Cameron may be a prime minister waiting to resign, but he was elected to office with a majority in the House of Commons, which, technically, he still has. However, with a large amount of government business already held up by the EU referendum and the likelihood that controversial decisions will be deferred further, the interesting question is what kind of PM role Cameron needs to play in these circumstances. Many will expect him to play a minimal role in the months remaining. But there are a number of reasons why that may not be possible. First, he needs to steady the Cabinet. In the UK, we operate through a system of collective Cabinet responsibility – so decisions are, in theory, made by the Cabinet all working together. But that has historically been balanced by the informal and formal powers held by the Prime Minister to pull Cabinet together, as its chairman, as the senior spokesperson and ultimately by being able to hire and fire its members. If the Cabinet as a whole is to make decisions, Cameron‘s skills as a chairman will be needed more than ever, as he has lost most of his other powers. We will also have […]

Original source – Institute for Government

Comments closed