The present method of Cabinet Government dates in great part from this
reign. From the earliest period of English history the sovereign was
accustomed to have a permanent council composed of some of the chief
men of the realm, whom he consulted on all matters of importance
(SS144, 145). Charles II, either because he found this body
inconveniently large for the rapid transaction of business, or because
he believed it inexpedient to discuss his plans with so many, selected
a small confidential committee from it (S476). This committee met to
consult with the King in his cabinet, or private room, and so came to
be called "the Cabinet Council," or briefly, "the Cabinet," a name
which it has ever since retained.
During Charles II's reign and that of his immediate successors the
King continued to choose this special council from those whom he
believed to be friendly to his measures, often without much regard to
party lines, and he was aways present at their meetings. With the
accession of George I, however, a great change took place. His want
of acquaintance with prominent men made it difficult for him to select
a Cabinet himself, and his ignorance of English rendered his presence
at its meetings wholly useless. For these reasons the new King
adopted the expedient of appointing a chief adviser, or Prime
Minister, who personally chose his own Cabinet from men of the
political party to which he belonged.
Sir Robert Walpole, who held this office of chief adviser for more
than twenty years (1721-1742), is commonly considered to have been the
first actual Prime Minister, and the founder of that system of Cabinet
Government which prevails in England to-day. He was a master hand at
managing his fellow ministers in the Cabinet, and when one of them,
named Townshend, aspired to share the leadership, Walpole said to him,
"The firm must be Walpole and Townshend, not Townshend and Walpole."
But later (1741) a minority in the Lords protested "that a sole or
even First Minister is an officer unknown to the law of Britain,
inconsistent withthe Constitution of this country, and destructive of
liberty in any government whatsoever." Then Walpole thought it
expedient to disclaim the title; but many years later the younger Pitt
declared (1803) that there ought to be "an avowed minister possessing
the chief weight in the Council" or Cabinet, and that view eventually
prevailed.[1] The Cabinet, or "Government," as it is usually
called,[2] generally consists of twelve or fifteen persons chosen by
the Prime Minister, or Premier,[3] from the leading members of both
houses of Parliament, but whose political views agree in the main with
the majority of the House of Commons.[4]
But this system, as it now stands, was gradually developed. It had
advanced to such a point under the dictatorial rule of Sir Robert
Walpole that George II, chafing under the restriction of his power,
said bitterly, "In England the ministers are King." George III,
however, succeeded, for a time, in making himself practically supreme,
but Cabinet Government soon came to the front again, and, under
William IV, the Prime Minister, with his Cabinet, ceased to look to
the sovereign for guidance and support, and became responsible to the
House of Commons (provided that body reflects the public opinion of
the nation).
[1] Feilden's "Constitutional History of England," Taswell-Langmead's
"English Constitutional History," and A.L. Lowell's "The Government of
England," 2 vols.
[2] "The Cabinet, the body to which, in common use, we have latterly
come to give the name of Government." Encyclopaedia Britannica (10th
edition, VIII, 297).
[3] "Premier": from the French premier, first or chief.
[4] The existence of the Cabinet depends on custom, not law. Its
three essential characteristics are generally considered to be: (1)
Practical unanimity of party; (2) Practical unity of action under the
leadership of the Prime Minister; (3) Collective responsibility to the
party in the House of Commons which represents the political majority
of the nation. Its members are never OFFICIALLY made known to the
public, nor its proceedings recorded. Its meetings, which take place
at irregular intervals, according to pressure of business, are
entirely secret, and the sovereign is never present. As the Cabinet
agrees in its composition with the majority of the House of Commons,
it follows that if the Commons are Conservative, the Cabinet will be
so likewise; and if Liberal, the reverse. Theoretically, the
sovereign chooses the Cabinet; but practically the selection is now
always made by the Prime Minister. If at any time the Prime Minister,
with his Cabinet, finds that his political policy no longer agrees
with that of the House of Commons, he and the other members of the
Cabinet resign, and the sovereign chooses a new Prime Minister from
the opposite party, who forms a new Cabinet in harmony with himself
and the Commons. If, however, the Prime Minister has good reason for
believing that a different House of Commons would support him, the
sovereign may, by his advice, dissolve Parliament. A new election
then takes place, and according to the political character of the
members returned, the Cabinet remains in or goes out of power. The
Cabinet, or Government, now invariably includes the following
officers:
1. The First Lord of the Treasury (usually the Prime Minister).
2. The Lord Chancellor.
3. The Lord President of the Council.
4. The Lord Privy Seal.
5. The Chancellor of the Exchequer.
6. The Secretary of State for Home Affairs.
7. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
8. The Secretary of State for the Colonies.
9. The Secretary of State for India.
10. The Secretary of State for War.
11. The First Lord of the Admiralty.
In addition, a certain number of other officers are frequently
included, making the whole number about twelve or fifteen.