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The '''Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''' is the political leader of the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[head of government|Head of]] [[Her Majesty's Government (term)|Her Majesty's Government]].  The Prime Minister and [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]] (consisting of all the most senior [[minister (government)|ministers]], who are government department heads) are collectively [[Accountability#Political accountability|accountable]] for their policies and actions to the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|Sovereign]], to [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]], to their [[List of political parties in the United Kingdom|political party]], and ultimately to the electorate. The current British Prime Minister is [[David Cameron]].

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{{Infobox Political post
|post            = Prime Minister
|body            = the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
|Flag            = Flag of the United Kingdom.png
|insignia        = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
|insigniacaption = Arms of [[Her Majesty's Government (term)|Her Majesty's Government]]
|image           = David Cameron - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2010.jpg
|incumbent       = [[David Cameron]]
|incumbentsince  = 11 May 2010
|style           = [[The Right Honourable]]
|residence       = [[10 Downing Street]]<br/>[[London]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom]]
|appointer       = [[Elizabeth II|Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom]]
|termlength      = While commanding the [[confidence and supply|confidence]] of the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]]
|formation       = 4 April 1721
|inaugural       = [[Robert Walpole|Sir Robert Walpole]] (Regarded as the First Prime Minister)
|website         = http://www.number10.gov.uk/
| [[List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom]]
}}

=The Modern Office of Prime Minister=

==Authority==

The modern Prime Minister of the United Kingdom leads a major political party, commands a majority in the House of Commons (the Legislature), and is the leader of the Cabinet (the Executive).  Under the British system, there is a unity of powers rather than [[separation of powers|separation]].<ref>Le May, 98–99. Walter Bagehot, an authority on 19th century British government, said this unity is "the efficient secret" of its constitution. Bagehot's description of the "efficient part" of the British constitution is quoted by Le May and many other standard texts: "The efficient secret of the English Constitution may be described as the close union, the nearly complete fusion, of the executive and legislative powers. No doubt, by the traditional theory, as it exists in all the books, the goodness of our constitution consists in the entire separation of the legislative and executive authorities, but in truth its merit consists in their singular approximation. The connecting link is the Cabinet ... A Cabinet is a combing committee&nbsp;— a hyphen which joins a buckle which fastens the legislative part of the State to the executive part of the State. In its origin it belongs to the one, in its functions it belongs to the other."</ref>  

As the "Head of Her Majesty's Government", the modern Prime Minister is the highest political authority in the United Kingdom.  At once the leader of a political party, the House of Commons and the Cabinet, the incumbent wields both legislative and executive powers.  In the House of Commons, the Prime Minister guides the law-making process with the goal of enacting the legislative agenda of the political party he leads.  In his executive capacity, the Prime Minister appoints (and may dismiss) all other cabinet members and [[minister (government)|ministers]], and co-ordinates the policies and activities of all government departments, and the staff of the [[Civil Service]].  He acts as the public "face" and "voice" of Her Majesty's Government, both at home and abroad.  Solely upon the advice of the Prime Minister, the Sovereign exercises many of her statutory and prerogative powers: they include the dissolution of Parliament; high judicial, political, official and [[Church of England]] ecclesiastical appointments; and the conferral of peerages, knighthoods, decorations and other honours.

==General Election and Appointment==

{{Expand section|date=May 2010}}

==Powers and constraints==

{{Politics of the United Kingdom}}

When commissioned by the Sovereign, a potential Prime Minister's first requisite is to "form a Government"&nbsp;– create a cabinet that has the support of the House of Commons. The Prime Minister then formally kisses the hands of his Sovereign, whose royal prerogative is thereafter exercised solely on the advice of the Prime Minister and Her Majesty's Government ("HMG"). The Prime Minister has weekly audiences with the Sovereign, whose functions are constitutionally limited "to advise, to be consulted, and to warn"; the extent of the Sovereign's ability to influence the nature of the Prime Ministerial advice is unknown, but presumably varies depending upon the personal relationship between the Sovereign and the Prime Minister of the day.

The Prime Minister appoints all other cabinet members, consulting with senior ministers on their junior ministers.  There is no Parliamentary control over these powers. At any time, the Prime Minister may obtain the appointment, dismissal or nominal resignation of any other minister; he may resign, either purely personally or with his whole government; or obtain the dissolution of Parliament, precipitating a general election and the loss of all members' seats and salaries.

Although the Sovereign is legally the [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the [[British Armed Forces]], under constitutional practice the Prime Minister, with the Secretary of State for Defence, holds power over the deployment and disposition of British forces, and the declaration of war. The Prime Minister can authorise, but not directly order, the use of Britain's [[Nuclear weapons and the United Kingdom|nuclear weapons]] and the Prime Minister is hence a Commander-in-Chief in all but name.

The Prime Minister makes all the most senior Crown appointments, and most others are made by Ministers over whom he has the power of appointment and dismissal. [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Counsellors]], [[Ambassador]]s and [[High Commissioner]]s, senior [[Civil Service|civil servants]], senior military officers, members of important committees and commissions, and other officials are selected, and in most cases may be removed, by the Prime Minister. He also formally advises the Sovereign on the appointment of Archbishops and Bishops of the [[Church of England]], but his discretion is limited by the existence of the [[Crown Nominations Commission]]. The appointment of senior judges, while constitutionally still on the advice of the Prime Minister, is now made on the basis of recommendations from independent bodies.

Peerages, knighthoods, and other honours are bestowed by the Sovereign only on the advice of the Prime Minister. The only important British honours over which the Prime Minister does not have control are the [[Order of the British Empire|Orders of the British Empire]], [[Order of the Garter|Garter]], [[Order of the Thistle|Thistle]], and [[Order of Merit|Merit]]; the [[Royal Victorian Order]]; and the [[Venerable Order of Saint John]], which are all within the "personal gift" of the Sovereign.

The Prime Minister appoints Ministers known as the "Whips", who use his patronage to negotiate for the support of other members and to discipline dissenters of the government's policies. Party discipline is strong since electors generally vote for parties rather than individuals. Members of Parliament may be expelled from their party for failing to support the Government on important issues, and although this will not mean they must resign, it will usually make re-election difficult. Members of Parliament who hold ministerial office or political privileges can expect removal for failing to support the Prime Minister. Restraints imposed by the Commons grow weaker when the Government's party enjoys a large majority, or in the electorate. In general, the Prime Minister may secure the Commons' support for almost any bill by internal party negotiations with little regard to opposition members.

However, even a government with a healthy majority can on occasion find itself unable to pass legislation. For example, on January 31, 2006, Prime Minister Blair's Government was defeated over certain aspects of proposals to outlaw religious hatred, and, on November 9, 2005, was defeated over plans which would have allowed police to detain terror suspects for up to 90 days without charge. On other occasions, the Government alters its proposals in order to avoid defeat in the Commons, as Blair's Government did in February 2006 over education reforms. <ref name="education reforms">{{
cite news
|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,17129-2028503,00.html
|publisher=Times Online
|title=Blair defends school reform climbdown.
|date=February 7, 2006
}}</ref>

Until the twentieth century, a Prime Minister whose government lost a Commons vote would be regarded as fatally weakened, and his whole government would resign, usually precipitating a general election. In modern practice, when the Government party has an absolute majority in the House, only the express vote "that this House has no confidence in Her Majesty's Government" is treated as having this effect.  Dissentients on a minor issue within the majority party are unlikely to force an election with the probable loss of their seats and salaries, and any future in the party.

Likewise, the modern Prime Minister is no longer "first amongst equals" in the Cabinet as he was in the nineteenth century.  Although theoretically his Cabinet might still outvote him, in practice he progressively entrenches his position by retaining only personal supporters in the Cabinet. In periodical reshuffles of Cabinet positions, the Prime Minister can sideline and simply drop Cabinet ministers who have fallen out of favour: they remain Privy Councillors, but the Prime Minister decides which of them are summoned to meetings. The Prime Minister is responsible for producing and enforcing the [[Ministerial Code]].

==Precedence, privileges and form of address==

[[File:Blair Cheney at Number 10.jpg|thumb|140px|right|Tony Blair and [[Dick Cheney]] at the main door to 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister's residence in London, on 11 March 2002]]
Throughout the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister outranks all other dignitaries except the Royal Family, the [[Lord Chancellor]], and senior ecclesiastical functionaries (in [[England and Wales]], the [[Church of England|Anglican]] Archbishops of Canterbury and York; in [[Scotland]], the Lord High Commissioner and the [[Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland|Moderator of the General Assembly]] of the [[Church of Scotland]]; in [[Northern Ireland]], the [[Church of Ireland|Anglican]] and [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin and the [[Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland|Moderator of the General Assembly]] of the [[Presbyterian Church in Ireland|Presbyterian Church]]).

By tradition, before a new Prime Minister can enter [[10 Downing Street]] for the first time as its occupant, they are required to announce to the country and the world that they have [[Kissing hands|kissed hands]] with the reigning monarch, and thus have become Prime Minister. This is usually done by saying words to the effect of:

{{quote|Her Majesty the Queen ''[His Majesty the King]'' has asked me to form a government and I have accepted.|<ref>{{cite news |title=David Cameron becomes PM: Full Downing Street statement |first= David |last=Cameron |agency =BBC News |date=11 May 2010 | accessdate = 11 May 2010 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8676405.stm}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|id = TezCBzlB3d8|title = Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrives at Downing Street}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|id = Ebj1vT7CMyk|title = Transfer of Power from James Callaghan to Margaret Thatcher}}</ref>}}

Although it wasn't required, Tony Blair also said these words after he was re-elected in [[United Kingdom general election, 2001|2001]] and [[United Kingdom general election, 2005|2005]].

At present the Prime Minister receives £142,500 in addition to a salary of £65,000 as a Member of Parliament.  <ref name=bw0410>{{cite web|last=Lawless |first=Jill |url=http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9FLUAE80.htm |title=UK new coalition gov't meets for first time |publisher=BusinessWeek |date=2010-04-26 |accessdate=2010-05-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2006/rp06-047.pdf |title=Microsoft Word - RP06-047.doc |date= |accessdate=2010-04-13}}</ref> Until 2006 the [[Lord Chancellor]] was the highest paid member of the government ahead of the Prime Minister. This reflected the Lord Chancellor's position at the top of the [[Judiciary of England and Wales#Judicial salaries|judicial pay scale]], as British judges are on the whole better paid than British politicians and until 2005 the Lord Chancellor was both politician and the head of the judiciary. The [[Constitutional Reform Act 2005]] stripped the Lord Chancellor of his judicial functions and his salary was reduced to below that of the Prime Minister.

[[File:chequers2.jpg|thumb|200px|left|''Chequers.'' The Prime Minister's official country home.]]
[[10 Downing Street|Number Ten Downing Street]] is the Prime Minister's official residence; the incumbent also has use of a country home, [[Chequers]].

The Prime Minister is customarily a member of the Privy Council; thus, they become entitled to prefix "[[The Right Honourable]]" to their name. Membership of the Council is retained for life.  By convention, only a Privy Counsellor can be appointed Prime Minister, but invariably all potential candidates have already attained this status. The only occasion when a non-Privy Councillor was the natural appointment was Ramsay MacDonald in 1924, but the issue was resolved by appointing him to the Council immediately prior to his appointment as Prime Minister.

According to the now defunct [[Department for Constitutional Affairs]], the Prime Minister is made a Privy Counsellor as a result of taking office and should be addressed by the official title "The Right Honourable" and not by a personal name.  This form of address is employed at formal occasions but is rarely used by the media. Prime Minister Tony Blair, for example, was frequently referred to in print as "Mr Blair", "Tony Blair" or "Blair".<ref name="formofaddress">{{cite journal | date=11 September 2006 | year=2006| pages=1–2 | journal=The Times}} The forms "Mr Blair", "Tony Blair" and "Blair" are all used.</ref> Colleagues sometimes referred to him simply as "Tony".<ref>The 2006 ''Times'' article above for instance quotes "'Tony has issued an omerta,' a minister told The Times last night."</ref> The Prime Minister is usually addressed as "Prime Minister", for example by interviewers<ref>For example, in [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/politics_show/7741358.stm the BBC's transcript] of Jon Sopel's interview with Gordon Brown for the Politics Show, Sunday 23 November 2008, Sopel asks questions such as "Prime Minister, you're famous for that phrase, there will be no return to boom and bust."</ref> or civil servants, as in ''[[Yes, Prime Minister]]''. Since "Prime Minister" is a position, not a title, he or she should be referred to as "the Prime Minister" or (e.g.) "Mr. Blair". The form "Prime Minister Blair" is incorrect but is sometimes used erroneously outside the UK.

==Retirement honours==

It is customary for the Sovereign to grant a Prime Minister some honour or dignity when that individual retires from politics. The honour commonly, but not invariably, is membership of the United Kingdom's senior order of chivalry, the [[Order of the Garter]]. The practice of creating retired Prime Ministers Knights (or, in the case of [[Margaret Thatcher]], Ladies) of the Garter has been fairly prevalent since the middle-nineteenth century. On the retirement of a Prime Minister who is Scottish, it is likely that the Scottish honour of the [[Order of the Thistle]] will be used instead of the Order of the Garter, which is generally regarded as an English honour.

It has also been common for Prime Ministers to be granted [[peerage]]s upon their retirement which elevates the individual to the [[House of Lords]] upon his retirement from the Commons. Formerly, the peerage bestowed was usually an [[earldom]] (which was always hereditary), with Churchill [[Duke of London|offered]] a [[Duke of London|dukedom]].<ref>Rasor, Eugene L. ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=6PpNUK5u1lkC&pg=PA205&lpg=PA205 Winston S. Churchill, 1874-1965: a comprehensive historiography and annotated bibliography]'', p. 205. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000. {{ISBN|978-0-313-30546-7}}.</ref> However, since the 1960s, hereditary peerages have generally been eschewed, and [[life peerage]]s have been preferred, although in 1984 [[Harold Macmillan]] was created [[Earl of Stockton]] on retirement. Sir [[Alec Douglas-Home]], [[Harold Wilson]], [[James Callaghan]] and [[Margaret Thatcher]] accepted life peerages. However, neither [[Edward Heath]], [[John Major]] or [[Tony Blair]] accepted peerages of any kind on stepping down as MPs. Margaret Thatcher's son [[Mark Thatcher|Mark]] is a [[baronet]], which he inherited from his father [[Denis Thatcher|Denis]], but this is not a peerage. 

Of the nineteen Prime Ministers since 1902, eight have been created both peers and Knights of the Garter; three were ennobled but not knighted; three became Knights of the Garter but not peers; and five were not granted either honour: in two cases due to their death while still active in politics; two others declined honours.

There are four living former British Prime Ministers:
* [[Baron#Style of address|The Rt Hon]] [[Margaret Thatcher|The Baroness Thatcher]] <small>[[Order of the Garter|LG]] [[Order of Merit|OM]] [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|PC]]</small>
* [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council#Rights and privileges of members|The Rt Hon]] [[Order of the Garter|Sir]] [[John Major]] <small>[[Order of the Garter|KG]] [[Companion of Honour|CH]]</small>
* [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council#Rights and privileges of members|The Rt Hon]] [[Tony Blair]]<!-- No 'PC' for Privy Council here as Tony Blair is not a peer -->
* [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council#Rights and privileges of members|The Rt Hon]] [[Gordon Brown]] <small>[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]]</small>

=History of the Office of Prime Minister=

==Summary==

The position of Prime Minister was not created; it has evolved slowly and erratically over three hundred years. Its origins are found in constitutional changes that occurred during the Revolutionary Settlement (1688–1720) and the resulting shift of political power from the Sovereign to Parliament. Early Prime Ministers (1720–1784) were at best ambivalent about that description; many refused to acknowledge or use the title. The position was given little formal recognition and was not mentioned in legal documents. Between 1784 and 1911, numerous accidents of history and political developments led to unofficial but popular acceptance of the office. By the 1830s, the Prime Minister became "first among equals" in the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Government. By the turn of the 20th century, the modern Premiership had emerged; it had become the pre-eminent position in the constitutional hierarchy vis-a-vis the Sovereign, Parliament and Cabinet. Early in the century, legislation marginalised the influence of the House of Lords in the law-making process and indirectly enhanced the Prime Minister's power, giving rise to concerns that the office had become too "presidential". Later, however, several acts and political changes placed some limits on the Premier's authority. 

==Constitutional background==

The Premiership was not intentionally created by a codified constitution on a certain date.  The office evolved over three hundred years, gradually defined by customs known as [[constitutional convention (political custom)|convention]]s that became accepted practice.<ref>King, pages 3–8. King makes the point that much of the British constitution is in fact written and that no constitution is written down in its entirety. The distinctive feature, he says, of the British constitution is that it is not codified.</ref> Until the 20th century, the relationship between the Prime Minister vis-a-vis the Sovereign, Parliament and Cabinet was defined entirely by these conventions.  Despite its growing dominance in the constitutional hierarchy, the Premiership was given little formal recognition; the legal fiction was maintained that the Sovereign still governed directly.  For example, many of the Prime Minister's executive and legislative powers are actually “[[royal prerogative]]s” and still formally vested in the Head of State, the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|Sovereign]].<ref>Low, p.155.  In 1902, for example, Arthur Balfour said, "The Prime Minister has no salary as Prime Minister. He has no statutory duties as Prime Minister, his name occurs in no Acts of Parliament, and though holding the most important place in the constitutional hierarchy, he has no place which is recognized by the laws of his country.  This is a strange paradox"</ref>

Under this arrangement, Britain appears to have two executives: the Prime Minister and Sovereign. The concept of "[[the Crown]]" resolves this paradox.<ref>Low, p. 255  "There is no distinction", said Gladstone, "more vital to the practice of the British constitution or to the right judgment upon it than the distinction between the Sovereign and the Crown."</ref> The Crown symbolises the state’s authority to govern: to make laws and execute them, impose taxes and collect them, declare war and make peace. Before the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688, the Sovereign wore the Crown and exercised the powers it symbolises. Afterwards, Parliament gradually forced Sovereigns to assume a neutral political position.  Parliament placed the Crown in "commission", entrusting its authority to responsible Ministers (the Prime Minister and Cabinet), accountable for their policies and actions to Parliament and the people. Although the Sovereign still wears the Crown and her prerogative powers are still legally intact,<ref>The Sovereign's prerogative powers are sometimes called [[reserve powers]]. They include the sole authority to dismiss a Prime Minister and government of the day in extremely rare and exceptional circumstances, and other essential powers (such as the veto, and summoning, proroguing and dissolving Parliament) to preserve the stability of the nation. Reserve powers are available to her to use without the consent of Parliament. She also, through her various Governor Generals in the Commonwealth nations, has various and differed reserve powers in each realm. Reserve powers, in practice, are the court of absolute last resort in resolving situations that fundamentally threaten the security and stability of the nation as a whole and are almost never used. [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]] has never used her reserve powers.</ref> Parliament has removed her from everyday governance, leaving her in practice with three constitutional rights: to be kept informed, to advise, and to warn.<ref>Baghot, p. 67</ref><ref>Low, pages 255–258.</ref>

==Revolutionary settlement (1688 - 1721)==

Because the Premiership was not intentionally created, there is no exact date when its evolution began. A meaningful starting point, however, is 1688 when [[James II of England|James II]] fled [[Kingdom of England|England]] and the [[Parliament of England]] confirmed William and Mary as joint constitutional monarchs, enacting legislation that limited their authority and that of their successors: the [[Bill of Rights 1689|Bill of Rights (1689)]], the [[Mutiny Acts|Mutiny Bill]] (1689), the [[Triennial Acts|Triennial Bill]] (1694), the [[Treason Act 1695|Treason Act (1696)]] and the [[Act of Settlement 1701|Act of Settlement (1701)]].<ref>Knappen, pages 448–451.</ref> Known collectively as the Revolutionary Settlement, these acts transformed the constitution, shifting the balance of power from the Sovereign to Parliament. They also provided the basis for the evolution of the office of Prime Minister, which did not exist at that time.

==Treasury Bench and Standing Order 66==

The Revolutionary Settlement gave the Commons control over finances and legislation and changed the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature.  For want of money, Sovereigns had to summon Parliament annually and could no longer dissolve or prorogue it without its advice and consent. Parliament became a permanent feature of political life.<ref>Smith, pages 371–373</ref> The veto fell into disuse because Sovereigns feared that if they denied legislation, Parliament would deny them money. No Sovereign has denied [[royal assent]] since Queen Anne vetoed the [[Scottish Militia Bill 1708|Scottish Militia Bill]] in 1708.<ref>Smith, p. 382</ref>

[[File:British House of Commons 1834.jpg|left|thumb|Late in the 17th century Treasury Ministers began to attend the Commons regularly. They were given a reserved place, called the Treasury Bench, to the Speaker's right where the Prime Minister and senior Cabinet members sit today]]

Treasury officials and other department heads were drawn into Parliament serving as liaisons between it and the Sovereign. Ministers had to present the government's policies, and negotiate with Members to gain the support of the majority; they had to explain the government's financial needs, suggest ways of meeting them and give an account of how money had been spent. The Sovereign’s representatives attended Commons sessions so regularly that they were given reserved seats at the front, known as the Treasury Bench. This is the beginning of "unity of powers": the Sovereign's Ministers (the Executive) became leading members of Parliament (the Legislature). Today, the Prime Minister (First Lord of the Treasury), the Chancellor of the Exchequer (responsible for the budget) and other senior members of the Cabinet sit on the Treasury bench and present policies in much the same way Ministers did late in the 17th century..

After the Revolution, there was a constant threat that non-government members of Parliament would ruin the country's finances by proposing ill-considered money bills. Vying for control to avoid chaos, the Crown's Ministers gained an advantage in 1706 when the Commons informally declared, "That this House will receive no petition for any sum of money relating to public Service, but what is recommended from the Crown." On 11 June 1713, this non-binding rule became Standing Order 66: that "the Commons would not vote money for any purpose, except on a motion of a Minister of the Crown." Standing Order 66 remains in effect today (though renumbered as no. 48),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmstords/2/2.pdf |date=16 December 2009 |page=65 |title=Standing Orders of the House of Commons |location=London, United Kingdom |publisher=Parliament of the United Kingdom}}</ref> essentially unchanged for three hundred years.<ref>Roseveare, p.80.</ref>

Empowering Ministers with sole financial initiative had an immediate and lasting impact. Apart from achieving its intended purpose&nbsp;– to stabilise the budgetary process&nbsp;– it gave the Crown a leadership role in the Commons; and, the Lord Treasurer assumed a leading position among Ministers.

The power of financial initiative was not, however, absolute. Only Ministers might initiate money bills, but Parliament now reviewed and consented to them. Standing Order 66 therefore represents the beginnings of Ministerial responsibility and accountability.<ref>Smith, pages 372–373</ref>

The term "Prime Minister" appears at this time as an unofficial title for the leader of the government, usually the head of the Treasury.<ref>Dodd, p 50  There are a few instances of the use of "Prime" or "First" Minister in the 17th century.  After the Restoration in 1660, for example, Lord Clarendon was encouraged to assume the title of "First Minister" in the new government rather than accept a specific office.  According to the Duke of Ormonde, however, "He (Clarendon) could not consent to enjoy a pension out of the Exchequer under no other title or pretense but being First Minister . . . [an office] so newly translated out of French into English that it was not enough understood to be liked and everyone would detest it for the burden it was attended with."</ref>  Jonathan Swift, for example, wrote in 1713 about "those who are now commonly called Prime Minister among us", referring to [[Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin]] and [[Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer|Robert Harley]], Queen Anne's Lord Treasurers and chief ministers.<ref>Marriott, p. 87.</ref> Since 1721, every head of the Sovereign's government&nbsp;– with one exception in the 18th century (William Pitt, the Elder) and one in the 19th (Lord Salisbury)&nbsp;– has been First Lord of the Treasury.

==Beginnings of the Prime Minister's party leadership==

The modern Prime Minister is the leader of a major political party with millions of followers. In the general election of 1997, for example, 13.5 million people voted for the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] led by [[Tony Blair]]; 9.6 million for the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], led by [[John Major]], the incumbent Prime Minister; and, 5.2 million for the [[Liberal Democrats|Liberal Democrat Party]] led by [[Paddy Ashdown]].  Generally agreeing on policies, party leaders and their supporters suppress their differences of opinion at the polls for the sake of gaining a majority of seats in the Commons and being able to form a government.

Political parties first appeared during the [[Exclusion Crisis]] of 1678–1681. The [[Whig (British political party)|Whigs]], who believed in [[limited monarchy]], wanted to exclude [[James II of England|James Stuart]] from succeeding to the throne because he was a [[Roman Catholicism|Catholic]]. The [[Tories (political faction)|Tories]], who believed in the "[[Divine Right of Kings]]", defended James' hereditary claim. These parties dominated British politics for over 150 years, with the Whigs evolving into the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] and the Tories into the Conservative. Even today, Conservatives are often called "Tories".

Political parties were not well organised or disciplined in the 17th century. They were more like factions with "members" drifting in and out, collaborating temporarily on issues when it was to their advantage, then disbanding when it was not. A major deterrent to the development of opposing parties was the idea that there could only be one "King's Party" and to oppose it would be disloyal or even treasonous. This idea lingered throughout the 18th century.  Nevertheless, it became possible at the end of the 17th century to identify Parliaments and Ministries as being either "Whig" or "Tory" in composition.

British governments (or Ministries) are generally formed by one party.  The Prime Minister and Cabinet are all members of the same political party, almost always the one that has a majority of seats in the House of Commons. Coalition governments (a ministry that consists of representatives from two or more parties) and minority governments are relatively rare. "One party government", as this system is sometimes called, has been the general rule for almost three hundred years.  

Early in his reign, [[William III of England|William]] (1688–1702) preferred "Mixed Ministries" (or coalitions) consisting of both Tories and Whigs. William thought this composition would dilute the power of any one party and also give him the benefit of differing points of view. However, this approach did not work well because the members could not agree on a leader or on policies, and often worked at odds with each other.

In 1697, William formed a homogeneous Whig ministry. Known as the ''Junto'', this government is often cited as the first true Cabinet because its members were all Whigs, reflecting the majority composition of the Commons. <ref>Marriott, pages 75–76.</ref> 

[[Anne of Great Britain]] (1702–1714) followed this pattern but preferred Tory Cabinets. This approach worked well as long as Parliament was also predominantly Tory. However, in 1708, when the Whigs obtained a majority, Anne did not call on them to form a government, refusing to accept the idea that politicians could force themselves on her merely because their party had a majority. <ref>Dodd, p.66 "Is it not hard" Anne said, "that men of sense and honour will not promote the good of their country, because everything in the world is not done as they desire?"</ref>  She never parted with an entire Ministry or accepted an entirely new one regardless of the results of an election.  Anne preferred to retain a minority government rather than be dictated to by Parliament.  Consequently, her chief ministers [[Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin]] and [[Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer|Robert Harley]], who were called "Prime Minister" by some, had difficulty executing policy in the face of a hostile Parliament. <ref name="Smith, pages 379–382"/><ref>Marriott, p. 76–83.</ref>  

William's and Anne's experiments with the political composition of the Cabinet illustrated the strengths of one party government and the weaknesses of coalition and minority governments.  Nevertheless, it was not until the 1830s that the constitutional convention was established that the Sovereign must select the Prime Minister (and Cabinet) from the party whose views reflect those of the majority in Parliament.  Since then, most ministries have reflected this one party rule.  

Despite the "one party" convention, Prime Ministers may still be called upon to lead either minority or coalition governments.  A [[minority government]] may be formed as a result of a "[[hung parliament]]" in which no single party commands a majority in the House of Commons after a general election or the death, resignation or defection of existing members.  By convention the serving Prime Minister is given first opportunity to reach agreements that will allow them to survive a vote of confidence in the House and continue to govern.  The last minority government was led by Labour Prime Minister [[Harold Wilson]] for eight months after the [[United Kingdom general election, February 1974|February 1974 general election]] produced a hung parliament.  In the [[United Kingdom general election, October 1974|October 1974 general election]], the Labour Party gained 18 seats, giving Wilson a majority of one.

A [[coalition government]] may be formed if two or more parties negotiate a joint programme to command a majority in the Commons.   Since 1721, there have been fewer than a dozen Coalitions.   Coalitions have been formed during times of national crisis such as war.  Under this circumstance, the parties agree to temporarily set aside their political differences and unite to face the national crisis.  Until the General Election of 2010, the last Coalition was led by Conservative Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]] during most of the Second World War from May 1940 to May 1945.  [[Clement Attlee]], the leader of the Labour Party, served as Deputy Prime Minister.  <ref>Smith, p. 376–379.</ref>

==The Early Cabinet==

The modern Prime Minister is also the leader of the Cabinet. A convention of the constitution, the modern Cabinet is a group of ministers — usually 22 — who formulate policies. As the political heads of government departments, Cabinet Ministers ensure that policies are carried out by permanent civil servants.  Although the modern Prime Minister selects Ministers, appointment still rests with the Sovereign. With the Prime Minister as its leader, the Cabinet forms the [[executive branch]] of government.<ref>Once in office, the Prime Minister fills not only Cabinet level positions but many other government offices (up to 90 appointments), selected mostly from the House of Commons, distributing them to party members, partly as a reward for their loyalty. The power to make so many appointments to government offices is one of the most effective means the Prime Minister has of maintaining party discipline in the Commons.</ref>

The term "Cabinet" first appears after the Revolutionary Settlement to describe those ministers who conferred privately with the Sovereign. The growth of the Cabinet met with widespread complaint and opposition because its meetings were often held in secret and it excluded the ancient [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|Privy Council]] from the Sovereign's circle of advisers, reducing it to an honorary body.<ref>Dodd, p. 79. In 1691, for example, a Lord protested, that "'Cabinet-Council' is not a word to be found in our Law-books. We know it not before: we took it for a nick-name. Nothing can fall out more unhappily, than to have a distinction made of the 'Cabinet' and 'Privy-Council' ... If some of the Privy-Council men be trusted, and some not, to whom is a gentleman to apply?  Must he ask, "Who is a Cabinet-Counsellor? ... I am sure, these distinctions of some being more trusted than others have given great dissatisfaction.”</ref> The early Cabinet included the Treasurer and other department heads who sat on the Treasury bench as it does today. However, it might also include individuals who were not members of Parliament such as household officers (i.e. the Master of the Horse) and members of the royal family. The exclusion of non-members of Parliament from the Cabinet was essential to the development of ministerial accountability and responsibility.

Both William and Anne appointed and dismissed Cabinet members, attended meetings, made decisions, and followed up on actions. Relieving the Sovereign of these responsibilities and gaining control over the Cabinet's composition was an essential part of evolution of the Premiership.

This process began after the Hanoverian Succession. Although [[George I of Great Britain|George I]] (1714–1727) attended Cabinet meetings at first, after 1717 he withdrew because he did not speak English and was bored with the discussions. [[George II of Great Britain|George II]] (1727–1760) occasionally presided at Cabinet meetings but his grandson, [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]] (1760–1820), is known to have attended only two during his 60 year reign. Thus, the convention that Sovereigns do not attend Cabinet meetings was established primarily through royal indifference to the everyday tasks of governance. The Prime Minister became responsible for calling meetings, presiding, taking notes, and reporting to the Sovereign. These simple executive tasks naturally gave the Prime Minister ascendancy over his Cabinet colleagues.<ref>Smith, p. 383.</ref>

Although the first three Hanoverians rarely attended Cabinet meetings, they insisted on their prerogatives to appoint and dismiss ministers and to direct policy even if from outside the Cabinet. It was not until late in the 18th century that Prime Ministers gained control over Cabinet composition (see section [[#Emergence of Cabinet government: Pitt and Liverpool (1784–1830)|Emergence of Cabinet Government: Pitt and Liverpool (1784–1830)]] below).

==Treasury Commission==

The Premiership is still largely a convention of the constitution; its legal authority is derived primarily from the fact that the Prime Minister is also First Lord of the Treasury. The connection of these two offices&nbsp;– one a convention, the other a legal office&nbsp;– began with the Hanoverian Succession in 1714.

When George I succeeded to the English throne in 1714, his German ministers advised him to leave the office of Lord High Treasurer vacant because those who had held it in recent years had grown overly powerful, in effect, replacing the Sovereign as head of the government. They also feared that a Lord High Treasurer would undermine their own influence with the new King. They therefore suggested that he place the office in "commission", meaning that a committee of five ministers would perform its functions together. Theoretically, this dilution of authority would prevent any one of them from presuming to be the head of the government.  The King agreed and created the Treasury Commission consisting of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord, and three Junior Lords.

No one has been appointed Lord High Treasurer since 1714; it has remained in commission for three hundred years. The Treasury Commission ceased to meet late in the 18th century but has survived, albeit with very different functions: the First Lord of the Treasury is now the Prime Minister, the Second Lord is the Chancellor of the Exchequer (and actually in charge of the Treasury), and the Junior Lords are government Whips maintaining party discipline in the House of Commons; they no longer have any duties related to the Treasury, though when [[Delegated legislation in the United Kingdom|subordinate legislation]] requires the consent of the Treasury it is still two of the Junior Lords who sign on its behalf.<ref>See e.g. the various orders prescribing fees to be taken in public offices</ref><ref>Marriotte, p. 107.</ref>

=="First" Prime Minister (1721 - 1741)==

Since the office was not created, there is no "first" Prime Minister. However, the honorary appellation is traditionally given to Sir [[Robert Walpole]] who became First Lord of the Treasury in 1721. [[File:Jean-Baptiste van Loo - Robert Walpole.jpg|thumb|175px|left|Portrait of Sir [[Robert Walpole]], studio of [[Jean-Baptiste van Loo]], 1740. Walpole is considered to be the "First" Prime Minister.]]
In 1720, the [[South Sea Company]], created to trade in cotton, agricultural goods and slaves, collapsed, causing the financial ruin of thousands of investors and heavy losses for many others including members of the royal family. King George I called on Robert Walpole, well-known for his political and financial acumen, to handle the emergency. With considerable skill{{cn}} and some luck{{cn}}, Walpole acted quickly to restore public credit and confidence, and led the country out of the crisis. A year later, the King appointed him First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Leader of the House of Commons making him the most powerful minister in the government. Ruthless, crude, and hard-working, he had a "sagacious business sense" and was a superb manager of men.<ref>Smith, p. 384.</ref> At the head of affairs for the next two decades, Walpole stabilised the nation's finances, kept it at peace, made it prosperous, and secured the [[Hanoverian Succession]].<ref>Pike, pages 22–23.</ref>

Walpole demonstrated for the first time how a chief minister&nbsp;– a Prime Minister&nbsp;– could be the actual Head of the Government under the new constitutional framework. First, recognising that the Sovereign could no longer govern directly but was still the nominal head of the government, he insisted that he was nothing more than the "King's Servant".<ref>Smith, p. 385. He worked tirelessly to maintain the King's confidence, and sometimes resorted to bribery.  On the accession of George II in 1727, for example, Walpole gave the new King an additional £100,000 for his personal use to maintain his offices.</ref> Second, recognising that power had shifted to the Commons, he conducted the nation's business there and made it dominant over the Lords in all matters. Third, recognising that the Cabinet had become the executive and must be united, he dominated the other members and demanded their complete support for his policies. Fourth, recognising that political parties were the source of ministerial strength, he led the Whig party and maintained discipline. In the Commons, he insisted on the support of all Whig members, especially those who held office. Finally, he set an example for future Prime Ministers by resigning his offices in 1742 when he no longer had the confidence of a majority, even though he still retained the confidence of the Sovereign.<ref>Marriott, pages 77–81. The preceding paragraph is a paraphrase of Hearn's famous list of Walpole's contributions to the evolution of the office of Prime Minister in his book ''Government of England'', page 220, quoted by Marriott.</ref><ref>Smith, pages 385–387</ref>

==Ambivalence and denial==

For all his contributions, Walpole was not a Prime Minister in the modern sense. The King - not Parliament - chose him; and the King - not Walpole - chose the Cabinet. Walpole set an example, not a precedent, and few followed his example. For over 40 years after Walpole's fall in 1742, there was widespread ambivalence about the position. In some cases, the Prime Minister was a figurehead with power being wielded by other individuals; in others there was a reversion to the "chief minister" model of earlier times in which the Sovereign actually governed.<ref>Marriott p. 86 During most periods of British history, there have been Chief Ministers who have had many of the attributes of a modern Prime Minister such as Dunstan of Glastonbury under Edgar, Ralph Flambard under William II, Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell under Henry VIII, and many others.</ref> Furthermore, many thought that the title "Prime Minister" usurped the Sovereign's constitutional position as "head of the government" and that it was an affront to other ministers because they were all appointed by and equally responsible to the Sovereign.

For these reasons there was a reluctance to use the title. Although Walpole is now called the "first" Prime Minister, the title was not commonly used during his tenure. Walpole himself denied it. In 1741, during the attack that led to Walpole's downfall, Sandys declared that "According to our Constitution we can have no sole and prime minister ..." In his defense, Walpole said "I unequivocally deny that I am sole or Prime Minister and that to my influence and direction all the affairs of government must be attributed."<ref name="Marriott, p. 88">Marriott, p. 88</ref> During [[Great Britain in the Seven Years War|Britain's participation in the Seven Years War]] the powers of government were divided equally between the [[Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle|Duke of Newcastle]] and [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham]] leading to them both alternatively being described as Prime Minister. [[George Grenville]], Prime Minister in the 1760s, said it was "an odious title" and never used it.<ref>Low, p. 156</ref> [[Lord North]], the reluctant head of the King's Government during the [[American War of Independence]], "would never suffer himself to be called Prime Minister, because it was an office unknown to the Constitution."<ref>Low, pages 156–157</ref><ref>The 18th century ambivalence causes problems for researchers trying to identify who was a Prime Minister and who was not. Every list of Prime Ministers may omit certain politicians. For instance, unsuccessful attempts to form ministries&nbsp;— such as the two-day government formed by [[William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath]] in 1746, often dismissed as the "[[Short-lived Ministry|Silly Little Ministry]]" - may be included in a list or omitted, depending on the criteria selected.</ref>

Denials of the Premiership's legal existence continued throughout the 19th century. In 1806, for example, one member of the Commons said, "the Constitution abhors the idea of a prime minister". In 1829 another{{who}} said, "nothing could be more mischievous or unconstitutional than to recognize by act of parliament the existence of such an office."

By the turn of the 20th century the Premiership had become, by convention, the most important position in the constitutional hierarchy. Yet there were no legal documents describing its powers or acknowledging its existence. Incumbents had no statutory authority in their own right. As late as 1904, Arthur Balfour explained the status of his office in a speech at Haddington: "The Prime Minister has no salary as Prime Minister. He has no statutory duties as Prime Minister, his name occurs in no Acts of Parliament, and though holding the most important place in the constitutional hierarchy, he has no place which is recognized by the laws of his country. This is a strange paradox."<ref>Low, pp. 160-161 In his memoirs, ''Gleanings'', Gladstone lamented the Prime Ministry's unseemly status in the government hierarchy: "Nowhere in the wide world," he said, "does so great a substance cast so small a shadow. Nowhere is there a man who has so much power with so little to show for it in the way of formal title or prerogative."</ref>

In 1905 the position was given some official recognition when the "Prime Minister" was named in the [[United Kingdom order of precedence|order of precedence]], outranked, among non-royals, only by the Archbishops of [[Archbishop of Canterbury|Canterbury]] and [[Archbishop of York|York]], the Moderator of the Church of Scotland and the [[Lord Chancellor]].<ref>Marriott, p 85</ref>

The first Act of Parliament to mention the Premiership was the Chequers Estate Act on 20 December 1917.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/talking_politics/88166.stm|title=UK Politics: Talking Politics&nbsp;— Conventions of the constitution|last=Rozenberg|first=Joshua|date=3 June 1998|work=[[BBC News]]|publisher=[[British Broadcasting Corporation]]|accessdate=2008-11-02}}</ref> This law conferred the [[Chequers]] Estate owned by [[Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham|Sir Arthur]] and Lady Lee, as a gift to the Crown for use as a country home for future Prime Ministers.

Unequivocal legal recognition was given in the [[Ministers of the Crown Act 1937|Ministers of the Crown Act (1937)]] which made provision for paying a salary to the person who is both "the First Lord of the Treasury and Prime Minister". Explicitly recognising two hundred years' of ambivalence, the act states that it intended "To give statutory recognition to the existence of the position of Prime Minister, and to the historic link between the Premiership and the office of First Lord of the Treasury, by providing in respect to that position and office a salary of ..." The Act made a distinction between the "position" (Prime Minister) and the "office" (First Lord of the Treasury), emphasising the unique political character of the former. Nevertheless, the brass plate on the door of the Prime Minister's home, [[10 Downing Street]], still bears the title of "First Lord of the Treasury", as it has since the 18th century.

==Emergence of Cabinet government (1784 - 1830)==

Despite the reluctance to legally recognise the Premiership, ambivalence toward it waned in the 1780s.  As noted previously, George III (1760–1820) is known to have attended only two Cabinet meetings.  However, during the first twenty years of his reign, he tried to be his own "prime minister" by controlling policy from outside the Cabinet, appointing and dismissing ministers, meeting privately with individual ministers, and giving them instructions. These practices caused confusion and dissension in Cabinet meetings, especially during the dysfunctional ministries of [[William Pitt the Elder|the Earl of Chatham]] from 1766–1768 and of the [[Augustus Henry FitzRoy|Duke of Grafton]] from 1768-1770 when no one, not even the King, seemed to be in charge.<ref>see Tuchman, ''The March of Folly'', pp 127-232 for detailed descriptions of these and other ministries between the years 1760 and 1782</ref>

After the failure of [[Lord North]]'s ministry (1770–1782) in March 1782 due to Britain's defeat in the [[American Revolutionary War]] and the ensuing [[vote of no confidence]] by Parliament, the [[Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham|Marquess of Rockingham]] reasserted the Prime Minister's control over the Cabinet. Rockingham assumed the Premiership "on the distinct understanding that measures were to be changed as well as men; and that the measures for which the new ministry required the royal consent were the measures which they, while in opposition, had advocated." He and his Cabinet were united in their policies and would stand or fall together; they also refused to accept anyone in the Cabinet who did not agree.<ref>This event also marks the beginnings of collective Cabinet responsibility. This principle states that the decisions made by any one Cabinet member become the responsibility of the entire Cabinet.</ref> King George threatened to [[abdicate]] but in the end reluctantly agreed out of necessity: he had to have a government.

From this time, there was a growing acceptance of the position of Prime Minister and the title was more commonly used, if only unofficially.<ref name="Smith, pages 379–382">Smith, pages 379–382.</ref><ref>Low, pp. 141-142.</ref> Associated initially with the Whigs, even the Tories started to accept it. Lord North, for example, who had said the office was "unknown to the constitution", reversed himself in 1783 when he said, "In this country some one man or some body of men like a Cabinet should govern the whole and direct every measure."<ref>Dodd, p. 127</ref><ref>Pares, p. 175 In a letter to the King written at the same time, North repeated the idea, "That in critical times, it is necessary that there should be one directing Minister, who should plan the whole of the operations of government, so far as to make them co-operate zealously & actively with his designs even tho' contrary to their own."</ref>  In 1803, [[William Pitt the Younger]], also a Tory, suggested to a friend that "this person generally called the first minister" was an absolute necessity for a government to function, and expressed his belief that this person should be the minister in charge of the finances.<ref name="Marriott, p. 88"/>
[[File:William Pitt the Younger at Westminster.gif|thumb|200px|right|''William Pitt the Younger in front of the Treasury Bench addressing the House of Commons.'' Pitt's 19 year ministry followed by Lord Liverpool's 15, led the Tory Party to accept the office of Prime Minister as a convention of the constitution.]]

The Tories' wholesale conversion started when Pitt was confirmed as Prime Minister in the election of 1784. For the next 17 years until 1801 (and again from 1804 to 1806), Pitt, the Tory, was Prime Minister in the same sense that Walpole, the Whig, had been earlier.

Their conversion was reinforced after 1810. In that year, George III, who had suffered periodically from mental instability (due to a blood disorder now known as [[porphyria]]), became permanently insane and spent the remaining 10 years of his life unable to discharge his duties. The Prince Regent was prevented from using the full powers of Kingship. The Regent became [[King George IV]] in 1820, but during his 10 year reign was indolent and frivolous. Consequently, for 20 years the throne was virtually vacant and Tory Cabinets led by Tory Prime Ministers filled the void, governing virtually on their own.

The Tories were in power for almost 50 years, except for a short Whig ministry from 1806 to 1807. [[Lord Liverpool]] was Prime Minister for 15 years; he and Pitt held the position for 34 years. Under their long, consistent leadership, Cabinet government became a convention of the constitution. Although subtle issues remained to be settled, the [[Cabinet Government|Cabinet system of government]] is essentially the same today as it was in 1830.

Under this form of government, called the [[Westminster System]], the Sovereign is [[Head of State]] and titular head of [[Her Majesty's Government]].  She selects as her Prime Minister the person who is able to command a working majority in the House of Commons, and invites him to form a government. As the actual [[Head of Government]], the Prime Minister selects his Cabinet, choosing its members from among those in Parliament who agree or generally agree with his intended policies. He then recommends them to the Sovereign who confirms his selections by formally appointing them to their respective offices. Led by the Prime Minister, the Cabinet is collectively responsible for everything the government does. The Sovereign does not confer with its members privately about policy or attend its meetings. With respect to ''actual'' governance, the monarch has only three constitutional rights: to be kept informed, to advise, and to warn.<ref>Marriott, pp 92-93 Bagehot enumerated the three rights of a constitutional Monarch as "the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn"</ref> In practice this means that the Sovereign reviews state papers and meets regularly with the Prime Minister, usually weekly, when she may advise and warn him regarding the proposed decisions and actions of Her Government.<ref>Marriott, pp 78-83  Marriott enumerates five characteristics of modern Cabinet Government: 1. exclusion of the Sovereign, 2. close correspondence of party affiliation between the Cabinet and the majority in Parliament, 3. homogeneity of the Cabinet, 4. collective responsibility, and 5. ascendency of the Prime Minister.</ref>

==Loyal Opposition==

The modern British system includes not only a government formed by the majority party (or coalition of parties) in the House of Commons but also an organised and open opposition formed by those who are not members of the governing party. Called the [[Loyal Opposition]] (or "Her Majesty's Opposition"), they occupy the benches to the Speaker's left. Seated in the front, directly across from the ministers on the Treasury Bench, the leaders of the opposition form a "Shadow Government", complete with a salaried "Shadow Prime Minister", the [[Leader of the Opposition]], ready to assume office if the government falls or loses the next election.

[[File:House of Commons Microcosm.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''The House of Commons early 19th century.'' The Loyal Opposition occupy the benches to the Speaker's left. Seated in the front, the leaders of the opposition form a "Shadow Government", complete with a salaried "Shadow Prime Minister" ready to assume office if the government falls or loses the next election.]]

Opposing the King's government was considered disloyal, even treasonous, at the end of the seventeenth century. During the eighteenth century, this idea waned and finally disappeared as the two party system developed. The expression "His Majesty's Opposition" was coined by [[John Cam Hobhouse]], Lord Broughton. In 1826, Broughton, a Whig, announced in the Commons that he opposed the report of a Bill. As a joke, he said, "It was said to be very hard on His Majesty's ministers to raise objections to this proposition. For my part, I think it is much more hard on His Majesty's Opposition to compel them to take this course." <ref>Foord, p. 1.</ref><ref>Foord, p.1  Laughter followed Hobhouse's remark but George Tierney, a leading Whig, repeated the phrase and added a definition.  "My honourable friend," he said, "could not have invented a better phrase to designate us than that which he has adopted, for we are certainly to all intents and purposes a branch of His Majesty's Government."</ref> The phrase caught on and has been used ever since. Sometimes translated as the "[[Loyal Opposition]]", it acknowledges the legitimate existence of the two party system, and describes an important constitutional concept: opposing the government is not treason; reasonable men can honestly oppose its policies and still be loyal to the Sovereign and the nation.

Informally recognised for over a century as a convention of the constitution, the position of Leader of the Opposition was given statutory recognition in 1937 by the [[Ministers of the Crown Act 1937|Ministers of the Crown Act]].

==Great Reform Bill and the Premiership (1832)==

British Prime Ministers have never been elected directly by the public. They have all become Prime Minister indirectly because firstly, they were members of either the Commons or Lords; secondly, they were the leader of a great political party; and, thirdly, they either inherited a majority in the Commons, or won more seats than the opposition in a general election.

[[File:Charles Grey - 2nd Earl Grey - atop the Grey Momument - Newcastle upon Tyne - England - 140804.jpg|thumbnail|200px|Lord Grey, often called the first modern Prime Minister]]
[[File:Inscription Grey Monument.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Inscription on Grey Monument, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England (click image to enlarge)]]

Since 1722, most Prime Ministers have been members of the Commons; since 1902, all have had a seat there.<ref>Except Lord Home, who resigned his peerage to stand in a by-election soon after becoming Prime Minister</ref>  Like other members, they are elected initially to represent only a constituency. Former Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]], for example, represented [[Sedgefield]] in County Durham from 1983 to 2007. He became Prime Minister because in 1994 he was elected Labour Party leader and then led the party to victory in the [[United Kingdom general election, 1997|1997 general election]], winning 418 seats compared to 165 for the Conservatives and gaining a majority in the House of Commons.

Neither the Sovereign nor the [[House of Lords]] had any meaningful influence over who was elected to the Commons in 1997 or in deciding whether or not Blair would become Prime Minister. Their detachment from the electoral process and the selection of the Prime Minister has been a convention of the constitution for almost 200 years.

Prior to the 19th century, however, they had significant influence, using to their advantage the fact that most citizens were disenfranchised and seats in the Commons were allocated disproportionately. The system was based on legislation passed in 1429 and virtually unchanged for 400 years.<ref>Maitland, p. 354.</ref><ref>Smith, pages 234–235.</ref> In 1832, only 440,000 met the voter qualifications in a population of 17 million. Although populations shifted, representation in the Commons remained the same. Consequently, some constituencies were over-represented; others under-represented. Through patronage, corruption and bribery, the Crown and Lords "owned" about 30% of the seats (called "pocket" or "rotten boroughs") giving them a significant influence in the Commons and in the selection of the Prime Minister.<ref>Smith, pages 37–38,</ref><ref>Marriott, pages 219–222.</ref>

In 1830, [[Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey|Charles Grey]], a life-long Whig, became Prime Minister determined to reform the electoral system. For two years, he and his Cabinet (including four future Prime Ministers&nbsp;– [[William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne|Melbourne]], [[John Russell, 1st Earl Russell|Russell]], [[Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|Palmerston]] and [[Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby|Derby]]&nbsp;– and one former one, [[Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich|Goderich]]) fought to pass what has come to be known as the [[Reform Act 1832|Great Reform Bill of 1832]].<ref>Pike, pages 188–194.</ref><ref>Minney, p. 216. These are two of the most exciting years in all of Parliamentary history, filled with drama and a sense that history was being made.  Lord Creevey, for example, recorded in his diary, "I dined in Downing Street with Lady Grey . . . After dinner the private secretary to the Prime Minister and myself being alone, I ascertained that although Lord Grey was gone to Brighton ostensibly to prick for Sheriffs for the year, his great object was to put his plan of reform before the King, previous . . . to its being proposed to the House of Commons.  A ticklish operation, this! to propose to a Sovereign a plan for reducing his own power and patronage.  However, there is the plan all cut and dry, and the Cabinet unanimous upon it . . . Grey is determined to fight it out to a dissolution of Parliament, if his plan is beat in the Commons. My eye, what a crisis!"</ref>

The greatness of the Great Reform Bill lay less in substance than symbolism.  As John Bright, the liberal statesman of the next generation, said, "It was not a good Bill, but it was a great Bill when it passed." <ref>Trevelyan, p.272.</ref>

Substantively, it increased the franchise 65% to 717,000 with the middle class receiving most of the new votes. The representation of 56 rotten boroughs was eliminated completely and half the representation of 30 others; the freed up seats were distributed to boroughs created for previously disenfranchised areas.  However, many rotten boroughs remained and it still excluded millions of working class men and all women.<ref>Marriott, pages 222–223.</ref><ref>Smith, pages 437–444.</ref>

Symbolically, the Bill exceeded expectations and is now ranked with [[Magna Carta]] and the [[Bill of Rights 1689|Bill of Rights]] as one of the most important pieces of legislation ever passed by Parliament.

First, the Great Reform Bill removed the Sovereign from the election process and the choice of Prime Minister. Slowly evolving for 100 years, this convention was confirmed two years after the passage of the bill. In 1834 [[King William IV]] dismissed Melbourne as Premier, but was forced to recall him when [[Robert Peel]], the King's choice, could not form a working majority. Since then, no Sovereign has tried to impose a Prime Minister on Parliament.

Second, the Bill reduced the Lords' power by eliminating many of their pocket boroughs and creating new ones where they had no influence. Weakened, they were unable to prevent the passage of more comprehensive electoral reforms in 1867, 1884, 1918 and 1928 when universal equal suffrage was achieved.<ref>Smith, pages 454, 468, 486, and 489.</ref> [[File:PunchDizzyReformBill.png|thumb|180px|left|''Disraeli and Gladstone Race to Pass the Reform Bill, Punch, 1867'' The rivalry between Disraeli and Gladstone helped to identify the position of Prime Minister with specific personalities. (Disraeli is in the lead looking back over his shoulder at Gladstone.)]] Ultimately, this erosion of power led to the Parliament Act of 1911 that marginalised the Lords' role in the legislative process and to the convention that a Prime Minister cannot sit in the House of Lords. The last to do so was [[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury]], from 1895 to 1902.<ref>The last Prime Minister to be a member of the Lords during any part of his tenure was Alec Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of Home in 1963. Lord Home was the last Prime Minister who was a hereditary peer, but, within days of attaining office, he disclaimed his peerage, abiding by the convention that the Prime Minister should sit in the House of Commons. A junior member of his Conservative Party who had already been selected as candidate in a by-election in a staunch Conservative seat stood aside, allowing Home to contest the by-election, win and thus procure a seat in the lower House.</ref>

Grey's bearing changed the Premiership. Often called the first "modern Prime Minister", he set both an example and a precedent for his successors.  He was ''primus inter pares'', "first among equals", as Bagehot said in 1867 of the Prime Minister's status. Using his Whig victory as a mandate for reform, Grey was unrelenting in the pursuit of this goal, using every Parliamentary device to achieve it.  Although respectful toward the King, he made it clear that his constitutional duty was to acquiesce to the will of the people and Parliament.

The Loyal Opposition acquiesced too. Some disgruntled Tories claimed they would repeal the Bill once they regained a majority. But in 1834, Robert Peel, the new Conservative leader, put an end to this threat when he stated in his [[Tamworth Manifesto]] that the Bill was "a final and irrevocable settlement of a great constitutional question which no friend to the peace and welfare of this country would attempt to disturb".<ref>Pike, p. 219.</ref>  Thus, Peel affirmed a convention of the constitution that promotes stability in the British system: the Parliament of the day must respect the settlement of constitutional issues made by previous Parliaments.

==Populist Prime Ministers==

[[File:Elliott & Fry10a.jpg|thumb|right|Prime Minister [[William Ewart Gladstone]] cultivated the public image as a ''man of the people'' by circulating pictures like this of himself cutting down oak trees with an axe.]]

The Premiership was a reclusive office prior to 1832. The incumbent worked with his Cabinet and other government officials; he occasionally met with the Sovereign, and attended Parliament when it was in session during the spring and summer. He never went out on the stump to campaign, even during elections; he rarely spoke directly to ordinary voters about policies and issues.

After the passage of the [[Great Reform Bill]], the nature of the position changed; Prime Ministers had to go out among the people. The Bill increased the electorate to 717,000. Subsequent legislation (and population growth) raised it to 2 million in 1867, 5.5 million in 1884 and 21.4 million in 1918. As the franchise increased, power shifted to the people and Prime Ministers assumed more responsibilities with respect to party leadership. It naturally fell on them to motivate and organise their followers, explain party policies, and deliver its "message". Successful leaders had to have a new set of skills: to give a good speech, present a favourable image, and interact with a crowd. They became the "voice", the “face” and the "image" of the party and ministry.

[[File:Victoria Disraeli cartoon.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Prime Minister [[Benjamin Disraeli]] cultivated a public image as an Imperialist with grand gestures such as conferring on [[Queen Victoria|Victoria]] the title “Empress of India”.]]

Robert Peel, often called the "model Prime Minister",<ref>Rosebery, p. 27. Lord Rosebery, later a Prime Minister himself, said of Peel: "the model of all Prime Ministers. It is more than doubtful, indeed, if it be possible in this generation, when the burdens of Empire and of office have so incalculably grown, for any Prime Minister to discharge the duties of his high office with the same thoroughness or in the same spirit as Peel . . . Peel kept a strict supervision over every department: he seems to have been master of the business of each and all of them . . . it is probable that no Prime Minister ever fulfilled so completely and thoroughly the functions of the office, parliamentary, administrative, and general as Sir Robert Peel."</ref> was the first to recognise this new role.  After the successful Conservative campaign of 1841, J. W. Croker said in a letter to Peel, "The elections are wonderful, and the curiosity is that all turns on the name of Sir Robert Peel. 'It's the first time that I remember in our history that the people have chosen the first Minister for the Sovereign. Mr. Pitt's case in '84 is the nearest analogy; but then the people only confirmed the Sovereign's choice; here every Conservative candidate professed himself in plain words to be Sir Robert Peel's man, and on that ground was elected." <ref>Hanham, pages 63–64.</ref>

[[Benjamin Disraeli]] and [[William Ewart Gladstone]] developed this new role further by projecting "images" of themselves to the public. Known by their nicknames "Dizzy" and the "Grand Old Man", their colourful, sometimes bitter, personal and political rivalry over the issues of their time&nbsp;– Imperialism vs. Anti-Imperialism, expansion of the franchise, labour reform, and Irish Home Rule&nbsp;– spanned almost twenty years until Disraeli's death in 1881.<ref>Even after death their rivalry continued. When Disraeli died in 1881, Gladstone proposed a state funeral, but Disraeli's will specified that he have a private funeral and be buried next to his wife. Gladstone replied, "As [Disraeli] lived, so he died&nbsp;— all display, without reality or genuineness." Disraeli, for his part, once said that GOM (the acronym for "Grand Old Man"), really stood for "God's Only Mistake".</ref> Documented by the penny press, photographs and political cartoons, their rivalry linked specific personalities with the Premiership in the public mind and further enhanced its status.

[[File:GladstoneandRosebery.gif|thumb|200px|right|''Gladstone During the Midlothian Campaign 1879'' Speaking directly to the people for the first time, Gladstone's Midlothian campaign symbolises a major change in the role of the Prime Minister. (Gladstone is seated in the centre; Rosebery, a future Prime Minister, is sitting on the carpet in front.)]]

Each created a different public image of himself and his party. Disraeli, who expanded the Empire to protect British interests abroad, cultivated the image of himself (and the Conservative Party) as "Imperialist", making grand gestures such as conferring the title "Empress of India" on Queen Victoria in 1876.  Gladstone, who saw little value in the Empire, proposed an anti-Imperialist policy (later called "Little England"), and cultivated the image of himself (and the Liberal Party) as "man of the people" by circulating pictures of himself cutting down great oak trees with an axe as a hobby.

Gladstone went beyond image by appealing directly to the people. In his [[Midlothian Campaign]]&nbsp;– so called because he stood as a candidate for that county&nbsp;– Gladstone spoke in fields, halls and railway stations to hundreds, sometimes thousands, of students, farmers, labourers and middle class workers.  Although not the first leader to speak directly to voters&nbsp;– both he and Disraeli had spoken directly to party loyalists before on special occasions&nbsp;– he was the first to canvass an entire constituency delivering his message to anyone who would listen, encouraging his supporters and trying to convert his opponents. Publicised nationwide, Gladstone's message became that of the party. Noting its significance, Lord Shaftsbury{{Who|date=April 2010}} said, "It is a new thing and a very serious thing to see the Prime Minister on the stump." <ref>Bigham, p. 318.  Disraeli and Victoria thought the tactic was unconstitutional. "Such conduct", the Queen said, "is unheard of and the only excuse is&nbsp;– that he is not quite sane."</ref>

Campaigning directly to the people became commonplace. Several 20th century Prime Ministers, such as [[David Lloyd George]] and [[Winston Churchill]], were famous for their oratorical skills.  After the introduction of [[radio]], motion pictures, television, and the internet, many used these technologies to project their public image and address the nation. [[Stanley Baldwin]], a master of the radio broadcast in the 1920s and 1930s, reached a national audience in his talks filled with homely advise and simple expressions of national pride.<ref>Pike, p. 389.</ref> [[Winston Churchill|Churchill]] also used the radio to great effect, inspiring, reassuring and informing the people with his speeches during the Second World War. Two recent Prime Ministers, [[Margaret Thatcher]] and [[Tony Blair]], achieved celebrity status, like rock stars.  "The props in Blair's theatre of celebrity," according to [[Anthony King]], "included . . . his guitar, his casual clothes . . . footballs bounced skillfully off the top of his head . . . and carefully choreographed speeches-cum-performances at Labour Party conferences."<ref>King, pages 319–320.</ref>

==Parliament Act and the Premiership (1911)==

In addition to being the leader of a great political party and the head of Her Majesty's Government, the modern Prime Minister is the leader of the House of Commons. From this commanding position, the Prime Minister directs the law-making process, enacting into law his party’s programme. For example, former Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]], whose Labour party was elected in 1997 partly on a promise to enact a British Bill of Rights and to create devolved governments for Scotland and Wales, subsequently stewarded through Parliament the Human Rights Act (1998), the Scotland Act (1998) and the Government of Wales Act (1998).

From its appearance in the 14th century, Parliament has been a bicameral legislature consisting of the Commons and the Lords. Members of the Commons are elected; those in the Lords are not. Most Lords are called "Temporal" with titles such as Duke, Marquess, Earl and Viscount.  The balance are Lords Spiritual (prelates of the Anglican Church).

For most of the history of the Upper House, Lords Temporal were land owners who held their estates, titles and seats as an hereditary right passed down from one generation to the next in some cases for centuries. In 1910, for example, there were nineteen whose title was created before 1500.<ref>Tuckman, p 391</ref><ref>Following a series of reforms in the 20th century, the Lords now consists almost entirely of appointed members who hold their title only for their own lifetime. As of July 2008 the Lords had 746 members, compared to 646 in the Commons.</ref><ref name="lords_composition">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/directories/house_of_lords_information_office/analysis_by_composition.cfm |title=House of Lords: Breakdown of Lords by party strength and type of peerage |accessdate=2008-05-25 |date=2008-05-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hcio/stateparties.cfm |title=House of Commons: State of the parties |accessdate=2008-05-25|date=2008-05-23}}</ref>

Until 1911, Prime Ministers had to guide legislation through the Commons and the Lords and obtain a majority approval in both to translate it into law.  This was not always easy because political differences usually separated the chambers. Representing the landed aristocracy, Lords Temporal were generally Tory (later Conservative) who wanted to maintain the status quo and resisted progressive measures such as extending the franchise.  The party affiliation of members of the Commons was less predictable. During the 18th century, its makeup varied because the Lords had considerable control over elections: sometimes Whigs dominated it, sometimes Tories. After the passage of the Great Reform Bill in 1832, the Commons gradually became more progressive, a tendency that increased with the passage of each subsequent expansion of the franchise.

[[File:Meeting of Asquith cabinet19090001.jpg|250px|thumb|right| ''Asquith's Cabinet Reacts to the Lords' Rejection of the "People's Budget" - a satirical cartoon, 1909'' Prime Minister Asquith's government welcomed the Lords' veto of the "People's Budget"; it moved the country toward a constitutional crisis over the Lords' legislative powers. (Asquith makes the announcement while David Lloyd George holds down a jubilant Winston Churchill.)]]

In 1906, the Liberal party, led by Sir [[Henry Campbell-Bannerman]], won an overwhelming victory on a platform that promised social reforms for the working class.  With 379 seats compared to the Conservatives' 132, the Liberals could confidently expect to pass their legislative programme through the Commons.<ref>Smith, p. 477,</ref><ref>Tuchman, p 365. The Liberal majority was actually much larger in practice because on most issues they could rely on the votes of 51 Labour and Lib-Lab representatives and 83 Irish Nationalists. Their majority was so large and unprecedented&nbsp;— they had more seats than all other parties combined&nbsp;— that one Conservative called it a "hideous abnormality".</ref>  At the same time, however, the Conservative Party had a huge majority in the Lords; it could easily veto any legislation passed by the Commons that was against their interests.<ref>Furthermore, [[Arthur Balfour]], the defeated Conservative Prime Minister and now Leader of the Opposition, declared that the House of Lords was the "watchdog of the constitution"; it had an obligation to promote stability by rejecting "radical" legislation proposed by "zealots" who may have a temporary numerical advantage in the Commons. [[David Lloyd George]], the new Liberal [[President of the Board of Trade]] and a future Prime Minister, said the Lords ". . . is not the watchdog of the British Constitution.  It is Mr Balfour's poodle!"  Smith, p. 478</ref>

For five years, the Commons and the Lords fought over one bill after another. The Liberals pushed through parts of their programme, but the Conservatives vetoed or modified others. When the Lords vetoed the "People's Budget" in 1909, the controversy moved almost inevitably toward a constitutional crisis.<ref>Smith, pp 478-480. Although the Liberals did pass the [[Trade Disputes Bill]], the [[Workmen's Compensation Act]], the [[Labour Exchange Act]], the [[Trade Boards Act]], and the [[House and Town Planning Act]], the Lords vetoed an [[Education Bill]], a land reform bill, a [[Licensing Bill]], and a Plural Voting Bill; they mutilated and mauled an [[Agricultural Holdings Bill]] and an Irish Town Tenants Bill, and they almost rejected the [[Old Age Pensions Bill]].</ref>

[[File:Passing of the Parliament Bill, 1911 - Project Gutenberg eText 19609.jpg|250px|thumb|left| ''An important vote: the [[House of Lords]] voting for the [[Parliament Act 1911]]. From the Drawing by S. Begg'' The Parliament Act 1911 eliminated the Lords’ veto power over legislation approved by the House of Commons. Indirectly, it also further enhanced the dominance of the Prime Minister in the constitutional hierarchy.]]

In 1910, Prime Minister [[Herbert Asquith]] <ref>Campbell-Bannerman retired and died in 1908</ref> introduced a bill "for regulating the relations between the Houses of Parliament" which would eliminate the Lords' veto power over legislation. Passed by the Commons, the Lords rejected it. In a general election fought on this issue, the Liberals were weakened but still had a comfortable majority. At Asquith's request, King [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]] then threatened to create a sufficient number of new Liberal Peers to ensure the bill's passage. Rather than accept a permanent Liberal majority, the Conservative Lords yielded, and the bill became law.<ref>Knappen, pp 554-555</ref>

The [[Parliament Act 1911]] established the supremacy of the Commons. It provided that the Lords could not delay for more than one month any bill certified by the Speaker of the Commons as a money bill. Furthermore, the act provided that any bill rejected by the Lords would nevertheless become law if passed by the Commons in three successive sessions provided that two years had elapsed since its original passage.  The Lords could still delay or suspend the enactment of legislation but could no longer veto it.<ref>Smith, p. 482,</ref><ref>Knappen, p. 555</ref> Subsequently the Lords “suspending” power was reduced to one year by the [[Parliament Act 1949]].

Indirectly, the Act enhanced the already dominant position of Prime Minister in the constitutional hierarchy. Although the Lords are still involved in the legislative process and the Prime Minister must still guide legislation through both Houses, the Lords no longer have the power to veto or even delay enactment of legislation passed by the Commons. Provided that he controls the Cabinet, maintains party discipline, and commands a majority in the Commons, the Prime Minister is assured of putting through his legislative agenda.

=="Presidential" Premiership==

The role and power of the Prime Minister have been subject to much change in the last fifty years. There has gradually been a change from Cabinet decision making and deliberation to the dominance of the Prime Minister. As early as 1965, in a new introduction to [[Walter Bagehot]]'s classic work ''[[The English Constitution]]'', [[Richard Crossman]] identified a new era of "Prime Ministerial" government. Some commentators, such as the political scientist Michael Foley, have argued there is a ''de facto'' "British Presidency". In Tony Blair's government, many sources such as former ministers have suggested that decision-making was centred around him and Gordon Brown, and the Cabinet was no longer used for decision making.<ref>Chapter 12 Blair's Cabinet: Monarchy Returns, British Government in Crisis, Christopher Foster, Hart Publishing, 2005</ref> Former ministers such as [[Clare Short]] and [[Chris Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury|Chris Smith]] have criticised the lack of decision-making power in Cabinet. When she resigned, Short denounced "the centralisation of power into the hands of the Prime Minister and an increasingly small number of advisers"<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3019871.stm ''Short launches broadside on Blair''], [[BBC News]], 12 May 2003. Retrieved April 23, 2006.</ref> The [[Butler Review]] of 2004 condemned Blair's style of "sofa government". [[File:Churchill waves to crowds.jpg|thumb|200px|right|''Churchill waves to the Crowds After Announcing the Surrender of Germany 1945'']]

Prime Ministers may dominate the Cabinet so much that they become "Semi-Presidents". Examples include [[William Ewart Gladstone]], [[David Lloyd George]], [[Neville Chamberlain]], [[Winston Churchill]], [[Margaret Thatcher]], and [[Tony Blair]]. The powers of some Prime Ministers waxed or waned, depending upon their own level of energy, political skills or outside events: [[Ramsay MacDonald]], for example, was dominant in his Labour governments, but during his [[UK National Government|National Government]] his powers diminished so that he was merely the figurehead of the government. In modern times, Prime Ministers have never been merely titular; dominant or somewhat dominant personalities are the norm.

Generally, however, the Prime Minister is held responsible by the nation for the consequences of legislation or of general government policy. Margaret Thatcher's party forced her from power after the introduction of the [[community charge|poll tax]]; [[Anthony Eden|Sir Anthony Eden]] fell from power following the [[Suez Crisis]]; and [[Neville Chamberlain]] resigned after being criticised for his handling of negotiations with Germany prior to the outbreak of [[World War II]], and for failing to prevent the fall of [[Norway]] to the [[Nazism|Nazi]] onslaught.

The Prime Minister's powers are also limited by the House of Commons, whose support the Government is obliged to maintain. The Commons checks the powers of the Prime Minister through committee hearings and through [[Question Time]], a weekly occurrence in which the Prime Minister is obliged to respond to the questions of the Leader of the Opposition and other members of the House. In practice, however, a Government with a strong majority need rarely fear "backbench rebellions".

==Recent constitutional constraints on the Premiership==
{{Expand section|date=December 2009}}

===British membership of the [[European Union]]===
{{Expand section|date=December 2009}}

===[[Devolution]] of certain government functions to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales====
{{Expand section|date=December 2009}}

===Enactment of a "[[British Bill of Rights]]"===
{{Expand section|date=December 2009}}

=See also=
* [[List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom]]
* [[Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]]
* [[Historical rankings of British Prime Ministers]]
* [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]
* [[Prime Minister's Questions]]
* [[Records of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom]]
* [[Spouses of the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom]]
* [[UK Prime Ministers timeline|Detailed timeline of UK Prime Ministers from Lord Palmerston to David Cameron]]
* [[Westminster System]]
* [[10 Downing Street]]
* [[List of UK Parliament constituencies represented by sitting Prime Ministers]]

=Notes=
{{Reflist|2}}

=References=
*{{cite book |title=The English Constitution |last=Bagehot |first=Walter |year=1963 |publisher=Wm. Collins Sons & Ltd., first published in 1867}}
*{{cite book |title=English Constitutional History |last=Chrimes |first=S. B. |year=1947 |publisher=Oxford University Press, Oxford}}
*{{cite book |title=The Growth of Responsible Government from James the First to Victoria |last=Dodd |first=A. H. |year=1956 |publisher=Routledge and Kegan Paul, London}}
*Farnborough, Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron. (1896). ''Constitutional History of England since the Accession of George the Third,'' 11th ed. London: Longmans, Green and Co.
*{{cite book |title=His Majesty's Opposition |last=Foord |first=Archibald S. |year=1964 |publisher=Clarendon Press, Oxford}}
*{{cite book |title=England Is Here - Speeches and Writings of the Prime Ministers of England |last=Hanchant |first=W.L. |year=1943 |publisher=Bodley Head}}
*{{cite book |title=The British Constitution |last=King |first=Anthony |year=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press, Oxford}}
*{{cite book |title=Constitutional and Legal History of England |last=Knappen |first=M. M. |year=1942 |publisher=Harcourt, Brace & Company}}
*{{cite book |title=The Victorian Constitution, Conventions, Usages and Continguencies |last=Le May |first=G. H. L. |year=1979 |publisher=Duckworth}}
*{{cite book |title=The Governance of England |last=Low |first=S. |year=1904 |publisher=T. Fisher Unwin, London}}
*{{cite book |title=English Political Institutions |last=Marriott |first=J. A. R. |year=1925 |publisher=Oxford University Press, Oxford}}
*{{cite book |title=Britain's Prime Ministers: From Walpole to Wilson |last=Pike |first=E. Royston |year=1968 |publisher=Odhams Books}}
*{{cite book |title=Treasury, 1660–1870: The Foundations of Control |last=Roseveare |first=Henry |year=1973 |publisher=Allen and Unwin}}
*{{cite book |title=A Constitutional and Legal History of England |last=Smith |first=Goldwin |year=1990 |publisher=Dorset Press}}
*{{cite book |title=The Proud Tower, A Portrait of the World before the War, 1890-1914 |last=Tuchman |first=Barbara W. |year=1966 |publisher=The Macmillan Company}}
*{{cite book |title=The March of Folly, From Troy to Vietnam|last=Tuchman |first=Barbara W. |year=1984 |publisher=Random House}}

=External links=

*[http://www.number10.gov.uk/ Number 10 official website]
*[http://britishconstitution.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Prime%20Minister The British Constitution] A general introduction to the constitutional function of the UK Prime Minister
*[http://www.parliament.uk/ Parliament of the United Kingdom. (2004). Official Website.]
*[http://www.archontology.org/nations/uk/bpm/ Principal Ministers of the Crown: 1730–2006]
*[http://bruv.org/index.php?act=idx bruv.org]
{{Prime Minister of the United Kingdom}}
{{List of UK Prime Ministers}}
{{Great Offices of State}}
{{European Council}}
{{UK heads of governments}}
{{Europe heads of government}}
{{United Kingdom topics}}
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