Anthony Seldon: The Impossible Office? The History of the British Prime Minister

Excerpt

British prime ministers arrive in Downing Street like Hollywood starlets greeted by flashing light bulbs and the whirr of cameras.¹ They deliver a speech to the press that awkwardly connects their childhood or their life experiences to their elevation to leadership and present their ‘big idea’. They then turn to enter one of the most famous doors in the world that—like Aladdin’s cave—is opened by an unseen attendant. Once through the magic door, they find hundreds of dedicated and hugely competent public servants dedicated to making their words a reality. And while occupying 10 Downing Street British prime ministers discover—if they did not know already—that they wield tremendous power. Parliament is sovereign and weakly bicameral. Only the House of Commons really matters. Eighteen out of twenty-one general elections since 1945 have produced a majority in the Commons. Party discipline is strong. The courts can be frail and are often deferential to the executive. These constitutional basics mean that, as Lord Hailsham once observed, the British Prime Minister is the head of ‘an elective dictatorship’.² Like dictators, they take delight in appointing friends, acolytes, chums, and cronies to positions of power or influence. They typically enjoy a brief honeymoon when everyone wants to be pictured with them. In the fairy tale first 100 days (a little more, or a little less), the great and the good, the weak and the dodgy, all compete for their attention. A prime minister’s words are pored over like scripture, and their thoughts are the subject of endless speculation. The nation looks to them for economic, political, or moral leadership. Most people regard them as the ultimate power in the land. New prime ministers can be forgiven for feeling almost permanently intoxicated. …