bi-cameral, meaning that it has two chambers (House of Commons and the House of Lords). The work of both houses is similar: legislating, scrutiny of the government and debating important issues. The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK Parliament but unlike the House of Commons it is not elected and its members (peers) are not required to seek re-election or re-appointment. Membership of the House of Lords was previously a mixture of hereditary privilege (titles being handed down from generation to generation) and appointment (selection) for life although this situation has been undergoing a period of change. The House of Lords Act 1999 abolished the right to vote in the House of Lords purely because of heritage. All life peers continue to have voting rights but less than 100 hereditary peers have voting rights and they have been elected by their colleagues.
The main functions of the House of Lords
As part of the UK Parliament, the House of Lords has similar functions to the House of Commons. However, as an unelected body, there are some important differences. The main functions of the House of Lords are:
Legislation
The House of Lords is sometimes known as a revising chamber, as it makes an important contribution to improving legislation that has already made its way through the legislative processes in the Commons. Many amendments are introduced by the government in the Lords. One advantage the Lords has over the Commons is that peers have more time to properly scrutinise legislation. A lot of an MP’s time is taken up by other demands; the same is not true for a peer in the House of Lords. In this respect, the House of Lords can make an effective contribution to the legislative process.
However, due to legislation in the form of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, the Lords can only block legislation approved by the Commons for up to one year; furthermore, there are rules to ensure that the will of the elected body prevails if the Bill is re-introduced. Indeed, this mechanism was used to ensure the Hunting Act 2004 was passed without the consent of the House of Lords. Lords may not reject Money Bills and can only delay them for a month.
Ministers will use privilege rule to force through welfare reform
The Salisbury Convention is a further limit on the ability of the Lords to influence legislation; this dictates that the House of Lords will not block government legislation that was included as a commitment in that party’s winning manifesto. In other words, as the government holds a majority in the Commons it has a mandate from the electorate to enact these aspects of government policy.
Scrutiny of the government
It is the duty of parliament as a whole to monitor the work of the government by holding it to account for its actions and the decisions it makes. The House of Lords contributes to this scrutiny role in a number of ways. Similarly to the House of Commons, members of the House of Lords have the opportunity to question government ministers about their work. Many government departments will have ministers who are members of the Lords as well as ministers who are MPs from the Commons. The government ministers who are Lords will be available to answer questions on the work of government. The House of Lords spends around 40% of its time scrutinising the work of government.
Similar to the House of Commons, the House of Lords have select committees, which scrutinise the work of the government. Select committees can force ministers to answer questions. Their power lies in the ability to embarrass the government of the day. The reports the committees produce can attract publicity. The House of Lords have 4 select committees: European, Constitution, Science and Technology and Economic Affairs. The Lords select committees have a wider remit than those in the Commons, they undertake a more detailed examination of issues and take longer over their deliberations. Membership of Lords select committees are based on expertise.
Providing independent expertise
Many members of the House of Lords have been appointed as peers due to a contribution they have made in an area of public life. For example, many peers will have made an outstanding contribution working in a specialist field, such as education or medicine, over many years. This means that the House of Lords as an institution holds a great deal of experience and expertise. This is very useful in the process of formulating public policy and legislation and also in ensuring that informed debates take place in the Lords chamber.
Influences on the decision-making process in the UK: the extent of these pressures, their impact and legitimacy
Pressure Groups
Pressure groups are organisations that bring people together to campaign on issues that reflect the views of their members. Pressure groups seek to influence decision makers and ensure they take account of their demands by using a variety of methods.
Types of Pressure Groups
Most pressure groups fall into one of two categories: cause or interest.
Cause groups
Cause groups, which are also known as promotional groups, represent a belief or principle. They seek to act in the interests of that particular cause. Usually, membership is not restricted at all as anyone can join. For example, Greenpeace seeks to improve the environment across the world. Anyone can be concerned about the environment and, therefore, anyone can support or join Greenpeace. Many cause groups campaign for vulnerable sections of society such as children, the elderly or the homeless.
Interest groups
Interest groups, which are also known as sectional groups, represent a certain section of the community. Their function is to look after the common interests of that section and membership is normally restricted to that section. For example, the TUC represents workers in trades unions and the CBI represents business organisations. Therefore, interest groups have closed meembership. Only secondary school teachers are able to join the Secondary Schools' Teaching Association (a trade union for teachers). The SSTA works on behalf of its members to ensure the best working conditions and pay.
Some pressure groups are more successful than others. Often this can be down to whether a pressure group has insider or outsider status.
Insider groups
Insider groups enjoy a close relationship with decision makers in government. They will have access to policymakers such as civil servants, ministers, or MPs. Some insider groups may contribute to the policy formulation process for party manifestos or will be invited to contribute to the early consideration of legislative proposals.
Many insider groups hold this position as they are well organised, well financed and have access to a great deal of specialist knowledge that can be useful for the government. Furthermore, some insider groups have a membership that is central to achieving the government’s aims. For example, a pressure group representing healthcare workers would be influential in the development of health policy as it is its members who are in the position to deliver on the policy and influence whether it succeeds or fails.
It is often the case that some pressure groups would naturally enjoy a close relationship with a certain political party. For example, while Labour is in power, trades unions enjoy a position of influence as insider groups. This is because they share many of the values of the Labour movement and party. However, when the Conservatives are in power the trades unions will have a lot less influence and may become outsider groups, depending on the political circumstances.
While insider groups benefit from having a close relationship with the government, this also places restrictions on the methods they are able to use to influence public opinion; they may lose their status as insider groups if they are seen to behave in an unreasonable way or be overly critical of the government. Therefore, insider groups ‘play by the rules’. They stay within the law and would normally be prepared to keep discussions confidential if required.
Outsider groups
Outsider groups are so called because they operate outside the formal political process. Outsider groups need to force themselves onto the political agenda as they do not enjoy access to government. Many outsider groups want radical change in policy, and as such, are seen to have little in common with the government or parliament.
Like insider groups, some outsider groups are well financed due to large donations from supporters. However, other outsider groups have limited funds and poor organisational structures as they tend to attract a small, but committed, membership base.
Outsider groups tend to focus on the media and public opinion in order to achieve their aims. While they are aware that the government may not share their concerns on a particular issue, the government will take notice if it is obvious that the media and public opinion is being affected by the work of a pressure group. Outsider groups use methods that produce media attention and, as such, may include a willingness to break the law.
The methods used by pressure groups
Pressure groups will use a variety of methods to try to influence the government. The methods selected will depend on their status (as discussed above) but also their relationship with the media. For example, if a pressure group knows it has a good relationship with the media, it may use less drastic methods than if it struggles to gain media attention.
Demonstrations
Demonstrations include marches, protests and rallies. In 2011 thousands of students marched through central London to protest against rising tuition fees. The student protest was organised by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts. The demonstrations were not effective as the coalition government pressed on with the decision to allow universities in England to charge students up to £9000 a year. Likewise in December 2011 tens of thousands of people joined rallies around the UK when a public sector strike over pensions disrupted schools, hospitals and other services. The government did not change its mind and from April 2012 public sector workers' pension contributions increased.
However, some marches have had a degree of success. For example, approximately 225 000 people took to the streets in Edinburgh in July 2005 as part of the Make Poverty History (MPH) campaign. The aim of the campaign was to press the G8 leaders to drop African debt and to establish a fairer trade system. While Germany and Italy did not meet their commitments and not all of the money pledged was 'new' money, the campaign was able to claim a measure of success. It demonstrated the symbolic importance of protest and played a key role in keeping the issues on the political agenda and raising public consciousness.
Petitions
A petition involves members of the public signing their name against a statement they agree with; this can be used to demonstrate how many people feel strongly about a given issue. The more publicity a petition gets the more likely it is to be successful. An example of a petition gaining publicity was in 2007, with a petition against road congestion charging appearing on the Prime Minister’s website. This petition received almost 2 million signatures and had the backing of the British Drivers Association pressure group. The petition’s presence on the Prime Minister’s official website and the receipt of so many signatures meant that the issue became very well publicised. However, the petition itself did not force the government to abandon plans for road charging.
Lobbying
Parliament and Whitehall is the main arena for decision making in the UK. Whitehall is where government power lies. Insider groups, such as the Howard League for Penal Reform and the British Medical Association, are often consulted by Ministers and these groups actively seek meetings to discuss various issues of mutual interest. However, there is often no need for such groups to lobby parliament as having close relations and effective influence within government means that the need to attract the attention of back bench MPs becomes less significant. Some less influential groups may have less direct contact with the government and may wish to build support among MPs and Lords. Lobbying parliament, especially if there is a large group, is likely to receive media coverage. If MPs become involved with a particular cause, this will probably gain at least some media attention.
Furthermore, some pressure groups employ professional lobbyists. Lobbyists are people with professional influence who make a living out of building links with decision makers including MPs, Lords, senior civil servants, and increasingly special advisers. While the use of professional lobbyists can be effective, there have been negative media stories about ‘cash for access’, and pressure groups may wish to avoid being associated with this.
Bell Pottinger: pressure on David Cameron to curb secret links with lobbyists
Direct Action
Direct action involves presure groups taking matters into their own hands. It may involve publicity stunts or more seriously breaking the law as they try to tackle the issue themselves. The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) has staged regular protests outside Huntingdon Life Science because this medical reseach facility tests medicines on animals. They have sent death threats to workers and the facility's director has been assaulted. It has changed nothing and has led to the government stepping in to ensure the facility was able to continue financially. However, some anti-vivisection groups have had some success. The Save the Newchurch Guinea Pigs campaigned for 6 years to close a farm that bred guinea-pigs for research. The pressure group took direct action and various illegal activities to achieve their aim. These included vandalism, theft, intimidation and the grave robbing of one of the owners deceased relatives. The farm closed in 2005 but 4 members of the group were sent to prison.
The role of the media in influencing the legislative process and holding the Executive and its members to account
The Press is playing an increasing role in policy - not only reporting on - but also creating and leading on single issue campaigns. Andy Coulson (former deputy editor, then editor of the News of the World) was the driving force in sustaining pressure for the introduction of 'Sarah's Law' - the right of parents to discover whether their children were at risk from paedophiles living in their neighbourhoods. The Home Secretary at the time, John Reid, promised to study 'Megan's Law' in the US - the first of a series of initiatives which culiminated in March 2010 with the government decision to give all parents the right to check whether people with access to their children were sex offenders.
Sarah's Law to be rolled out nationally
'Sarah's Law' backing demanded
Tories back plan to extend 'Sarah's law' sex offender checks
The media can also use its power and role to hold politicians and organisations to account. The News of the World released the story of British troops beating up unarmed Iraqi civilians in 2006, which prompted a government inquiry.
Blair promises Iraq 'abuse' probe
An investigation by The Telegraph newspaper exposed the MPs' Expenses scandal. A number of MPs resigned or lost their seats as a result. For example, Jacqui Smith, the former Home Secretary, claimed expenses for her family home in Redditch while designating her sister's home in London as her main residence. Conservative MP David Heathcoat-Amory repaid nearly thirty thousand pounds in expenses which included more than 550 sacks of manure for his garden.
The Media provides an essential check on all aspects of public life. Politicians who aspire to high office have their character and policies closely scrutinised by journalists and broadcasters. For example, Nick Clegg, leader of the Lib Dems, after the first televised leaders' debate, had serious questions asked about payments paid directly into his personal bank account by three party donors.
However,
Labour's policy on Europe was constrained by needing to keep the support of The Sun. In 2004 the News of the World called Prime Minister Blair a 'traitor' for refusing a referendum on the new European Constitution. Lance Price - former Downing Street Adviser to Tony Blair - alleges Murdoch approved the word and one of Murdoch's trusted aides told Blair he would not get the support of News International papers unless Blair made a u-turn. Subsequently, Blair made the u-turn and conceded the Euro Scepticism parts of the press had forced his hand.
Successive governments have introduced business-friendly approaches towards the needs of media proprietors in order to receive favourable coverage and treatment. For example, Labour's long-standing commitment towards attempting to increase media diversity by tackling abuses within the sector were dropped. Blair and Brown both looked the other way when confronted by the aggressive and often anti-competitive business practices of News Corporation.
The appointment of Andy Coulson helped steer the Conservative's Party's policies towards News International's commercial interests. In 2008 Cameron pledged that a future Conservative government would continue to support self-regulation of newspapers through the Press Complaints Commission (PCC). Also, Cameron supported the expansion of paristan audio-visual content on-line and the curbing of the BBC, especially its free on-line presence, which went down well with the Murdochs.
Cameron indicated his government would cut the number of quangos and reduce the scope of their influence. The media regulator Ofcom was singled out as a prime example of an 'unaccountable bureaucracy'. This came 10 days after BSkyB accused the regulator of 'unwarranted intervention' when it demanded BSKyB offer film and TV channels to other providers at lower prices.
The Conservatives under Cameron tailored their policies to chime with The Sun's political agenda. The Sun 'proud to be the Forces' paper mounted campaigns on behalf of the troops. Both Blair (PM at the time) and Brown (Chancellor) were being targetted by The Sun for failing to provide suffcient support for the armed forces. Conservative party leader Cameron said the Conservatives were putting together a 'Forces' manifesto and would consider whether to suspend income tax for Service personnel while on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The extent to which politicians court the Media, especially the Press, suggest they fear the trouble newspapers can cause and is recognition of their political clout. In 2008 the Independent's front page broke the story about Conservative leader David Cameron holding private talks on Murdoch's luxury yacht when it was moored off a Greek Island. After drinks on board Cameron attended a dinner party. Recently, Prime Minister David Cameron revealed he had 75 contacts with the Media, of which more than a 1/3 were with representatives of News International.
In April 2012 Adam Smith, special adviser to the Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, resigned when it was revealed by the Leveson Inquiry he had passed confidential information to News Corp. News Corp had detailed and ongoing contact with the Culture Secretary's office during the highly sensitive bid process of the takeover of BSkyB. Smith claimed he had done so without the authorisation of the Culture Secretary but Labour called for Hunt's resignation for breaking the ministerial code of contact.
Leveson Inquiry: Adam Smith resigns as aide to Jeremy Hunt
In early May 2012 The Independent on Sunday revealed David Cameron had attended a secret meeting with one of Rupert Murdoch's senior executives. The meeting was arranged by Frederic Michel (whose numerous emails to Adam Smith have put pressure on the Culture Secretary to resign). The previously undisclosed meeting in November 2009 shows how Mr Cameron was being courted by News Corp executives beyond the Murdoch family, as the company was gearing up for its bid to takeover BSkyB. The meeting in early November was just weeks after The Sun ended its support for Labour and backed the Conservative Party. Mr Cameron had also recently met James Murdoch at the George Club in London to discuss The Sun's suport for the Conservatives. The secret meeting shows the extent to which Mr Cameron was engaging with News Corp executives.
IoS exclusive: Revealed - Cameron's secret summit with News Corporation
Testimony from Rupert Murdoch at the Leveson Inquiry highlighted a discrepancy in the number of times Cameron was supposed to have met Murdoch. Rupert Murdoch disclosed he had met the Prime Minister on at least five more occasions than David Cameron had previously admitted.
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